The new position demonstrates the drive and ambition of the 2016 Principality Premiership winners to continue their progress with off-field growth.
Charged with increasing the visibility of the club in the wider Gwent region, improving links with local business, and augmenting the size of the average gate, Mr Spencer joins the club after having managed a local company for over 10 years and more recently worked as a freelance consultant. He possesses a wide ranging experience in marketing across a variety of sectors, latterly concentrating on Sports Marketing and partnership development, in particular in the rugby arena.
As a former Ebbw Vale youth and Under 21 representative, he played alongside current team members including captain Damien Hudd and hooker Matthew Williams, and is recognisable as being part of the short-lived IWRTV project, which featured Ebbw Vale on several occasions during their last season in the SEE SWALEC Championship.
The 34 year old Spencer said, “Ebbw Vale are a club close to my heart and this is a fantastic opportunity to work with an ambitious group of people at an exciting time not just for the team off the back of such a successful campaign, but also for the wider community as a whole, with other major economic developments in the region.”
Welcoming Mr Spencer, club Chairman Jonathan Jones said, “I am delighted that Gareth is joining the Steelmen family and he will add expertise, enthusiasm and drive to our off the field activities. The fact that Gareth has a rugby background and an affiliation to the club fits perfectly into the model and ethos that the club has worked to develop over the last 6 years.
“This is an ideal time for the club to make this appointment with WRU CEO Martyn Phillips engaging his staff in developing the marketing of the Principality Premiership and the clubs within it through the use of digital media, its customer database as well as the more traditional printed press. This is an extremely positive move by Martyn Phillips and together with our winning of the Principality Premiership title has encouraged Ebbw Vale to bring Gareth on board to maximise these opportunities to develop the club further. The club view this as one of the key personnel signings it will make during this off season.”
The role begins on 1st June and will encompass all aspects of business development and marketing. The club’s ethos is very much based around being a community club, and there is a place for all businesses – large and small – to get involved.
