Big thing for me is Re-modelling sydney rugby. I know a bit about Brisbane rugby but i am an expert on sydney school boy rugby having played in the private school system CAS in the 90′s and played vs lot sof the GPS and ISA schools to. I am 32 yr old man who has played rugby all his life in both public and private school systems. Facts I can add about re-modelling sydney high school rugby in 2012 and beyond.
-In year 2012 internet and globalisation age, the geography, demographics, and meaning of the tope private schools have changed massively since say the 1990′s and 80′s 70'′s 60′s 50′s.
-Students from all religions, and cultures and ethnic background. Not just christian, or anglo saxon. Many Asian, pacific , and african students, and all religions attending to these elite private schools.
-Now in 2012 transport and geography and time poor parents is an issue, 2 parents in working families work full time.
-So on saturday, parents would prefer if conferences were local based in other word more local derbies.
-My theory to re-model private school rugby is this: Run it like super rugby ver much based on local derbies to promote excitement
Have 2 conferences or even 3 :
-Greater northern Zone (Joeys,Riverview,Barker,Knox,St Pius,SHORE,ST Alo's,St augustines, central coast grammar-9 really good teams)
-Sydney metro zone(Cranbrook,scot's,waverley,newington,trinity,st pat's strathfield,king's,oakhill) 8-teams really good ones
(Then if st andrews, st stanny's bathurst, st Greg's campelltown, 2 boreal schools Oxley and Chev want to join 13 good schools:
If not just run with 8 in sydney metro:
-And have a development division or weaker divison( sceggs redland'spttwater house, sydney high, sydney grammar,blue mountains grammar):
-And have finals and grand final run over 2 week finals format 3 weeks max:
-On north shore you have about 9 top schools add central coast grammar to as they are big school not far from north and they play in ISA anyway.
-Have sydney metro zone , so for example cranrbook scots,waverley,newington, in same zone and a few others.
-And greater western sydney zone (GWS)
Kings,oakhill ,triinity st pats strathfield and a few others.
-More local derbies, and less stress on parents with trasnport in saturdays. This is modern times 2 parents work so less travel time is a winner for parents after a hard week at work
-Local derbeis are what sell in super rugby and would sell better in school boy rugby too.
-And you can add the Greater sydney surrounding areas like bowral with oxley, and chevalier, and central coast grammar who can easily go in northern zone, and the top schools in orange and bathurst.
-So more local derbies and less stress on parents as a result with transport.
-And you can be flexible with new conferences and have a state title warpath shield with all schools, like winner of each conference and the public schools competing for a waratah shield.
-Be great if joeys and riverwiew, shore,can play Barker and Knox in real local derby matches (hence re-zoning school conferences based on geography), not just mickey mouse trial matches.
- These local derby match would make matches more exciting and meaningful as they are real comp matches not just trial matches:
:And call the new ZONES some sames: GPS(northern zone) or GPS(sydney metro zone or greater sydney zone)
-Or call it ISA northern zone or or ISA sydney metro zone: so basically merge all the bodies into 1 central body
-Or split the 2 zones based on geography
Local derbies sell and parents are sick of travel times for meaningless trial matches. If you live on north shore you will not have to travel over the harbour bridge once all year.
-And start showing 1 or 2 matches on tv every weekend. Grand finals will pull 20,000 play it at north sydney oval or Parramatta stadium or at home ground of the no 1 school like super rugby reward team that comes first all year with home ground advantage.
-Encourage sponsorship eg QANTAS,telstra to sponsor teams, or the comp itself