After all, under Steele's watch, UK Sport were instrumental in helping Britain achieve its best-ever overseas performance at the Olympics at Beijing 2008 and it was no real surprise when the former player, coach and director of Northampton Saints was headhunted for the top job at the RFU.

It was quite clearly the dream job for a man that loved rugby so much, but there was to be no fairytale ending for Steele at Twickenham because in June 2011, he was forced to leave his position less than a year after he had taken it.


His high-profile departure came following an internal row over the appointment of a new performance director, which most people believed should have been Sir Clive Woodward (pictured), the coach when England won the World Cup in 2003 who is now working for the British Olympic Association (BOA).

The move came after Steele had overseen sweeping changes to the organisation's structure aimed at preparing to host the 2015 World Cup.

But as he left Twickenham, many predicted that he would not be seen in the world of sport for some time given that his final days at the RFU had been so unsavoury.

Yet he has quickly returned with the independent charity Youth Sport Trust and less than a week after officially taking up the role of chief executive, we sat down together to talk during his new organisation's National Conference in Telford.

Rather typically of the man I knew during his time at UK Sport, Steele was completely unafraid to answer my most blunt opening question about his departure from the RFU.


"I obviously didn't spend very long at the RFU but I believe I had an impact there and I believe I created an environment there which drove through some necessary change," he explained openly.

"Now there is the real opportunity for rugby to build on that.

"So I'm honestly really proud with what I achieved in that year, along with a lot of other people at the RFU.

"But now I have an equally big challenge and one that is very motivating in a slightly different area of sport."

It was perhaps the bold decision for Steele to stay in sport after things at the RFU ended the way they did and also because he effectively replaces Steve Grainger, who left the Youth Sport Trust last March after he was, ironically, headhunted by Steele to become the new rugby development director at the RFU.


Since Grainger left, Baroness Sue Campbell had been the acting chief executive of Youth Sport Trust and only now has she returned to her previous role as chair following Steele's arrival, which comes despite the man himself having had several job offers from outside the world of sport.

"I was really keen to stay in sport because it is an area I have been in for so long now," he said.

"I'm just really passionate about sport and like most people, I like to get out of bed in the morning with the feeling that I will make a difference in something I care about.

"I do care about sport and it has always been a big part of my life.

"It sometimes surprises me that it took us so long as a society to realise that there are broader values in sport but it is great to see that there are now areas of Government looking to use sport to help the nation develop future leaders and educational results because sport is a catalyst to all of those things.

"The ability for me to contribute to that broader agenda now that I'm here is very inspirational.

"I obviously know sport but this is a new area of sport for me so that is challenging and attractive.

"But I also wanted to come here because this organisation has a great reputation.

"When you say Youth Sport Trust to people, they think about an organisation committed to excellence and about an organisation that is really key at delivering results.

"They make a difference on the ground in a tangible way and they make things happen.

"Leading an organisation which is playing such an important role within this country's sporting landscape is an honour."


It is also very clear that Baroness Campbell was an influencing factor in Steele's decision to join.

Campbell, who is also the chair of UK Sport, originally recruited Steele as UK Sport chief executive in 2005, just a few days before London were awarded the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

The pair forged a close relationship while working at the organisation and Steele admits he is delighted to be back with his former mentor.

"In my life, I have had certain people who have been very influential for me and Sue ranks right up there at the top of those people," he said.

"She is someone that has helped me, taught me, supported me and the chance to work with her again is fantastic.

"That, mixed with the quality of the people within the Youth Sport Trust, really means a lot to me and is another one of the big reasons why I'm here."

One of the main tasks for Steele in his first few months will be to oversee the new School Games, the Government's flagship school sport policy, supported by Sainsbury's, which is due to take place at several venues on the Olympic Park in May including the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Centre and the Velodrome just over two months before London 2012 gets underway.


"So much work has already gone into School Games finals at the Olympic Park and I'm just coming in at the end so I wouldn't be taking the credit for it," Steele said.

"It will be an amazing event I'm sure, but you must remember that it is only the start of this project.

"There may not be another London Olympics or Paralympics for a long time but there will be many more School Games events and I firmly believe that it will grow substantially in terms of interest and prominence as we move forwards.

"London 2012 will be the greatest show on earth and it will inspire a younger generation.

"But when young people ask how they can get more of it, the School Games will be there as a big part of that.

"It exists at a local level, at a regional level and obviously at a national level with the School Games finals so there are real opportunities for young people to engage and I think that the event is a big part of the legacy promised from London 2012."

Steele also joins the organisation after one of the most turbulent years in the history of the Youth Sport Trust.

It all began in October 2010 when in the Coalition Government's first Comprehensive Spending Review, Education Secretary Michael Gove announced that the entire £162 million ($260 million/€190 million) funding for the School Sports Partnerships would be axed.

The decision was met by a huge wave of protests from teachers, pupils and Olympic athletes, like teenage diver Tom Daley, who forced the Government to partially backtrack on the decision.

The Department for Education (DfE) therefore agreed to pay the School Sports Partnerships to the end of the last academic year at a cost of £47 million ($73 million/€55 million), while £65 million ($101 million/€76 million) from the DfE's spending review settlement has been allocated to allow every school in England to release a PE teacher for one day a week for the following two academic years.

It still means that school sport is left with substantially less funding than before and Steele is well aware of the fact.

"We are in a difficult economic time and we need to maintain committed to our goal of changing young people's lives through sport and there is incredible passion and determination here to do that," he said.

"If we are to capitalise on this sporting moment, it is critical that there is the investment and infrastructure in place to support those young people who are inspired by sport.

"So we will be doing everything to access the funding that we need to achieve our goals.

"But I really need to spend my first six months here getting under the skin of the business and learning and understanding what we do.

"Only then can I understand what we do well and what we can do better.

"That will formulate the direction of where we go moving forward.

"If I come in here and say, 'I have a great vision, now everyone gather around and listen' that would be pretty ill-informed and it isn't something that I will be doing.

"The first thing I need to do is to learn the ropes."


As our time draws to a close, I feel that the early signs show that the RFU's loss is the Youth Sport Trust's gain and the good news for the charity is that Steele himself doesn't plan on leaving his new role any time soon.

"I'm absolutely committed to the Youth Sport Trust and I wouldn't waste their time if I didn't want to be here long-term," he says with fierce determination.

"I want to make a difference here and to work with everyone here to do that.

"People who know me well will tell you that when I'm going to do something, I will do it to the best of my ability and that I will do it with integrity.

"It is all just very exciting for me right now and I'm very much looking forward to the long journey ahead."

Tom Degun is a reporter for insidethegames