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Allen Vansen is stepping down from his position as Chief Executive Officer of Rugby Canada. The organization today announced the beginning of a leadership transition that will see Vansen stay in the role through January 31, 2022. The search for a new CEO has begun effective immediately.
Vansen attached a statement to the release:
“After much consideration and consultation about what’s needed for the organization in the long-term and with my own professional and personal objectives, I have made the decision to step down as Chief Executive Officer of Rugby Canada in January 2022.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead such a remarkable organization and want to thank the Board of Directors, management team, and our athletes. Both the board and I recognize change is an important catalyst at this juncture of Canadian rugby history.”
The change comes in the wake of what has been a tumultuous year for the organization. John Tait was controversially removed as Head Coach of the Women’s Sevens program and the team subsequently fell well short of its medal goals at the Olympics. The Senior Men’s XVs then crashed out of the World Cup Qualifiers for the first time.
Appointed in February 2016 as the successor to Graham Brown, Vansen was notably based in Toronto though Rugby Canada’s High Performance programs run out of Langford. During Vansen’s tenure the organization constructed the Al Charron National Training Centre and notably launched the highly successful Vancouver stop on the HSBC Sevens Series.
Rugby Canada recently began a thorough review of its High Performance Programs and it remains to be seen if there are changes to other leadership positions within the organization. The review was initially intended to be completed in November but the results are now expected in January.
