After ten years at the helm of the United Rugby Championship, chief executive Martin Anayi says that his proudest achievement is getting the South African teams in the tournament.

After somewhat of a trial run with the Cheetahs and the Southern Kings joining to form the PRO14 in 2017; the Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions replaced the former duo amid the formation of the 16-team URC.

While the addition of the South African teams has drawn criticism, the franchises have delivered on the field and the URC is reaping the benefits off it.

‘They have been tremendously successful’

“That would be when we brought the South African teams in and created the United Rugby Championship,” Anayi declared as his proudest achievement.

Reflecting on the impact the teams have made, Anayi said: “They have been tremendously successful in terms of performance and attendance, as well as financially and commercially.

“Pretty much anybody you speak to in the league will say they have raised the standard of the competition on and off the field and they will continue to do that.”

Expanding on the financial benefit, he said: “It’s a game changer. It’s millions. More than half our revenue comes from South Africa via television and sponsorship.

“They are also providing more value to EPCR, via Investec’s sponsorship of the Champions Cup. It is a huge part of the rugby economy for Europe.”

With the competition taking place on two hemispheres, the cost of travel always needs to be factored in but Anayi insisted that is “very limited”.

“Remember, we swapped out an Italian game for a South African game. Teams were already having to pay to go to Italy, so we just give them a top up to go to South Africa,” he explained.

“It doesn’t cost that much compared to what it brings in. It is a very, very good deal.”

Growing revenues and markets

Surveying his decade in the job, Anayi said: “We have gone through phases.

“We were PRO12, PRO14, then we had Covid and out of which came BKT URC. It feels like we have done it in phases and the last four years have probably been the most solid out of that – solid in the sense that we have got revenues to a point and our competition is growing in terms of attendance, TV audience, social media.

“We have grown our revenues a lot. It’s probably three or four times what it was ten years ago.

“We have also found we have connected with an audience.

“We have worked really hard to try and find new fans. We’ve hired people to engage on channels pointing to kids who are 13, 14.

“They are not watching linear TV, they are watching stuff on YouTube. So we have invested a lot into our social channels, including our YouTube channel. That has grown tremendously and you can tell that’s a much younger audience that’s engaging.

“We have also invested in a piece of software called Greenfly, which puts content into players’ hands immediately after the game is over.

“There are 700 players that have taken it up. They get back in the dressing room and we have uploaded all the pictures of them from the game. That means players who have their own social media profiles can push that wider.”

Expiring broadcast deal

On the commercial front, there are big decisions to be made in the immediate term, with the URC’s deals with broadcasters Premier Sports and title sponsors BKT up at the end of this season.

Providing an update, Anayi says: “Premier Sports have really enjoyed it and we have both done well out of the partnership. They have had a lot of rugby subscriptions and are investing in their own rugby channel. They have supported us for many years now and done a really good job.”

As for the next TV deal, he reveals: “We are almost done on that front. We will announce that post Christmas and there is a sense of continuity.”

The message is the same in terms of the arrangement with Indian tyre manufacturing company BKT.

“We are in negotiations. Those conversations are going really well.”

As for future ambitions for the competition he has overseen for a decade, the former motorsport administrator has one thing on his mind above all.

The issue in Wales

“Attendance,” he declares. “Attendance is the heart and soul of any league or any sport.

“What we want to see, especially in Wales, is attendances going up in double digits percentage-wise each year over the next two or three years.

“If we get that, then we will be in a good spot and not just relying on a big game to bump the numbers, but rather week-in, week-out attendance. That’s probably the one thing over the next two years. If that goes up, I think we are doing a good job.

“For example, Cardiff played Connacht at the Arms Park last season and it was a sell out. So it’s possible for non-derby games, it’s doable. We just need it more often across the competition.”

Then, lastly, there’s one more piece in the jigsaw which he has his eye on – Wales.

“There is a new CEO and chair at the WRU, there is a new impetus and they have got a new funding model coming in,” he said.

“We support that massively. That will mean the Welsh clubs being competitive in the URC which is probably the missing ingredient we need for this league to really kick on.”