Ospreys Rugby have confirmed the key strategic appointment of Paul Whapham to head up the region’s community focused activities.
Joining the Ospreys with a proven track record of developing community initiatives from conception through to delivery, it is intended that Whapham will oversee a wide raft of projects that will allow the business to grow its community footprint, using the power of sport, and the Ospreys brand, to create positive change.
Having previously worked for City and County of Swansea, prior to joining the Ospreys he was Community Development Manager with Halo Leisure, a registered charity and social enterprise responsible for running sports and leisure centres across Bridgend.
With a Masters in Obesity, Physical Activity and Health, Whapham previously served as Development Director for Welsh Triathlon, and he believes passionately in using sport to deliver change in the community, empowering people of all ages and from all backgrounds to make positive life choices.
“This new role with the Ospreys is an exciting one, a real challenge for me to get stuck into” said Whapham.
“Ospreys in the Community can play an important part in improving
many people’s lives irrespective of age, ability or gender. It’s not just about rugby; rather, it is about using the Ospreys name and profile as a force for change in many different ways.
“We aim to improve lives by working in partnership with other organisations, to create a wide range of innovative programmes that will be contained within our four strategic themes; Education, Health, Sport, and Inclusion.
“The first challenge is how do we increase income into the organisation which will allow us to have a greater community presence with a well resourced, strong community team?
“In turn that will mean we can increase our interaction with public, private and third sector organisations, and become self sufficient as a community department, really making a positive difference to people across Ospreylia.”
Andrew Hore, Chief Executive of Ospreys Rugby added:
“Ospreys in the Community will be working to support Ospreylians so that Ospreylians support us, something which is at the heart of our vision as a business.
“Paul’s appointment is a key one for our business as we look to move to the next level. The new RSA that was signed last year allows us more opportunity to really get hands on across the many communities in our region and, with the support of our commercial partners, public sector bodies and third sector agencies we can create a vibrant and sustainable community arm which can be a real influence for positive change.
“It’s a big job that Paul has on his hands but with his extensive experience in the field, his knowledge of the sector and his passion for community development, we believe he can help Ospreys Rugby to make a huge difference.”