Declining participation and ARU plans for the future

[rugbyking2]

Interestingly, up until 2013, you could see statements from Touch Football Australia (TFA) along the lines of; TFA continued its informal relationship with the ARU, particularly in relation to Rugby Sevens.

And then rugby league came on board and took over. All those 1 million participants, associated leverage and grants, are now under the RL wing.

I play with a group of mates in said competition branded as 'Touch Rugby League.' These comps are played everywhere with huge numbers, both casual men and woman, to young blokes like me playing to older gentleman wanting a run around.

 

[Joe King]

Now they just need to get a banner outside every school that reads: 'Play Rugby Sevens: Go To The Olympics'. And include a website so people can then easily find the nearest competition. Plus the more females that play, the more mums feel comfortable (and even excited) about their kids (and possible future kids) playing.

They should also make another push for Viva Sevens. Promote it as a fun night out for the whole family to play. Allow mums and dads and older children to play in the same team. Have another game for younger family members. Its social aspect could be a point of difference to most other sports that are arranged by age.

Then actively advertise, promote and recruit for the other versions of rugby through the contacts with Viva Sevens.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Now they just need to get a banner outside every school that reads: 'Play Rugby Sevens: Go To The Olympics'. And include a website so people can then easily find the nearest competition. Plus the more females that play, the more mums feel comfortable (and even excited) about their kids (and possible future kids) playing.

They should also make another push for Viva Sevens. Promote it as a fun night out for the whole family to play. Allow mums and dads and older children to play in the same team. Have another game for younger family members. Its social aspect could be a point of difference to most other sports that are arranged by age.

Then actively advertise, promote and recruit for the other versions of rugby through the contacts with Viva Sevens.

Absolutely. Considering the success of our women's team I actually think the target of growing the overall participation levels among young girls and women of 15% by 2020 is easily too low. If off the back of this we cannot at least double the current numbers it would signal a huge failure for the game.

We now have these wonderful athletes and ambassadors for our sport. We need to build off their hard work and success. Get them out to schools and really begin to push more kids particularly girls to play the game. Work with clubs in setting proper leagues and not just knockout competitions.

Same for Viva 7s. The ARU should be eyeing up an dxtensive roll out of the program nationwide. We have a huge opportunity here as a game. We have to seize it. I agree re: getting more women on board. As with many things in life. If you get the mothers on side early, you'll get the kids as well.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Has anyone played Viva 7s? How different is it from touch football?

 

[half]

Its a pity the these events don't take closer to club registration.

 

[p.Tah]

Has anyone played Viva 7s? How different is it from touch football?

It's pretty similar
http://www.viva7s.com.au

 

[Crashy]

Anyone see all the coverage in today's Australian re women's rugby plus the Eastwood Rugby club article. Front page of all the national papers and everyone at work talking about the win. Marvellous exposure for the game and women's rugby. so good.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Anyone see all the coverage in today's Australian re women's rugby plus the Eastwood Rugby club article. Front page of all the national papers and everyone at work talking about the win. Marvellous exposure for the game and women's rugby. so good.

Refreshing. Also saw on fb that the ARU have officially announced the women's circuit for next year. Good stuff.

 

[p.Tah]

And then the AFL decided to try and cash in. Tell them to get stuffed.

"AFL women’s clubs have eyes on Australia’s rugby stars after Olympic success"

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...s/news-story/c2af107177b3fa91b740db871338aa7d

 

[Crashy]

My god the afl and Melbourne media are beyond reproach. I'll make it my lifelong mission to hurl grenades at the great destroyer of Australian intl sport. Cnuts.

 

[half]

And then the AFL decided to try and cash in. Tell them to get stuffed.

"AFL women’s clubs have eyes on Australia’s rugby stars after Olympic success"

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...s/news-story/c2af107177b3fa91b740db871338aa7d

They have no shame they have been trying to recruit women from other sports for a few months now.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

It appears the AFL women's league will be a 8 week competition run alongside the NAB Cup. So you have to wonder exactly how meaningful in terms of exposure to elite training and development this will actually be. I think it could be countered by ensuring we provide our current and potential future athlete extended and meaningful competition and developmemt opportunities.

If we say have 10 bases then we could run a 10 event season played on a fortnightly basis. This way athletes receive extended time in high performance training environments. Something athletes crave.

 

[Highlander35]

On Sevens posts. "Lets bring in players from other codes for the men like we have for the Sevens."

Here. "AFL is trying to bring in Womens players from other codes. That's a bloody outrage that is. I'm taking this all the way to the Prime Minister."

Yes. It sucks ass. As Sportswomen, they are some of the best in the game, adding on the promotional, these ladies are worth a quite a bit.

You need to pay them well, or someone with more money will come along.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

On Sevens posts. "Lets bring in players from other codes for the men like we have for the Sevens."

Here. "AFL is trying to bring in Womens players from other codes. That's a bloody outrage that is. I'm taking this all the way to the Prime Minister."

Yes. It sucks ass. As Sportswomen, they are some of the best in the game, adding on the promotional, these ladies are worth a quite a bit.

You need to pay them well, or someone with more money will come along.

But the difference is, while the ARU developed the program over a 7 year period with a specific performance goal in mind. This article is nothing more than an attempt by the AFL to disrupt the current media hype and attention the team has earned. It's essentially a 'look at me, look at me' play.

Both the organisation and the journalist could have waited until the Olympics had finished but chose to run it now. This is a sport with such a glory hooging naturethat they cannot just sit back and enjoy an event like the Olympics without trying to involve itself somehow.

 

[Marcelo]

I'm not sure if the grow of Sevens could be good for the XVs game. If you have too many kids playing 7s. where are you going to hunt the tight-five players? Currently is the main problem in the Wallabies squad, especially the second row

Australia could be the new Fiji, a super power nation in 7s with an average XVs team. Of course, at this state any advertisement is good for the code in OZ but 7s is almost other sport.

Could be the first step for a new Era of Rugby Union or could be a disaster. In some decades Sevens could be more popular than XVs

 

[wamberal]

Could be the first step for a new Era of Rugby Union or could be a disaster. In some decades Sevens could be more popular than XVs

If Sevens becomes commercially profitable that will benefit the whole of rugby.


In the meantime, do not forget that Sevens is primarily a sport suited to tournaments. It is not suited to a conventional playing season with games every week. A game is over in twenty minutes.



I doubt that there would be much interest from anybody, players or sponsors, in a sport which consists of a tournament every week lasting the whole weekend.



Good for an introduction to the real thing.

 

[RugbyReg]

The model for Jnr 7s from a participation perspective, up here in Brisbane at least, is a 6-7 week season plus finals with 2 games per team usually on a Friday evening. Works well and should be a good way to try and get new kids into the sport.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

The model for Jnr 7s from a participation perspective, up here in Brisbane at least, is a 6-7 week season plus finals with 2 games per team usually on a Friday evening. Works well and should be a good way to try and get new kids into the sport.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sounds like a good set up. Certainly one that could be built upon.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

If Sevens becomes commercially profitable that will benefit the whole of rugby.


In the meantime, do not forget that Sevens is primarily a sport suited to tournaments. It is not suited to a conventional playing season with games every week. A game is over in twenty minutes.



I doubt that there would be much interest from anybody, players or sponsors, in a sport which consists of a tournament every week lasting the whole weekend.



Good for an introduction to the real thing.

Arguably the tournament nature of 7s is the primary reason for the lack of any momentum for the establishment of any Pro circuit beyond the WS. While it works as an event weekend for the WS it's hard to transfer that across to a more domestic based league.

Though, that hasn't prevented some trying. The most creative has been an attempt to take the 20 minute window that a game current occupies and spread over an hour. Instead of two 7 minute halves they have experimented with four 12 minute quarters. The thinking is that altering the general format to cover a longer timeframe would be more appealing to fans and in particular sponsors and investors.

And I think they might be on to something. Perhaps for 7s to form a viable commercial product it needs to be less an event and more a traditional league. The question is what change in format would fit best. Certainly not asking players to keep up the high levels of intensity over 48 minutes of play as the group above have tried.

 

[Omar Comin']

I think that commercial club or franchise sevens competitions would work best in sessions lasting 3 hours max (each team plays once), with say 3 competition days per week over a period of 4 or 5 weeks. It could be a pretty good TV product.