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Continued decline in Sydney Junior Rugby

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Hugie

Hugie

Ted Fahey (11)
Fat Cat,

The reason I started on the GAGR forum is that I was listening to the boys a few years ago who were earnestly discussing rugby future. All had come to the conclusion that you had to get a GPS scholarship (they were under 15). If you didn't you had no chance. I was taken back by this, however here in the Illawarra there is a constant stream of boys heading up to Sydney GPS on scholarships and the boys here know them all. Plus any view of the Australian schoolboys RU team will only reinforce this perception (particularly when compared to the league equivalent). They have come to an entirely reasonable conclusion. Many then make and entirely reasonable choice and go to league were they feel they'll be treated fairly, you can't blame them, we all want to be treated fairly.
Last year at the schools selection games (involving CHS) a GPS coach was over heard saying (down his nose) "I don't know why they bother", the answer is "They don't" they play league.

A big step in the right direction will be for the ARU to provide a high status pathway to compete with the GPS system (the JGS have started this). Then , off the back of this, run the districts/zone program you propose, at the end of this select an Australian U17 team that becomes the Australian U18 team (the next year) in competition to the Australian Schoolboys RU team and the Australian Schoolboys RL team. They will have to commit to a lot of high level of training.

Essentially the Australian U18 team will be the combined CHS and CCC team and the Australian Schoolboys team will remain the combined GPS, ISA and CAS team.
 
Hugie

Hugie

Ted Fahey (11)
It is now vital that the Districts/zones step up to the mark, the ARU has provided a base for them to start from.

Like our beloved federation we can easily do away with the state, city and country governing bodies. It's not that big and complicated that it can't be all run ARU--->Districts/zones---->club villages. Any more layers just represents dead wood (and isn't there a lot of that, it carries so much dead wood Australian rugby need to be careful in a bush fire).
 
Quick Hands

Quick Hands

David Wilson (68)
Hugie, I've been saying the same for the past few years. No-one has been able to explain to me why for money or resources to get from the ARU to a club it has to go through a state union. It's worse in the country where you have the CRU in between the state and the club. Not even the old Soviet Union had this much bureaucracy. It's madness.
 
Quick Hands

Quick Hands

David Wilson (68)
And just when you thought junior club rugby needed support and the ARU would be doing everything in its power to help it, this afternoon I received an e-mail from our club secretary telling that a new ARU levy will be imposed. This will cost our junior club over $5,000. That's a lot of sausages for volunteers to cook and sell at the bbq.

Hard to know whether to laugh or cry.

EDIT: Have just received advice that the NSWRU have decided to absorb the levy rather than pass it on to the junior clubs.
 
F

Fat Cat

Sydney Middleton (9)
I wonder was the levy imposed to cover short falls in revenue for the JGC ?
Do the schools incur the same development levy ?
If not, do the schools get the benefits that club rugby provides ?

see attached letter from NSWRU
 

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  • NSW RU Announcement (2).pdf
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Quick Hands

Quick Hands

David Wilson (68)
At least NSWRU deserve some kudos for absorbing the levy. Maybe someone in there realises the extent of the problem faced by junior clubs.

I don't think that schools would pay the levy as they aren't part of the club system.

If the ARU thinks that this is the way to expand the game, we're in trouble.
 
Man on the hill

Man on the hill

Alex Ross (28)
Never - they'll just stop providing uniforms. Oops - told by a whistle blowing pal that they did that a few years back, only replacing totally crapped out stuff & providing for first timers. (at least at a district level)
 
Inside Shoulder

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Of all the doom and gloom stories over the last few years including analysis of unsustainable senior clubs and analysis of rego numbers I find the evidence emerging in this thread the most worrying: the level of desparation is unbelievable.
I suggest the ARU dispense with frigging stupid fireworks at test matches and any pre-match or half time entertainment that costs money: there was a time when the tension preceding a test match was heightened by the silent expectation of the crowd.
 
F

Fat Cat

Sydney Middleton (9)
how do we fix it, who do we go to ?

I have been on Sydney Juniors and they're not interested. A good man in NSWJRU is Gus Gutterage ( don't know if I spelt surname right).
I fear a lot of the hirarchy might not care because of their allegences.

maybe we just go to the newspaper, I have a good contact there and also a good one at the ABC. I don't like doing that though, negative talk just brings the game down more. if they keep stuffing around we might have to go to the media before it's too late.
 
Quick Hands

Quick Hands

David Wilson (68)
I'd love to who in the ARU thought the levy up and how it managed to get through any sort of scrutiny. I'd like to think there might have been dissenting voices, but I'm not so sure.
 
Hugh Jarse

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
Quick Hands said:
And just when you thought junior club rugby needed support and the ARU would be doing everything in its power to help it, this afternoon I received an e-mail from our club secretary telling that a new ARU levy will be imposed. This will cost our junior club over $5,000. That's a lot of sausages for volunteers to cook and sell at the bbq.

Hard to know whether to laugh or cry.

EDIT: Have just received advice that the NSWRU have decided to absorb the levy rather than pass it on to the junior clubs.
Click to expand...


Cry.

This is a sensational decision from the unpaid interns. What happened to the "Don't shoot yourself in the foot" filter that most responsible organisations apply before policy decisions are made? I thought Captain Pulveriser was running a tighter ship at HMAS ARU than this.

This is only rivaled by the proposal in 2012 to levy the Junior Clubs across Rugbydom for $100000 to cover the cost of an Administrator for the Australian Junior Rugby Union.

Fortunately that silly idea never saw the light of day.

Bravo to NSWRU.
 
Man on the hill

Man on the hill

Alex Ross (28)
It's been noted before, but if you want to look at a model of rugby administration that is a runaway success and the game is evidencing “strength” – look at Sydney Subbies. Ever since the board of management appointed a powerful CEO who is above the self serving politics they have been able to clean up their act. The hard decisions have been made, ignoring the short term pain associated with it! The best interests of the game are being served, not vested interests.
 
Quick Hands

Quick Hands

David Wilson (68)
It's been noted before, but if you want to look at a model of rugby administration that is a runaway success and the game is evidencing “strength” – look at Sydney Subbies. Ever since the board of management appointed a powerful CEO who is above the self serving politics they have been able to clean up their act. The hard decisions have been made, ignoring the short term pain associated with it! The best interests of the game are being served, not vested interests.

Subbies admin have long put the SRU to shame.
 
Hugh Jarse

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
^^^^ Good find.

From the article: "A contestable fund of $300,000 per annum, increased to $500,000 in 2015 will be made available to fund initiatives particularly in relation to participation, the teen drop-off and sevens."

Seems that similar issues to the basic thrust of this thread (the teen drop off) also exist in the rugby stronghold across the Tasman. Not just a SJRU or Australian Rugby issue.
 
Quick Hands

Quick Hands

David Wilson (68)
Seems that similar issues to the basic thrust of this thread (the teen drop off) also exist in the rugby stronghold across the Tasman. Not just a SJRU or Australian Rugby issue.

True, it's an issue in all sports and no doubt in all countries. The point being we start from such a low base, the teen drop off affects us exponentially to the point where competitions aren't viable.
 
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