Now the WRU has called on all clubs to assess the potential income streams and focus on maximising their own business plans to develop facilities and teams.
A detailed Club Funding Index has been drawn up by the WRU to show precisely how the millions have been accessed over the past five years.
The document is being distributed to all 314 Welsh rugby clubs for their administrators to study and ensure they are considering all possible avenues for income.
It shows the WRU:
* distributed or helped clubs access £27m in the last five years
* helped improve clubs, pitches, floodlights and changing rooms around Wales
* maintained a committed focus on helping the grassroots game
* focused 52 full time staff on helping community rugby
* identified a series of external funding streams
The Group Chief Executive of the Welsh Rugby Union, Roger Lewis, said: “We want every rugby club in Wales to achieve all the financial benefits they are entitled to access through the WRU.
“In five years the clubs have accessed more than £27million through the union so the funding streams exist and are there to help our game prosper.
“It is clear that some clubs are excellent at maximising their income streams to improve facilities, run more teams and generally put themselves on a more solid financial footing.
“By drawing up this detailed Club Funding Index we are providing a roadmap for all clubs to see exactly what they could be achieving.
“A powerful grassroots game is vitally important for the future of Welsh rugby, helping the clubs achieve long term sustainability and boosting participation is our declared aim.”
Most of the money highlighted in the Club Funding Index was generated by the WRU’s commercial activity along with strong support from the Welsh Government over aligned strategies.
The money accessed by the clubs has improved the infrastructure of rugby across Wales with projects including 34 clubhouse refurbishments, 23 pitch projects, 63 floodlighting projects and 44 changing room refurbishments.
Four stands and nine training or all-weather areas have been built and a large number of supporting projects have been completed over the five year period.
In 2012 the WRU boosted its community spend by announcing a £1million facilities grant to be spent directly by its member clubs.
That increased the WRU spend on the community game in 2012 to £6million as the focus on improving grassroots rugby continued to be a governing body priority.
The index document includes the core development grants which are available to all clubs plus loans and the supply of equipment such as rugby balls.
Some of the money identified is available through Sport Wales grants which are achieved by the alignment of health and fitness strategies.
The WRU now has 52 full time staff focused directly on community rugby issues including development and participation officers who work directly with clubs and schools.
The funding streams identified in the index include WRU core and development grants, WRU ticketing cash-back, the WRU Lottery Commission, the WRU Participation Points funding, WRU ball allocation, WRU facilities foundation grants and WRU recruitment funding.
The external funding streams include the Welsh Government Community Facilities and Activities Programme, Coalfields Regeneration funding, Foundation for Sports and Arts funding, Strategic regeneration area funding, Sport Wales Community Chest, Sport Wales Development Grant and Natwest Rugby Force.
