Australian Rugby / RA

[The Ghost of Raelene]

What if you're selling a lot more jerseys though?

You wouldn't set up a deal that costs the organisation money. Well RA might but you know...

 

[Slim 293]

he must've been referring to Eddie..

I could’ve been referring to others…

 

[stillmissit]

For the love of.... mate my point was Rugby is not connecting to the young and I used what I through was a good example of what others are saying is how to connect with the streaming generation.

The key point is not connecting with the young, I am sorry I used in your opinion a poor example of how to connect to the young. But totally ignore the substance of my point which is poor communication with the young.


Basketball is the perfect Australian example of connecting with the young, on their knees a few years ago, going gang busters today.

It helps also they have second to football the largest player base, with today a number Australian players in the US system, and a number of high quality imports.

Let me in advance apologise, for pointing out rugby is struggling as are other legacy codes in connecting to young people. Let me reassure you all our Admins are fully conversant with the issue and will soon be recognised as the worlds leading experts in this area and we will all praise their competence, forward thinking, and brilliance in sports administration and marketing in connecting to the streaming generations.

I, and several others here have had experience with youngsters and rugby and the fact is it is a contact sport and many youngsters love the idea of rugby, it is the actual tackling and hitting the ground etc they don't like as they have done little like this as a kid. The next fact is that they have no interest in hanging around a rugby club as they have their own social lives that does not involve hanging around with people they barely know.
I'm sure we can engage them as supporters as they like to watch contact sport but a shrinking number want to play the game and we have to deal with that by focussing on what we have and trying to encourage a few thousand more to play the game. It will turn and youngsters will want to play contact sport again but that ain't now.

 

[wamberal99]

What if you're selling a lot more jerseys though?

You wouldn't set up a deal that costs the organisation money. Well Rugby Australia might but you know...

You're not an accountant though, are you?

 

[RugbyReg]

QRU’s position on centralisation

Queensland Rugby Union – Centralisation Position

reds.rugby

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

You're not an accountant though, are you?

Absolutely not. I understand you're talking about costs.

 

[wamberal99]

Absolutely not. I understand you're talking about costs.

I'm thinking like an accountant......

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

QRU’s position on centralisation

Queensland Rugby Union – Centralisation Position

reds.rugby

1 foot in 1 foot out?

This is going to be a slow ol process.

 

[Wilson]

QRU’s position on centralisation

Queensland Rugby Union – Centralisation Position

reds.rugby

Short version is a blanket no to relinquishing commercial control but they remain open to better alignment and centralisation from a high performance perspective.

The key part of that is probably this:

The QRU is strongly supportive of Rugby Australia’s call for a fully independent and transparent top-to-bottom review of the Wallabies program and how it can be improved.

This review will be critical to demonstrating the best way for State unions to align with the national union.

The review should provide a balanced and equitable strategy that acknowledges both challenges and opportunities, and provides an aligned plan for the future prosperity of the game.

It should also provide a clear view of what is needed in a leadership and governance framework to ensure we put the right people, in the right roles, in the right system.

Basically, "show us a plan and how you arrived at it before we can come to an agreement". Pretty pointed remark about the right people in leadership roles too.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

I'm thinking like an accountant......

Personally think RA has had a bit too much of that while the actual product has withered.

 

[Wallaby Man]

I’m pretty sure RA and NZRU hold the naming rights of those associated with the jersey. Don’t think it would cost them anything to buy use of players name on a jersey. Maybe I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure it’s part of the collective bargaining agreement

 

[RugbyReg]

1 foot in 1 foot out?

This is going to be a slow ol process.

RA have said they are happy to negotiate around the full buy in - I'd expect commercial centralisation will be based on justifying your commercial position - where QRU are somewhat ahead of others because they have an asset (and strong recent history) and it is why RA are pushing hard to see Brumbies financials.

High Performance will likely be the non-negotiable, which makes sense.

Does anyone know if in IReland they have centralised commercial management?

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Hopefully if they can get everyone on board with the High Performance and begin to move forward, the other side of it can be continued in the background.

Not sure re Ireland. I believe the IRFU own Thomond Park (Munster), Kingspan (Ulster) but not RDS (Leinster) and Galway (Connacht). Would be interesting to find out as they are very different Clubs in terms of size and what they could make.

 

[Tomthumb]

Does anyone know if in IReland they have centralised commercial management?

Yes and no. The IRFU own all their pro teams and employ all the staff, but the teams themselves have to find sponsors. However all deals have to be ok’d by the IRFU

 

[Bullrush]

I, and several others here have had experience with youngsters and rugby and the fact is it is a contact sport and many youngsters love the idea of rugby, it is the actual tackling and hitting the ground etc they don't like as they have done little like this as a kid. The next fact is that they have no interest in hanging around a rugby club as they have their own social lives that does not involve hanging around with people they barely know.
I'm sure we can engage them as supporters as they like to watch contact sport but a shrinking number want to play the game and we have to deal with that by focussing on what we have and trying to encourage a few thousand more to play the game. It will turn and youngsters will want to play contact sport again but that ain't now.

This hasn't been my experience but I'm not sure what age you are talking about when you say 'youngsters' as opposed to 'kids' I think it might be harder as kids get older to get them used to contact if they haven't had any experience previously..

In terms of the whole contact thing, there are always a couple of kids who don't like contact and just aren't built for rugby but this is no different to previous generations. In my opinion and experience, kids need:

good coaching that teaches them how to go into contact and how to deal with contact
good coaching that teaches ALL contact areas, not just tackling and ball running
good coaching that acknowledges and highlights the dirty work like great clean-outs and excellent scrummaging and connecting those parts of rugby with success and the 'glamourous' parts of rugby eg. tries.

In terms of the social aspects of rugby, I'm actually in a bit of an 'experiment' with this right now with my son's team who are U15s. Personally, I think boys generally just want to hang out and have fun. They don't need a lot of money (just a lot of food! LOL) but they want to make connections with kids their age and have experiences. Those experiences can be as simple as playing touch and having a couple of sausage sandwiches afterwards. Going around to one of the boy's house to sleepover and watch the Rugby World Cup semi and play some Playstation.

Finally, I just think kids want to feel valued in the groups they are in. Not just by their peers but also the adults and the parents in those groups. Personally, I've always tried to find the kids who do the 'unnoticed' work in games and make a point of going and telling them what a great job they are doing after games. Being specific about a particular clean-out or tackle or even just if I've seen them encourage another kid or take leadership in a situation. Make sure they know that it was seen and acknowledge it.

Quite honestly, I have no idea if any of this is as effective as I think it is but I should have a better idea by this time next year hopefully. So maybe I'll be back telling you that I'm full of shit! LOL

 

[LeCheese]

Finally, I just think kids want to feel valued in the groups they are in. Not just by their peers but also the adults and the parents in those groups. Personally, I've always tried to find the kids who do the 'unnoticed' work in games and make a point of going and telling them what a great job they are doing after games. Being specific about a particular clean-out or tackle or even just if I've seen them encourage another kid or take leadership in a situation. Make sure they know that it was seen and acknowledge it.

As the kid who falls pretty well into this category - thank you for doing this. Many of the most vivid memories I have of those years are around specific and/or unexpected recognition.

 

[Bullrush]

As the kid who falls pretty well into this category - thank you for doing this. Many of the most vivid memories I have of those years are around specific and/or unexpected recognition.

Thanks for saying this. It's a personal thing that I think is important for kids. I'm a big 'it takes a village to raise a child' guy so I try to be an encouragement and positive influence, no matter how small, in the kids around me. Often these kids don't even know they've done a good thing or they don't realise how that one clean-out, when it looked like we were going to lose possession, was the key factor in the try one or two phases later.

Those kids don't score a heap of tries and they don't get many Player's Player votes cos kids usually don't know what to look for in rugby. But we need those kids to keep coming back and keep playing and many cases, keep improving. Letting them know that we see their efforts and recognise the hard work they do in games (and practices) is what adults and parents who have a little understanding of this game should do to hopefully keep the rugby fire burning in those players. I reckon anyway.

 

[Members Section]

Yes and no. The IRFU own all their pro teams and employ all the staff, but the teams themselves have to find sponsors. However all deals have to be ok’d by the IRFU

Yes & no to this as well, Bank of Ireland are an IFRU sponsor but not to the point of vodafone & get a spot on all 4 sides

 

[Adam84]

Yes and no. The IRFU own all their pro teams and employ all the staff, but the teams themselves have to find sponsors. However all deals have to be ok’d by the IRFU

correct. Approval by IRFU to ensure sponsorship categories aren’t conflicting, I.e. only one airline partner.

IRFU take all broadcast rights, tournament prizes, a share of certain gate takings.

Clubs take a portion of gate takings, merchandise and sponsorship. Each team then receives a grant from the IRFU.

 

[Dctarget]

correct. Approval by IRFU to ensure sponsorship categories aren’t conflicting, I.e. only one airline partner.

IRFU take all broadcast rights, tournament prizes, a share of certain gate takings.

Clubs take a portion of gate takings, merchandise and sponsorship. Each team then receives a grant from the IRFU.

So Leinster don't earn any more if they win the Champions Cup?

Also why are Leinster the richest/most dominant if centrally run?