ARU Annual Report 2012 & Participation Growth

[Jets]

There just isn't a reasonable option for these boys to play rugby, so what's the point in trying to get boys interested in rugby if you're not going to take the next step and help establish junior clubs for them to play at?

They might buy some merch or take a packed lunch and a lantern and head to the SFS to watch a game at 7:30 on a Friday night?

 

[Hugh Jarse]

You mean that Rooty Hill, Windsor and the Blue Mountains aren't close to each other?
They're all in the Western Suburbs aren't they?

Have you tried to drive down Military Road Mosman at peak hour? It can take forever to get to Double Bay for the Hairdresser's appointment.

What about when the Spit Bridge is up? You can wait there for a long time and might even miss out on a good table at the Middle Harbour Yacht Club.

The Harbour Bridge and Tunnel approaches are really messy sometimes too! Even the Public Transport <ptooie - spitting sound> breaks down sometimes and they start driving on our roads. Getting anywhere can really take ages, especially when you are already running late for the orthodontist's appointment.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

They might buy some merch or take a packed lunch and a lantern and head to the SFS to watch a game at 7:30 on a Friday night?

Sh*t - with Sydney transport the way it is they'd need to have the day off school to get there for the 2nd half.
Most of the NZ teams play at least one game in a nearby but lesser town.
if the Tahs weren't so strapped for cash and hence in need of the largess of ANZ/SFS they could do the same.

 

[Quick Hands]

Or they might even play one of their trial matches next year at Penrith Park (known as Centrebet Stadium now I believe) on a Saturday afternoon.

These gala days highlight one of two things (or probably both).

1. There is no strategy. i.e. You run gala days to stimulate interest in the game, but if anyone is interested there's nothing in place to satisfy that interest. It's like handing out free samples and having nothing to sell for those who then want to buy your product.

2. It's simply a box-ticking exercise, so that the ARU can say that they are doing something to develop the game in western Sydney, when in fact they really aren't. The added bonus being that you can count these boys as being participants and pretend that people are playing the game in record numbers, when in fact less people are full participants.

What really gets me is that the figures are so obviously unbelievable and wrong that they not only chose to publish them, but crow about it by saying participation was at 'record' levels. Either they are so stupid that they don't even realise that the data is wrong and seriously misleading, or they think that we are so stupid that we would believe it.

 

[USARugger]

Great points Quick Hands, all issues I too have had with this crap. It's a bit like throwing paint at a wall and expecting the Mona Lisa.

Here's a little nugget of information that didn't make it's way into the article (getting ready for finals + first article at the same time had me a bit frazzled)..that 33.33% drop in participation numbers is just the raw drop in numbers. When you adjust for the growth in the Australian male population during the same time period it becomes a 61.70% drop in participation.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Great points Quick Hands, all issues I too have had with this crap. It's a bit like throwing paint at a wall and expecting the Mona Lisa.

Here's a little nugget of information that didn't make it's way into the article (getting ready for finals + first article at the same time had me a bit frazzled)..that 33.33% drop in participation numbers is just the raw drop in numbers. When you adjust for the growth in the Australian male population during the same time period it becomes a 61.70% drop in participation.

No wonder we can't win the bledisloe - or are the 2 unrelated?


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[Quick Hands]

No wonder we can't win the bledisloe - or are the 2 unrelated?


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I think you're right. The size of the base of the pyramid affects everything above.

 

[Quick Hands]

Great points Quick Hands, all issues I too have had with this crap. It's a bit like throwing paint at a wall and expecting the Mona Lisa.

Here's a little nugget of information that didn't make it's way into the article (getting ready for finals + first article at the same time had me a bit frazzled)..that 33.33% drop in participation numbers is just the raw drop in numbers. When you adjust for the growth in the Australian male population during the same time period it becomes a 61.70% drop in participation.

And talking to a friend over the weekend about this, I discovered at least one group of boys who would have been quadruple counted. Last year's 11s at St Augustines all played club rugby as well as for the school (double count), they also played in a primary schools gala day (triple count) and then played in a local 7s gala day (quadruple count).

So there's a group in which about 50 boys were double counted, 20 more triple counted and another 12 quadruple counted.

 

[USARugger]

I think you're right. The size of the base of the pyramid affects everything above.

Yep. USA only wins so many Olympic Medals because we have the third largest population on the planet. Most developed nations are about even on sports medicine and science/technology at this point.

More juniors playing Rugby = more stars at Super Rugby/Test level

 

[Hugh Jarse]

USARugger, I've seen some of your largest population in a show on Fox. He was about 500kg and needed to have the window removed from his bedroom to get a crane in to lift him out of his bed. Talk about Jabba the Hutt.

The Australian obseity epidemic is so bad that I wouldn't be surprised if we were the 4th largest population.

There are some chunky people in Tonga. Are they the largest?

 

[USARugger]

Not sure if you're being facetious but I meant population size as in number of people, mate.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

The former, but both our countries have some pretty serious issues with general population obesity, but that is not for this thread.

Couldn't resist.

Love the maths. It is so simple, but people complicate that simplicity and shag it all up.

 

[Jets]

An interesting address by Minister for Sport, Kate Lundy, at the Our Sporting Future Forum 2013 last month. I have highlighted a few points that might explain why the ARU are pushing this record participation agenda.

http://www.katelundy.com.au/2013/04/11/address-to-our-sporting-future-forum-2013/

What is perhaps not widely recognised is thatWinning Edge also provides frameworks for national sporting organisations to inspire greater levels of participation at the grass roots level through organisational and governance changes.
How Australia can achieve greater participation levels in community sport, which is the lifeblood of Australia’s sports system, is the focus of my address to you today.

Australia’s sporting future depends on what we do today in a rapidly shifting landscape. It will be how we provide for the young participants taking to the courts and fields that determines whether or not we succeed in seeing the social and health benefits of sport flowing to the whole community.

Census figures reveal part of the story as to how sport contributes to Australia’s economic and social capital.

• In 2011-12, 65 per cent of Australians participated in some form of sport or recreation.
• We spent more than $8 billion on sports and recreation related expenses.
• Some 95,000 Australians were employed directly in sport and recreation
• And in 2010, 2.3 million people volunteered in related activities, the largest number of volunteers in any sector with this labour valued at around $4 billion by Frontier Economics.

That same research by Frontier shows health costs could be reduced, in gross terms, by almost $1.5 billion per year through increased physical activity; and that productivity gains by making the workforce healthier through increased physical activity could be as much as 1% of GDP (or $12 billion) per year.
These numbers demonstrate the value of sport to Australia’s prosperity.

Our Government firmly believes the ASC should focus on supporting a vibrant community sport sector through helping to build strong national sporting organisations that increase sport participation for Australians throughout their lives, as kids, adults and as they age.
And, as I’ve mentioned, the ASC has already begun new work in this area – particular through the Winning Edge strategy. The Winning Edge is not just about high performance sport – it backs the full circle of Australian sport – by supporting strong national sporting organisations that can deliver both high performance and community sport programs.

But we believe this benefit can extend to community sport – and this is where Winning Edge comes into play. Through Winning Edge, the Commission will be asking sports to lift their game in being accountable for both high performance and grass roots funding they receive.
And, this increased accountability is not just about increasing paperwork.

The message for sports, and many have already acted, is that sport must innovate to keep their sport strong and sustainable over the long term.
Some of the leaders in this field include Netball’s NetSetGo! program, Tennis Australia’s Cardio Tennis and Equestrian’s Ready, Set, Trot programs. These are shining examples of sports taking adapted structures to provide sports to a wider audience.

This segmentation report identifies that some 3.8 million Australians are interested in joining a club, but that clubs need to offer sport in a way that appeals to these Australians – and that will be the challenge for clubs across the country.

 

[Jets]

The government is clearly focused on participation, without looking at what that participation is.

I find the Frontier research most interesting. How will the health bill be reduced by $1.5B through one off "participation"?

This government rhetoric is about persuading the uninformed that what they are going is great but doesn't get to the heart of the matter. The ARU are not the architects of this sham, it is a result of government funding requirements.

 

[USARugger]

Exercise and proper nutrition are one of the best methods of preventative treatment for a huge swath of common diseases and conditions. That said, doing one-off exercise isn't going to prevent you from developing type-2 diabetes mellitus later in life. At the beginning this sounded like an attempt to shift the burden of responsibility for encouraging reasonable levels of exercise to the governing bodies of these sports instead of the Australia government itself. The rest of it read like a disjointed speech where figures were pulled for no reason which ultimately serves no real purpose or promotes any real discussion. Seriously the last 3/4 just read like she was trying to say anything loosely related to her original points in order to chew up time.

Just downloaded the Australia's Winning Edge pdf, going to read through it tomorrow. Thanks for the find Jets.

I think the biggest reason the ARU seems to be puffing up the participation stats (particularly in the 7s category) is the upcoming Olympics and the likely windfall of cash that will come with the inclusion of Rugby 7s. If the ARU can build the case that they are investing X amount of money to keep this ever-inflating number of kids involved in 7s they may be able to solicit regular funds from the AOC for 'their part' in developing these Olympic athletes. I'm sure there are other factors but that one sticks out in my mind.

 

[Jets]

I had to read it a few times. She was talking up the Winning Edge and how it can help increase participation levels and then doesn't really explain it rather points out some introductory programs like Net set go.

In the light of Government policy the ARU annual report is a good document. The ARU policy has to be about quantity not quality.

I feel the ARU has a real opportunity to grow the Women's game and get real results. We need female development staff in every state to target young girls. There are thousands of touch players who would love to have a chance to go to the Olympics. We could start up clubs that just focus on 7's and play in tournaments during summer.

Also we need to glamorise the women's XV's. We should be able to find a few thousand women who would like to play the game if only it was marketed better, or at all.

 

[Jets]

More numbers out in regards to participation.

The best stat is a 6% rise in Senior and Junior Club rugby participation. The increased female participation is great too.

http://www.redsrugby.com.au/News/NewsArticles/tabid/581/ArticleID/10743/Default.aspx

 

[USARugger]

Great find. I need to start following the Super Rugby franchise websites a little more closely.

Aside, not to revive a very old converstation but I just caught your post from May 6th..to say the least the Women's participation figures are shockingly low. I'd love to see some kind of historical comparison between Australian Women's rugby (participation far, far below what you would expect from one of the top rugby nations) and the USA Women's (participation and performance at the elite level far above and beyond the status quo for rugby in the USA), maybe that would help bring the full picture to light.

Maybe I just figured out what I'll be doing the next couple of nights instead of watching bad TV!

 

[p.Tah]

Some details from the ARU

http://www.rugby.com.au/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1699/ArticleID/10741/Default.aspx

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Call me an old cynic if you like, but I'll believe that things are on the improve and increase when there are more teams in more clubs and schools playing regular competition rugby.

I look forward with interest to see the numbers registering for SJRU this year. Last year there were two junior clubs in the Inner west and one from Allambie Heights formed, and so far one from Penrith formed this year.

School rugby seems about the same. No surge of interest in the CHS or CCC domain as far as I know.

NSW Subbies rugby seems to just be holding its own, as is Shute Shield. There are encouraging signs from Highlanders in Colts.

Not sure about any increase team or club numbers in womens rugby regular competitions.

If the spin from the centre is to be believed, then that is good and hopefully we will see things improve in 2015 and beyond.