Rugby Players' Association
The Rugby Players Association (RPA) is a trade union representing athletes who currently play or have played rugby union in England at a professional or semi-professional level. The RPA is the representative body and collective voice of professional rugby players in England and represents more than 800 male and female current rugby players, as well as more than 400 former players.
RPA members enjoy a wide range of benefits, including: independent representation; legal advice; personal and professional development; playing insurance; education; confidential counselling; transition support; and much more. Members can also access the support of our official charity, Restart, in the event of serious illness, injury or hardship.
The RPA has also acted as the exclusive commercial representative of the England Team since 2004 and performs the following duties on behalf of Team England: Negotiation of the Elite Players Squad Contract, England and Saxons match fees, England team win bonuses and Image Rights payments with the RFU.
The RPA was founded by professional player Damian Hopley, who was forced to early retirement after an injury.[1]
See also
- Rugby Union Players Association, Australian national association for players' interests formed in October 1995
- Rugby Players Ireland, Irish national association for players' interests formed in October 2001
- Welsh Rugby Players Association, Welsh national association for players' interests formed in 2003
References
- Hopley continues as players' boss BBC 2006-10-30 Retrieved on 2009-02-13.