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GROUND BREAKING OWNERSHIP FOR LEEDS RUGBY

Leeds Rugby Limited have today announced that Leeds Metropolitan University will enter into a joint venture and take a majority stake in Leeds Tykes RUFC, with the club set to be known as Leeds Carnegie for their return to the Guinness Premiership.
The change of ownership is a ground breaking arrangement in British sport with an educational institution taking over ownership of a professional sporting organisation.
A new board of Directors will be appointed from 1st July to include Professor Simon Lee (Vice-Chancellor), Stephen Willis (Finance Director) both of Leeds Met and Gary Hetherington (Chief Executive) and Rob Oates (Commercial Director) from Leeds Rugby Ltd with Paul Caddick stepping down as Chairman to be succeeded by Professor Simon Lee.
The Caddick Group will provide support with a 10 year sponsorship deal and in 2007-08 Paul Caddick will match pound for pound all revenue generated from season ticket and corporate hospitality sales which will be allocated to the player squad cap budget.
The day-to-day business of running the company will continue to be overseen by Hetherington, Oates and Director of Rugby Stuart Lancaster.
Leeds Carnegie RUFC will enter into a Service Agreement with Leeds Rugby for a minimum of 10-years whereby Leeds Rugby will provide a range of staff services and facilities to Leeds Carnegie RUFC in the same way as it has done for the past eight years with Leeds Tykes.
The new Leeds Carnegie club will continue to be part of the Leeds Rugby Partnership however Leeds Met will commit a dedicated resource to increase attendances and corporate support at home games.
Leeds Met and Leeds Rugby will work together to further develop facilities of Headingley Carnegie Stadium, the Kirkstall training centre and throughout the wider community.
Current Chairman Paul Caddick commented, Ten years ago Gary Hetherington and I set up a partnership between Rugby Union and Rugby League where the Clubs would share facilities, stadium, training ground and medical facilities. Since that date it is clear that Rugby League through Leeds Rhinos has been a terrific success. Although Rugby Union has made great strides, it is still some way away from being a commercial success. Having suffered relegation last year we are now in a very strong position of re-joining the Guinness Premiership.
Going forward I believe that Leeds Rugby Union needs to improve in some key areas. Firstly we need to improve the quality of our team on the pitch by providing more home grown players from our Academy and a smaller number of better quality overseas players.
There is also an acceptance that we need a major input into the commercial parts of the business to improve the attendances and supporting profile of Rugby Union in the Leeds and Yorkshire area.
Winning immediate promotion back to the Guinness Premiership makes this the right time to open up Leeds Tykes to wider Yorkshire influences as we aim even higher in the coming years. Our partnership with Leeds Met Carnegie continues to deepen and I am pleased to announce that the name of the Rugby Union team is to become Leeds Carnegie to reflect this, with Leeds Met Carnegie joining Leeds Rugby directors on the board of what is now a joint venture.
Leeds Met Carnegie are committing their Vice-Chancellor, Simon Lee, and Director of Finance, Stephen Willis, to the board while Leeds Rugby will be represented by Gary Hetherington and Rob Oates from 1st July. Simon Lee will chair the board as we strive to help the club benefit from the engagement of the whole university community, its alumni and its reputation for excellence in sport. My company is going to lead the way by pledging a ten year sponsorship deal, added Caddick.
Chief Executive Gary Hetherington added, This is a very unique and significant development, the first of its kind anywhere in the world, whereby a professional sports team and a higher education establishment come together in this type of joint venture. Pauls passion for rugby has brought the Tykes to this exciting phase in their development. He thinks it is time to broaden the sense of ownership in the club, to get students and the wider Yorkshire community behind what needs to be their club if it is to thrive. We can see the sense of pride generated in Leeds Met Carnegie in recent years and so Paul has asked Simon Lee and his team to join Leeds Rugby in this joint venture. Its typical of Paul, who has never sought the limelight, to be the first to pledge his support for this next phase of building the crowd up to challenge for the highest honours in rugby union as we do in Rugby League.
Professor Simon Lee, Vice Chancellor of Leeds Met commented, Paul Caddick has not only saved international and first-class sport at Headingley Carnegie Stadium in the traditional codes here of Rugby League and cricket but he has also created the worlds first dual code rugby club through the development of a rugby union culture strong enough to bounce straight back to the premiership. As partners, we have been able to appreciate at close quarters his pioneering, entrepreneurial spirit and his determination. We believe that the Rugby Union team deserves more such support and that organisations in Yorkshire should not be leaving the responsibility with the Caddick group alone. So we are committing ourselves to making a difference in backing the team on their return to the Guinness Premiership.
The Tykes will return to the Guinness Premiership next season after winning the National Division One Championship. Director of Rugby Stuart Lancaster added, I am delighted by the announcement. Having been involved with Leeds since its formation in 1992, when Roundhay and Headingley merged, I have witnessed many steps in the clubs evolution all of which have helped us move up to the next level. This, I believe, is another hugely important and significant step on our evolution. I believe we have generated some momentum this year with the way in which we have handled the disappointment of relegation and this will only spur us on for our return to the Guinness Premiership. I firmly believe this is the right move for the club to change our perception merely happy to survive but to thrive and I am personally excited about challenge ahead.