Melbourne Rebels 2024

[Slim 293]

The structure of AFL is the reverse of RA.

AFL NSW/ACT and AFL Qld are wholly owned subsidiaries of the AFL.

RA is the umbrella union of which NSWRU/QRU/VRU etc. are the members. They effectively own RA. If they don't like the way it is run they can change it.

Yep, the AFL used to be run like Rugby Australia... until the VFL clubs' board of directors voted themselves out and they formed an independent commission to run the game.

 

[Braveheart81]

wonder why RA didn’t want to support woman’s rugby in Victoria… after they said it was only the men’s license that wouldn’t be granted.

Maybe they realised they needed to budget for potentially millions of dollars of legal fees defending action from the former directions of MRRU?

I think the likely answer is that without the Rebels still existing, the cost of having a standalone women's team would be unviable given there's no longer the rest of the infrastructure in place (training ground, match ground, gym, (what were previously) shared staff).

It's a lot more than just funding the coaching staff, players and travel.

 

[SouthernX]

Maybe they realised they needed to budget for potentially millions of dollars of legal fees defending action from the former directions of MRRU?

I think the likely answer is that without the Rebels still existing, the cost of having a standalone women's team would be unviable given there's no longer the rest of the infrastructure in place (training ground, match ground, gym, (what were previously) shared staff).

It's a lot more than just funding the coaching staff, players and travel.

i agree about the match ground, gym stuff being problematic.

I think the rebels should have played in a smaller and more botique venue than aami stadium.

there’s not really a lot of options down there… but it (woman’s team) still would of been a cheaper exercise then keeping the men’s program afloat

 

[Strewthcobber]

wonder why RA didn’t want to support woman’s rugby in Victoria… after they said it was only the men’s license that wouldn’t be granted.

My understanding is the licence to participate was offered to VRU, as well as the same grant offer that every other licensee recieved.

VRU couldn't source sufficient funding to operate the team (probably because of the training gounds etc, no sharing costs with the men's team etc). They were hopeful for a grant from Vic Government, but weren't successful.

RA are constitutionally unable to offer more grant money to one member over another, so can't do much to support the Rebels team in particular. (Only option is a loan, which could then be forgiven, as we see from Slim's earlier post)

Edit - RA could run them themselves, but then run in to the same issue

 

[oztimmay]

not really dude.

boots on the ground feedback from rebels supporters is RA is non existent at grassroots level. Its the same here in QLD too… the game is run on the contents of an oily wet rag on the back of the blood sweat and tears of volunteers.

I look at the other codes and see their national body investing in their game yet we don’t do jack shit to grow the game …. It’s all hollow talk

Can confirm the lack of RA visibility down here. Have only seen one RA person (Michael Magriplis) down here for a coaching course. Other than that, no one.

 

[Mick The Munch]

i agree about the match ground, gym stuff being problematic.

I think the rebels should have played in a smaller and more botique venue than aami stadium.

there’s not really a lot of options down there… but it (woman’s team) still would of been a cheaper exercise then keeping the men’s program afloat

They have already spent millions on a Rugby Centre of excellence, keeping the women;s team going woudl;ve been easy (less tan one year of Suuaikli's salary)

Victorias world class home of rugby takes shape

vic.rugby

 

[oztimmay]

wonder why RA didn’t want to support woman’s rugby in Victoria… after they said it was only the men’s license that wouldn’t be granted.

RA didn't want to shell out the $1.5 mil to run them. Instead, they hit up the VicGov for it.
VicGov said no.

 

[Braveheart81]

my point about the oily rag wallaby man is we don’t have a culture of dependency at grassroots level.

the idea a lawsuit would impact the grassroots is laughable because the grassroots is more likely to see support via a community grant from the govt compared to a investment from the governing body.

any lawsuit between RA and Rebels board is only going to impact the white collar component of our game

The QRU receives over a million dollars a year from RA. Do you think they'd miss it if could no longer be paid?

 

[Rebel man]

The structure of AFL is the reverse of RA.

AFL NSW/ACT and AFL Qld are wholly owned subsidiaries of the AFL.

RA is the umbrella union of which NSWRU/QRU/VRU etc. are the members. They effectively own RA. If they don't like the way it is run they can change it.

Yet that is a modern structure and was not how the game was run when the policy of subsidising NSW and Queensland was first introduced 1906 it required a majority vote with the traditional states Vic, SA, WA and Tasmania having 8 votes as opposed to the 4 votes NSW and Queensland had. Yet the policy still passed. The old AFNC died in 1995 and was replaced by the AFL commission with each state now just being a subsidiary.

 

[SouthernX]

The QRU receives over a million dollars a year from RA. Do you think they'd miss it if could no longer be paid?

I think it’s important to compare apples to oranges braveheart. Queensland is already established rugby market and the QRU has other income sources… you’d certainly feel that pinch but the game in this country is run on the back of volunteers and we’d manage to get by.

Some folks are asking to blow up super rugby and go an Australian only competition … for the life of me I don’t understand how that would happen when the folks at Sydney centric RA don’t want to put the effort into markets like Victoria/SA & elsewhere.

Anyways - seems like a never ending circle of argument and some folks want RA to have nothing to do with promoting our game because that’s the state Union responsibility. I now understand the funding model that RA isn’t interested in investinf in rugby outside of qld, nsw, act and WA

 

[Braveheart81]

I think it’s important to compare apples to oranges braveheart. Queensland is already established rugby market and the QRU has other income sources… you’d certainly feel that pinch but the game in this country is run on the back of volunteers and we’d manage to get by.

Some folks are asking to blow up super rugby and go an Australian only competition … for the life of me I don’t understand how that would happen when the folks at Sydney centric RA don’t want to put the effort into markets like Victoria/SA & elsewhere.

Anyways - seems like a never ending circle of argument and some folks want RA to have nothing to do with promoting our game because that’s the state Union responsibility. I now understand the funding model that RA isn’t interested in investinf in rugby outside of qld, nsw, act and WA

Of course the game is run on the back of volunteers. That will always be the case.

The distribution from RA to the QRU has been between 46% and 54% of what the QRU spends on "Game Development and Operations" (essentially the line item in the QRU financials that relates to grassroots) in the last two years so I think if that money wasn't paid it would very much be missed.

Funding is distributed to the state unions based on their size. NSW and Qld get the most because they have the most teams/players/competitions etc.

For that to change the states would need to rip up the current constitution and change it. It is not RA deciding how money is distributed to the states, it is the states deciding how it should be fairly split.

The VRU gets a larger annual distribution than the ACT & Southern NSW RU or WARU.

It would be fair to say that NSWRU and QRU have not shown any interest in reducing the money they receive from RA so the smaller states can receive more. It is clear though that the smaller states receive more money per registered player than NSW/Qld do.

 

[SouthernX]

Of course the game is run on the back of volunteers. That will always be the case.

The distribution from RA to the QRU has been between 46% and 54% of what the QRU spends on "Game Development and Operations" (essentially the line item in the QRU financials that relates to grassroots) in the last two years so I think if that money wasn't paid it would very much be missed.

Funding is distributed to the state unions based on their size. NSW and Qld get the most because they have the most teams/players/competitions etc.

For that to change the states would need to rip up the current constitution and change it. It is not RA deciding how money is distributed to the states, it is the states deciding how it should be fairly split.

The VRU gets a larger annual distribution than the ACT & Southern NSW RU or WARU.

It would be fair to say that NSWRU and QRU have not shown any interest in reducing the money they receive from RA so the smaller states can receive more.

thanks for feedback.

 

[stillmissit]

Care to elaborate…

Other than a few disbanded NBL clubs I remember in Melbourne giants, magic and dragons (that have since been replaced)

I think it’s actually a good sporting market and more that RA failed Melbourne and not the other way around.

Care to elaborate in the face of Slim's figures?

 

[stillmissit]

collapse or the school’s signing over to league

Get used to it, happened in NSW over 10 years ago.

 

[Tomthumb]

When this administration collapses it will be a great day for the game in this country

If that day ever comes, you’ll realise that isn’t the win you think it is

 

[SouthernX]

Care to elaborate in the face of Slim's figures?

Sorry missed your comment - i did go back and read the article slim posted. I agree there was early financial support for the rebels out of the gate by RA. Lot of resources pooled into making sure club was going to be in a spot to best succeed.

We are going to be the only professional sports competition with no team in Melbourne. Pls make that make sense?

 

[stillmissit]

Pls make that make sense?

SX I agree but the people who ran the Rebels appear to be financially unconcerned about debt. IF there is ever a rugby team in Melbourne again it needs to be run locally with local money. No organisation can accept that level of debt.
It seems a common theme in rugby union, my old club had a similar bunch running it with a 'we will buy our way to success' mantra. Some of my mates had to go in and save the club.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Sorry missed your comment - i did go back and read the article slim posted. I agree there was early financial support for the rebels out of the gate by RA. Lot of resources pooled into making sure club was going to be in a spot to best succeed.

We are going to be the only professional sports competition with no team in Melbourne. Pls make that make sense?

Mismanagement from the Rebels back of house and RA not having near unlimited funds in order to prop them up/bail them out.

 

[oztimmay]

https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/10/14/the-wrap-who-says-you-cant-choose-your-family-ra-just-did-but-the-rebels-want-back-in/

Parksey's column.

 

[Tomthumb]

Haha what did I just read?

‘Did you realise there are Mothers on the Rebels board? Surely you must feel sorry for
Them now’