BCRU and CEO Matthew Carter Part Ways – John Tait Again Appointed Interim CEO: Wish List for New CEO
The BCRU made a very short statement yesterday (posted below) saying CEO Matthew Carter would no longer serve as CEO and John Tait would act as interim CEO. Also there will be no further comment. He was hired a year ago, the hiring announcement can be viewed here. In part it read:
As the former Lotus F1 CEO and Team Principal and Business Development Director for Lille Olympic Soccer Club, Carter brings a wealth of leadership experience in sports management, business development and revenue growth that will support BC Rugby’s vision of becoming the safest, most vibrant, and inclusive Rugby community. We believe Matthew will be a transformative leader who will drive growth and innovation, while maintaining a commitment to our strong community values.
I’m not going into the reasons in this article, I don’t know the details, his contract was obviously coming up for an annual review. Apparently there were conditions set at the beginning of the contract that weren’t resolved, it doesn’t appear to be a performance based decision. We’ll leave that there, best luck to Matthew on his next venture.
That means they’ll be hiring another CEO at some point, I don’t think John Tait was interested in being CEO on a permanent basis last time, so it’s unlikely he’ll throw his hat in the ring this time either. I thought in this article I’d look at what I would like in the new CEO, my wish list.
- Vision: Someone who sees the potential of the BC Premier as a digital asset, not as a tech project, but as a revenue source. A CEO who could view the BC Premier not as a cost centre to be managed, but as a product to be monetized.
- Connections: Someone familiar with the broadcast world, connections at CBC Sports, TSN. Broadcasters in Canada have Canadian content requirements. A CEO with broadcast experience would know how to position the BC Premier as “High-Quality Local Content”.
- Influence: Someone who can influence partners, sponsors, broadcasters and sell their vision to make a project happen.
U Sports gets on CBC Sports, they attract national sponsors because they get on CBC. The CEBL and U Sports proved that in Canada, networks don’t find you, you build a broadcast-ready stage that they can’t afford to ignore. The revenue isn’t in the ‘rights’, it’s in the sponsorships that only exist once you have a professional lens on the game. An amateur sport can be a professional broadcast, and that’s where the money is hiding.
The BCRU has a lot on its plate from youth rugby up to BC Premier. A new CEO would have to examine the structures that exist and see if a more modern structure could facilitate both the community game while unfettering the elite game so it can reach its revenue generating potential.
from BCRU
Vancouver, BC – May 14, 2026: BC Rugby announces that, effective immediately, Matthew Carter will no longer serve as CEO of the organization. BC Rugby thanks Matthew for his contribution during his time.
To ensure operational continuity and ongoing support for our provincial Rugby community, the Board has appointed John Tait as Interim CEO, effective immediately.
BC Rugby remains fully committed to supporting our members, clubs, and athletes during this transition period and will not be commenting further at this time.