European Rugby Cup
 |
|
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1995 |
| Chairman | Jean-Pierre Lux |
| Chief Exec | Derek McGrath |
| Closure date | 2014 |
European Rugby Cup Ltd (or ERC) was the governing body and organiser of the two major European rugby union club tournaments; the Heineken Cup and the Amlin Challenge Cup.
The inaugural Heineken Cup competition was held in 1995-96, with the second tier competition established the following season.
The organisation was established in 1995, in preparation for the 1995-96 season, and was headquartered in Dublin. ERC’s had nine major shareholders: the six tier 1 unions and three club associations, which were all represented on the Board of Directors:
In 2012, Premiership Rugby and LNR, on behalf of the English and French clubs respectively, notified ERC that they would be withdrawing from the accord governing the competition, being dissatisfied with the organisation of the competition and the distribution of funding. Premiership Rugby subsequently refused to join any new agreement in which ERC remained organisers of European rugby tournaments.
On April 10, 2014 it was announced that the nine shareholders with an interest in continuing major European club competition had come to an agreement for new competitions. Under the new agreement, ERC was wound up, and a new body, European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), would be created to organise three new competitions, European Rugby Champions Cup, the European Rugby Challenge Cup, and the third tier Qualifying Competition, beginning with the 2014-15 season.
The Board of ERC, which oversaw the implementation of ERC's strategy for the development of European club rugby, was made up of representatives of the six shareholder unions, league bodies and club representatives and shaped the strategy and development of ERC and the tournaments.
Reporting to and making recommendation the Board were a series of ERC Committees, focusing on the various roles of ERC as a Governing Body and Tournament Organiser and these drew on the experience and expertise of the clubs and Unions from each participation nation.
ERC Committee Structure: - ERC Commercial Committee - ERC Rugby Committee - ERC Match Officials Committee - ERC Disciplinary Committee - ERC Finance and Audit Committee
...
Wikipedia