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19 April 2024
Haberdashers’ Monmouth School is delighted to announce the appointment of former Wales scrum half, Richie Rees, as Director of the new Haberdashers’ Monmouth School (HMS) Sports Academy.
Richie, capped nine times for Wales in Rugby Union, will join the school in July, from his current role as assistant coach at Cardiff Rugby, having previously coached the Tongan National team, managed the Cardiff and Dragons Rugby academy pathways and coached various Wales age group teams including its 7s side on the World Sevens Series.
Richie joins the school at an exciting and pivotal time in its 400-year history as it will become fully co-educational from September.
Richie Rees says, “I am delighted to be appointed the first director of HMS’ new Sports Academy and look forward to using my experience to enhance the development of all the sporting students, from the most hesitant to the highest performing. Sport has always been a key pillar of a Haberdashers’ Monmouth education and is an important part of health and wellbeing. Nurturing the next generation of sporting talent in the world-class facilities at Monmouth is a wonderful opportunity.”
As Director of the HMS Sports Academy, Richie will oversee the Eddie Butler Centre, develop and lead the HMS Sports Academy’s strategy and the new sports scholarship scheme, whilst managing the sports performance pathways and strength and conditioning programmes.
Richie adds, “The pupil and coach mentoring programme and scholarship scheme is something that really excites me and will assist the vision of becoming one of the leading sports schools not only in Wales, but within the UK”.
In addition to heading up the Academy, Richie will undertake a mentoring role across all the school’s sport programmes and assist the boys’ rugby coaching at all age groups, whilst also launching a girls’ rugby 7s provision within school which will be introduced from September.
As a further commitment to and expansion of HMS’ sports provision, the school will be opening a new sports and athletic performance facility in April 2025. This will be named the Eddie Butler Centre, in honour of the celebrated Welsh Rugby Union player and sports commentator – an alumnus of Haberdashers’ Monmouth.
Other new facilities being developed as part of the investment into the school, for September, include a new studio for the school’s very popular dance academy, as well as an outstanding new Sixth Form centre.
Chair of Governors, Lord Colin Moynihan, is delighted with the timing of Richie’s appointment. “Richie joins us at a time of huge investment in Haberdashers’ Monmouth School, taking it into a new era of excellence, for girls and boys. With Richie’s guidance and experience, this will enable us to develop a sports performance programme to rival any other school in the country.”
“As former Chairman of the British Olympic Association and Minister for Sport, it brings me huge pleasure to think that this will bring outstanding sporting opportunities to girls and boys from all over the UK, creating performance pathways for those most talented of our young men and women in a wide range of sports.”
School sport will continue to be run under the direction of Andy Jones as Director of Sport who will be working closely with Richie.
