At the recent RFU CB Leaders’ Conference which I attended along with Andy Thomson and Malcolm Jarvie, there was a workshop session on succession planning in CBs. It became clear that in Northumberland, in common with the majority of CBs, little time is spent planning for changes of personnel in the key positions within the CB. The issue has become of some importance in the light of changes which will occur in Northumberland following this summer’s AGM.

As most of you are aware, Malcolm will be standing down as Secretary in the summer when he assumes the County Presidency. Subject to the approval of the AGM, I will assume the post of Honorary Secretary. Given that I will also be continuing in the role of CB Disciplinary Secretary it is vital that the forthcoming vacancy for the position of Assistant Secretary is filled as quickly as possible.

The Board has requested that all Club Secretaries be asked if they can identify anyone within their club who could take on this role. The respective roles of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary were reviewed recently by the Board and I attach a schedule listing the main duties of each role. The Assistant Secretary role affords the opportunity for someone who has not previously had any involvement in the administration and management of the CB to become familiar with its workings with a view to possibly taking over Secretary in due course. If there is anybody within your Club who you feel would be willing and able to take on the role without undermining any work they may be undertaking within the Club I would be grateful of you would let me know. If there are a number of expressions of interest the recommendations of the Nominations Committee will be sought.

The position of Assistant Disciplinary Secretary is rather different. The Disciplinary Secretary role involves the administration of the adult disciplinary process within the County. This includes receiving reports of red cards and citings, convening disciplinary hearings, advising disciplinary panels on their powers and how they should approach cases and reporting the outcomes of hearings to the RFU and other interested parties. There are rare occasions when I am unable to attend hearings. In the past, Malcolm Jarvie, who attends disciplinary hearings as an observer, has stood in for me to ensure that hearings have not been delayed but it is unreasonable to expect him to continue this in his presidential year. The Board therefore proposes to create a new post of Assistant CB Disciplinary Secretary. The position will not be especially onerous. The intention is that the post holder will attend a number of disciplinary hearings as an observer and as a means of learning the ropes so as to be able to stand in for me when I am not available. Training will be provided both within the CB and by the RFU. Whilst a legal background would be an asset it is by no means a pre-requisite for the post. Again I would ask you to consider whether there is anyone within your Club who could take this on. If so, I would be grateful if you could provide me with the details.

If anybody requires any further information regarding either post, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,

Kingsley Hyland
Hon.Assistant Secretary
Northumberland Rugby Union