ARU brainwave to plug $$$ black hole

[Lee Grant]

Wallabies banking on UK tour after World Cup to help plug ARU $8m financial black hole

Iain Payten
The Courier-Mail
February 08, 2011 12:00AM

THE Wallabies could tour the UK after the World Cup to help plug an $8 million black hole in the ARU's finances for 2011.

The radical step is being considered to raise much needed money in a year where the World Cup and associated IRB rulings are set to put a major dent in the finances of SANZAR countries.

With the Tri-Nations already shortened from nine matches to six because of the September-October tournament, the IRB last year compounded the problem by stopping northern hemisphere countries from making their regular June tours to the south.

The ARU will only host three Test matches five less than in 2010 and with revenue being a major source of income for the ARU, the loss of games will see them hit a forecast $16 million shortfall.

The ARU get a $5 million grant in the World Cup year but are expected to still lose in excess of $8 million and are believed to be looking into options to help boost their threadbare coffers.

A short Wallabies tour in November featuring a clash against the Barbarians and a Test against a UK side has been mooted.

Sources in Europe say with a regular November window not applicable where the IRB orders clubs to release players England and France would be out of the question but Wales, Scotland, Ireland or Italy are possibilities.

Each Test match could reap $1.5 million dollars but the ARU would need to pay the players a significantly boosted match fee to get the tour off the ground.

The financial lure would have to be attractive enough to get Australian players to give up a fortnight's leave after the World Cup.

The players' union may also need to sign off. Under the CBA, players can only appear in a maximum of 30 games. If someone played every Super Rugby and World Cup match, including finals, a two-fixture UK tour would push it to 31 games.

The post-World Cup trip scenario is not without a precedent. South Africa sent the Springboks to play a Test in Wales in November 2007 a month after they won the World Cup in France.

 

[rugbysmartarse]

Why not. Are centrebet offering odds on a world cup/grand slam double?

 

[Tangawizi]

Why don't they just try to play a few Australia A games against some of the weaker World Cup nations who'll be looking for a warm up game or 2.

Could hold the matches in Canberra, Melbourne and maybe put one on the Gold Coast the weekend before the Bledisloe.

Or do both - A games plus a short tour?

 

[farva]

It would be nice.
But I dont want to see players burned out after a world cup and then tours straight afterwards.

That is (hopefully) 7 world cup games followed by 4 tour matches, on top of 6 3N matches and warm ups? We could get to almost 20 test matches as well as the extended super season.

 

[bring back rucking]

Why don't they just try to play a few Australia A games against some of the weaker World Cup nations who'll be looking for a warm up game or 2.

Could hold the matches in Canberra, Melbourne and maybe put one on the Gold Coast the weekend before the Bledisloe.

Or do both - A games plus a short tour?

That would cost money not make money... The NZRFU are going to post a fairly substantial loss from the world cup.... why not play another one off against them at the end of the year?... I have been a bagger of the 4th beldisloe over the last couple of years... but realistically one of us is going to be the world cup winner (given the way the draw is struck)... I know it doesnt sit well with world cup winners to have to front up so quickly and put the title of number 1 back on the line so quickly.... but if you can get past that then there is serious cash to be made.... back room agreement between both RFU's... pick a location to host it if either of us wins the world cup.... call it off otherwise... serious cash cow... (but whilst i type this I am thinking that I would hate this if i had just won the world cup... and it would probably strike a blow to your perpetual rev from the goodwill of winning )

 

[waratahjesus]

i dont know why they have scheduled the way they have this year. the bledisloe going to brisbane is going to cost them a couple of million in gate takings as well compared to having it in sydney.

seems they really didnt think it through.

that said, with super rugby starting in feb, are the players really going to still be playing in early december?

 

[Utility Back]

How about this, we just win the fucking thing, and let the sponsorship dollars roll in. Boom. Win.

 

[TOCC]

i dont know why they have scheduled the way they have this year. the bledisloe going to brisbane is going to cost them a couple of million in gate takings as well compared to having it in sydney.

seems they really didnt think it through.

that said, with super rugby starting in feb, are the players really going to still be playing in early december?

^^ no need to exagerate, it wont cost the ARU millions by switching it from Sydney to Brisbane lol

 

[Ruggo]

Why don't they worry about filling the stadiums for the games they have. Brisbane Bledisloe should sell out but the Sydney games may be a worry. Samoa may draw 3 men and a dog and though the Boks should draw a good crowd, they should be aiming for a sellout. A good start for the Samoa game would be to offer bargen basement prices on family pases and reduce the ridiculous ticket prices the ARU ask for the Boks game to try and increase volume.

What peanut decided to have the Samoa game in Sydney? It should have been in Melbourne at AAMI Park.

The tour idea sounds stupid. Give the players a decent off season. I wonder what RUPA has to say about this.

 

[MrTimms]

What peanut decided to have the Samoa game in Sydney? It should have been in Melbourne at AAMI Park.

I would say it is contractual, two games a year at homebush.

 

[Jets]

While I would be happy to watch more Wallaby games I think it's a bad idea. Trying to get up for a tour after a world cup would be very hard especially since a lot of the Wallaby players had a short break this summer.

 

[waratahjesus]

^^ no need to exagerate, it wont cost the ARU millions by switching it from Sydney to Brisbane lol

the ticket prices for sydney are more expensive than at brisbane and they can fit an extra 30 odd thousand in plus about 5 times the corporates. i will try to reserch it, but the diffrence in sold out gate takings between the two stadiums is about 2.5 million, so its not an exageration at all there TOCC.

http://www.thefanatics.com/sports.news.view.php?id=202815
there is a post that mentions losses a few years ago (flowers choice)

 

[dobduff11]

Will definitely go to them if they decide to tour over here after the RWC

Might get to see JOC (James O'Connor) play 12 for the wobs for the first time and no Gits

Would love to see this Wallaby team live, so many of their players are electric and watching them live would be awesome

 

[barbarian]

A good start for the Samoa game would be to offer bargen basement prices on family pases and reduce the ridiculous ticket prices the ARU ask for the Boks game to try and increase volume.

What peanut decided to have the Samoa game in Sydney? It should have been in Melbourne at AAMI Park.

The Samoa game IIRC is a Sunday afternoon game, billed as a 'family day'. They had a curtain-raiser of some description, but I can't remember what it was. But I think low prices and family atmosphere are exactly what they are going for.

 

[TOCC]

the ticket prices for sydney are more expensive than at brisbane and they can fit an extra 30 odd thousand in plus about 5 times the corporates. i will try to reserch it, but the diffrence in sold out gate takings between the two stadiums is about 2.5 million, so its not an exageration at all there TOCC.

http://www.thefanatics.com/sports.news.view.php?id=202815
there is a post that mentions losses a few years ago (flowers choice)

Well a little bit of research will show you that ticket prices in Brisbane for 2011 are more expensive then those for Sydney in 2010... Sydney might be able to fit a extra 30'000 then Brisbane, yet only drew 70'000 last year even after the Wallabies triumphed in South Africa... The article you referenced is from 2005, its obvious the rugby union market place and attraction towards matches like the bledisloe has evolved since then..

Its also no secret that the the Government Owned Suncorp Stadium is a far more attractive stadium in terms of hiring costs(especially for major events) as opposed to ANZ Stadium..Events Queensland were the govt branch to broker the deal with the ARU, which undoubtedly included some attractive financial considerations for the ARU.

 

[waratahjesus]

Well a little bit of research will show you that ticket prices in Brisbane for 2011 are more expensive then those for Sydney in 2010... Sydney might be able to fit a extra 30'000 then Brisbane, yet only drew 70'000 last year even after the Wallabies triumphed in South Africa... The article you referenced is from 2005, its obvious the rugby union market place and attraction towards matches like the bledisloe has evolved since then..

Its also no secret that the the Government Owned Suncorp Stadium is a far more attractive stadium in terms of hiring costs(especially for major events) as opposed to ANZ Stadium..Events Queensland were the govt branch to broker the deal with the ARU, which undoubtedly included some attractive financial considerations for the ARU.

yep and a bit of research will show that ticket prices go up every year so it being more expensive isnt that surprising, now 50000 at suncorp compared to 70000 at anz with lets just call it 60 dollar cheap tickets even thought thats undercutting it. 20 thousand extra at 60 dollars a ticket is 1.2 million.

im happy for brisbane to have one and im not arguing with it being there at all. ( i will probably be attending) i just think that knowing this year was coming maybe having the bledisloe in brisbane when we had two bledisloe cup games rather than in a world cup year when money would be tight might have been a better idea.

ARU stadium is actually quite attractive for big events to, they cover 20000 people attending upfront to have the events there, i think they cover 10000 for league which is why the rabbitohs etc moved out there. it is run by NSW events when it comes for booking which being that JON has been head of for the last few years im sure that doesnt come into it all that much.

 

[TOCC]

yep and a bit of research will show that ticket prices go up every year so it being more expensive isnt that surprising, now 50000 at suncorp compared to 70000 at anz with lets just call it 60 dollar cheap tickets even thought thats undercutting it. 20 thousand extra at 60 dollars a ticket is 1.2 million.

im happy for brisbane to have one and im not arguing with it being there at all. ( i will probably be attending) i just think that knowing this year was coming maybe having the bledisloe in brisbane when we had two bledisloe cup games rather than in a world cup year when money would be tight might have been a better idea.

ARU stadium is actually quite attractive for big events to, they cover 20000 people attending upfront to have the events there, i think they cover 10000 for league which is why the rabbitohs etc moved out there. it is run by NSW events when it comes for booking which being that JON has been head of for the last few years im sure that doesnt come into it all that much.

Actually no, the ticket prices for 2011 at Suncorp Stadium are the same as what they were in 2008, also the ticket prices at ANZ stadium havent increased since 2009 either....... Also the game in Brisbane isnt offering the half-price tickets which the ARU was handing out in Sydney for parents with kids involved in rugby... wonder how much that little marketing scheme cost them?

If anything the ARU is probably copping a raw deal from NSW Events due to John O'neil previously been involved, the government is all about avoiding conflict of interest's, which he actually publicly criticised of when he was chairman of the organisation.

 

[Joe Mac]

They should play the game in Brisbane because we have a better record there and we will have a great chance of a win. The psychological edge from a win that close the WC could be priceless.

 

[Bruce Ross]

If anything the ARU is probably copping a raw deal from NSW Events due to John O'neil previously been involved, the government is all about avoiding conflict of interest's

Am I right in assuming that you're talking about our much loved NSW State Government "avoiding conflicts of interest's", TOCC? Where did you hear that?

I see that you are moving to Sydney from up north this year. If anyone offers to sell you the Harbour Bridge remember that it's not actually for sale. Although, thinking about that, if the bloke offering it to you is named Roosendaal it could be kosher.

 

[waratahjesus]

Actually no, the ticket prices for 2011 at Suncorp Stadium are the same as what they were in 2008, also the ticket prices at ANZ stadium havent increased since 2009 either....... Also the game in Brisbane isnt offering the half-price tickets which the ARU was handing out in Sydney for parents with kids involved in rugby... wonder how much that little marketing scheme cost them?

If anything the ARU is probably copping a raw deal from NSW Events due to John O'neil previously been involved, the government is all about avoiding conflict of interest's, which he actually publicly criticised of when he was chairman of the organisation.

the cost is actually going up in sydney TOCC as the amount of cheap tickets has decreased, behind the posts where all catergory 4 a few years back, now the first few rows are and the seats behind are more expensive, so they are actually going up, just not to those that dont know. makes for good marketing.

i got free tickets to brisbane, as did alot of other people i know through QLD tourism, wonder how much that cost them?

as i said, they make a couple of million more off the game in sydney, they should have had the bledisloe last year i brisbane and this year in sydney to help them out. im not arguing about the game being held there at all, just the timing.