Get to know our new CEO

We welcomed our new Chief Executive, Vince Mayne, into the England Touch Association in early December. With his feet under the table we caught up with Vince to see how he is enjoying his new role.

A few weeks in, how are you finding it?

The ETA is a complex organisation, magnified because it is so close knit where everyone knows everyone, except me, who knows no-one! I’ve read a whole bunch of documents, had a good dive into the finances and met a lot of people - so I’m getting there but a little slowly for me!

Why Touch, why now?

Touch is in a great place and ready to springboard from the success of the World Cup. I really believe Touch’s time is coming and that we can do some amazing things to establish it as a more mainstream sport. Its inclusiveness, accessibility and values, plus its ability to reach people other sports don’t makes it something really special. This, coupled with my lifelong passion for rugby and all sports generally, makes this the right time for me to get involved and I’m really grateful to the Board for their trust and belief in me.

What’s been the highlight of your professional career, and why?

I’m not sure I’ve had it yet!

If pushed there are a couple of moments which stand out for me, one as a ‘sports fan’ and one in a professional capacity.

Being on a bus back from the Commonwealth Games netball, with Dame Kelly Holmes, Dame Catherine Grainger, Dame Denise Lewis, plus numerous ‘great and good’ from British sport, while the Dames started singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ remains one of those dream moments I am lucky to have been part of.

Professionally, steering BUCS through Covid, while retaining our membership engagement by flipping things to online support, was incredibly tough. But it served to solidify the membership behind what we deliver as a sector, impacting thousands of students every year. I will never cease to be amazed by what the university sector does, through its members which creates an impact beyond the resource that is given.

How did you become involved in the World Transplant Games? What did it mean to represent the nation?

Crucially I became involved through having a kidney transplant back in 2013 and am incredibly lucky that my brother stepped forward as my donor. This is bravery beyond the norm and I owe him my eternal gratitude.

I have played sport all my life - rugby, then hockey and anything I could. I lived in Northumberland and played hockey, tennis, volleyball, and a couple of guest appearances in rugby and cricket, for Tynedale, the area surrounding Hexham.

As the door on competing appeared to be closing, I became aware of the British Transplant Games when Coventry hosted them and I ran the volunteer programme.

Post-transplant I competed at the British Games and was fortunate to be selected to compete at the World Games in Argentina. I have competed in Malaga, Newcastle and Australia and been lucky enough to win a couple of medals in each Games.

How do you see Touch developing over the short and medium-term?

For me we need to provide real value to a broader range of members and players, to demonstrate why they should become members and not just players. We need effective data capture to enable commercial partnerships to be created and keep costs at a minimum for members, and to identify where, how and with whom we should grow the game. Alongside this we need to ensure EDI has a strong seat at the table, is in everything we do as a core function, not an add-on which stretches from grassroots to Board, and we can demonstrate real actions in this space.

Adapted versions of the sport might also be an area of growth for different communities of players. We should in the medium-term build a strong pathway for all players to ensure we can put our best teams on the pitch at every level, and at the very top we should be challenging for top three places when and where we can. This will require some new thinking and new ways of working, but having seen some of what is already achieved, I know our members will rise to this challenge and create some exciting things for the future.

What other sports can you see Touch learning from as we go into the next chapter? And why?

Futsal has done a huge amount to attain separate status and I’m interested to see the pickleball and padel developments, too, in terms of LTA dominance in this space. Skateboarding has also achieved a lot and reached into communities other sports can’t or won’t access, which requires bravery and a clear vision

And some fun stuff….

Best sandwich

Coronation Chicken on granary

Warm-up playlist

Mixed! AC/DC, Four Tops, Led Zep, U2, Robbie Williams, John Lee Hooker, Ed Sheeran, Reef, Fat Boy Slim, Van Halen, Bodyrockers, Run DMC - I could go on!

Cooking speciality

I make a mean chilli which my daughters keep asking for the recipe for. Paella is a favourite and I love throwing things in, but problems arise when I’m asked “Can you cook that again?” and I say.....No!

Best bit of sporting (or other) memorabilia you own

Memories more than items are more important to me but have some stash I’ll never part with (despite my wife’s requests to chuck them!)