Huh?
so automatically the grassroots clubs are less commercially savvy,the moment the ARU places a levy on Rugby clubs?
And the levy has zero impact on this?
Do you have kids?
What's their experience with ARU development?
My kids have literally over 50 seasons of Rugby between them if you count both Schools & Village over the last 15 years.
Number of visits from ARU development guys?
ZERO
I have a brother who is a school teacher who is bombarded with requests for AFL to conduct sessions at his School.
They are there frequently as a result.
Without a levy from H/O on jnr clubs!
What's interesting is a number of posters are seeking explanations, business plans with assumptions - or at least something that shows that the ARU is looking to invest and grow Australian Rugby - but I haven't seen anything.
Not once have I referenced hand outs, I have said there should be return for results - that's how business works.
But over recent years the ARU has added levies, asked clubs to take a hit, had clubs invest in the NRC. Whilst the ARU has slashed out cash to hold up / save Super Franchises etc.
Is this solely the ARU, no, like rugby we need to be in it together as a team. But as you accurately put it the grass roots of Australian Rugby has been neglected BIG TIME.
TWAS use to be Rebels, now he has a Koala - he frustrates the shit of of me with his contributions with no plan, or reasoning. To him Subbies will solve the issues of the world. It appears he thinks rugby starts at seniors and clubs have no input in keeping junior rugby players playing the game, or playing our code and not drifting elswhere.
So kids that cant get into Private School, don't have a high school that plays rugby, and their club slowly disappeared like;
I notice that my junior club Beecroft Cherrybrook have changed their name to the 'Northern Barbarians'. On their website they state they get players from 'Cheltenham, Beecroft, Pennant Hills, West Pennant Hills, Cherrybrook, Castle Hill, Thornleigh, Westleigh and from as far as North Rocks, Denistone and Dural
Now to me this is sad for a number of reasons. They are a well run club but they originally started as Pennant Hills, then Beecroft, then Beecroft-Cherrybrook and now this. As a strong club they have swallowed up players from everywhere and in the Eastwood district you now have two of the smaller clubs, Hillview and Epping merging to form Central Eastwood. In my day (92,93,94) Beecroft played in the Met west comp with clubs from the Eastwood, Parramatta and there was the odd club from Penrith or West Harbour (Wests Juniors). The Under 10's-17's would play a home game against an opposition club in basically every grade.
Eastwood Juniors must be in real strife. In the older age groups they must only have Beecroft and Dural to pick rep teams from???
Rugby has fallen a long way from my days as a junior player. What is the answer? I have no idea but we need to get kids playing the sport or the number are going to shrink even further!
So what do they do then in their schooling years (year 7 - year 12)
Stats over recent years do not lie - they are pure FACTS numbers are dropping.
Business plans on paper are cheap talk and are worth jack shit until they are implemented, managed, reviewed, and met. You need to be able to execute the items on there, and execute them well so results are achieved.
As I said
Keep It Simple.
So from Year 7 - 12 rugby declines, what next.
You're avoiding the point.
And i haven't missed any point - ARU needs to work on Australian Grass Roots Rugby.
I like some of the things the ARU have implemented over recent years - I'm hoping they can continue some of their good work were it matter most
