The only constant in the game of rugby in this country is about every 3-4 days an article bemoaning the structural set up of the game here turns up and off we go, endlessly debating it until bingo! the next article turns up and we start again. It’s been rinse and repeat for 20 years now.
The problem I see with the so-called global approach for Australian rugby is that it will endlessly suck up any revenue you ever earn in a never-ending cycle to reach the summit of a mountain you will never end up being able to climb.
A RWC every 4 years but wait now there’s gonna be a Nations cup in between. All with the promise of more & more revenue, but all that is happening is the top end is just self-funding itself, and along with that will come an ever increasing appetite for more revenue to ensure that everyone associated with that pathway to the top is equally funded you can’t avoid it, the more you feed it the hungrier it will get.
That promise to fund the grassroots will be that a never-ending promise, we just need to climb a bit more of that Mountain first, promise I’ll feed you once I get to the top.
hoggy
Sad but true and as the revenue falls a greater percentage is needed for the head office.
The problem with the global franchise approach is it needs to be very well managed, because they struggle unless very well managed to create tribalism, and local heros.
Best recent example is on the Central Coast, the reaction at Gosford stadium and the region in general is priceless to that grand final win. Similar to the Cowboys in Queensland, Geelong in AFL.
A big issue I see, is the falling player quality at junior levels given our lack of engagement and small number of teams. Following on from that is the lack of fan replacement so as say 1, 000 leave only 500 come and watch. Maybe the WC can turn that around a bit.
Just hope Phil and Co are up to the job.
