A senior administrator will leave the England and Wales Cricket Board after it emerged he is one of the driving forces behind R360, the rugby union rebel league.
Stuart Hooper, a former player and director of rugby at Premiership side Bath, will exit the ECB next week having resigned amid his role as co-founder and chief commercial officer with R360 being revealed.
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Insiders said his role had become “untenable” and that ECB officials were unimpressed by the arrangement when they learnt about it earlier this year.
Telegraph Sport revealed last month that the former second row, who also played for Saracens, Leeds and represented England Saxons, is one of the driving forces behind the proposed new league.
Hooper was director of rugby at Bath from 2019 to 2022 – Getty Images/Bob Bradford
Hooper, 43, was director of cricket operations for the England men’s team, a key logistical role that organises the playing schedule and liaises with other nations’ boards. He had only been with the ECB for around 18 months, having been hired to replace another rugby man, the former Ireland fly-half David Humphreys, who himself had a short stay at the ECB before leaving to take up a role with the Irish Rugby Football Union.
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Earlier this month, Telegraph Sport reported further information on R360, a breakaway league promising to pay rugby players seven-figure salaries by establishing new franchise teams and taking the game on a “grand prix style” tour around the world.
Hooper was named as one of the key players behind the competition, despite having worked for the ECB for the past 18 months. Also involved are the World Cup winner and member of the Royal Family Mike Tindall, the former players’ agent Mark Spoors, and John Loffhagen, a lawyer who has been involved with LIV Golf and the IPL.
By taking players out of the traditional club model, R360 represents a direct threat to the rugby establishment, with Premiership Rugby broadcasters TNT Sports recently describing the plans as “delusional”.
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Hooper has resigned and is serving his notice period, which ends next week. He will be replaced internally by Rob Hillman, with ECB staff informed of the change on Friday.
The ECB has moved quickly to replace Hooper, but still has another key role to fill. Tony Singh, the chief commercial officer, will leave to join Netflix later this summer. His replacement is likely to be heavily involved in securing the next major broadcast deal. The current deal with Sky, worth £220 million per year, runs out at the end of the 2028 summer, and is a key plank of the ECB’s financial model.
Hooper and the ECB declined to comment.
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