Rugby business plan

[Dave Beat]

This maybe a wild wild thought.
Whats your preference.

• Club rugby - mine.
• Soup.
• Test matches.

With all codes taking a huge hit with Covid-19.
Gee the press (not always right) has clubs becoming part of history.
So have they come back to the pack and if so - how close.

So could all levels of our game lift club land so it is the Premier Level of our game.
Have sponsors wanting to climb all over it.
Have TV wanting to climb all over it.

Dream big
Maybe to big

So, how would you make this happen?

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

This maybe a wild wild thought.
Whats your preference.

• Club rugby - mine.
• Soup.
• Test matches.

With all codes taking a huge hit with Covid-19.

Gee the press (not always right) has clubs becoming part of history.
So have they come back to the pack and if so - how close.

So could all levels of our game lift club land so it is the Premier Level of our game.
Have sponsors wanting to climb all over it.
Have TV wanting to climb all over it.

Dream big
Maybe to big

So, how would you make this happen?

Follow the MLR model. Which is a single entity company that requires interested bid groups to among other things provide a licencing fee for the right to entry and annual cash calls that are used to pay players (under a predefined salary cap), and administer the leagues operations and expenses.

Beyond that. They would have to implement strict criteria in terms of playing facilities. Be that bids finding new or looking to upgrade existing club facilities to meet standards. As well as development of game day experience and marketing plans.

 

[wamberal]

A fully professional club rugby competition? The MLR model is okay if there is a wealthy consortium who wants to fund it. The great thing about club rugby is the tradition, the traditional rivalries, the traditional grass-roots support. They would all have to be swept away, and replaced by some big shiny new entities with no traditions, backed by some very rich people with very deep pockets, and no particular need to make a profit.

Lots of money would need to be spent on publicity. Lots of money would need to be spent on facilities. Lots of money would have be spent on establishing, running, and supporting the teams.



If we started today, right from the very beginning, it would take at least a couple of years to get it up and running. And lots of money. Did I mention the money?

 

[Dave Beat]

100% right with the club rugby tradition - could that be built?
NRL started from scratch when it became professional - if the NRL does go broke as the press talks (not always right) - is there a chance we e could be on level playing fields if the ARU invested from grass roots.
WCR made a good point - playing facilities. NRL is well in front of us there.

 

[wamberal]

Dave,


The NRL was built on traditional clubs, mostly. Neither they nor the AFL started from scratch, they both had very popular and viable competitions on which to build. The AFL was built on the VFL, the NRL was built on the NSWRFL. With additions in both cases. But the NRL in particular still has a strong nucleus of the old Sydney club comp. St George, Souths, Easts, Canterbury, Manly, Penrith and so on. Even Newcastle was one of the founding clubs in the original comp way back when. There is still a preponderance of NSW teams, just as there is a very strong nucleus of Victorian clubs in the AFL.



Starting from scratch is a very tough ask. On the other hand, imagining the outrage of, say, Easts supporters, if Randwick was in a new comp and they aren't can only be imagined. But imagining the lack of interest if all the entities are brand new is even more so.

 

[Pfitzy]

Saw the statement from RUPA about how RA haven't been talking to them, and how RUPA would like to work on a a whole of game solution.

I'll bet "whole" stops around about where the money does.

would be nice to think they actually mean the whole game, but every level only looks upward so not much will change, probably.

 

[Pfitzy]

1) Figure out how to localise the professional competition. There probably won't be as much money anyway, so the "South Africa brings the cash!" argument is nullified in that scenario

2) Cut Premier Rugby to First Grade + Reserves + Colts - the current system is a joke if these clubs truly want to be part of a national competition.

• First Grade of the top X clubs in each city, play nationally
• Reserve Grades and Colts play locally as a ready-reserve
• Remaining clubs and players redistribute to Suburban Clubs to get game time

3) Comprehensively overhaul schools rugby in order to streamline management of multiple competitions, and produce a stronger pathway through exposure of a wider group of players.

4) Remove the schools lockout on players at club level - if you play for your village club, you should continue to play for them except during the short schools season.

5) Reduce the number of unions in this godforsaken mess, particularly Sydney.

 

[Pfitzy]

I should also add:

6) Suburban clubs will also need to decide whether they are going to participate in promotion/relegation in this new world, and if so stand up appropriate structures to support it; what I'm saying is 5-6 Grades + 1-3 Colts is fucking bullshit if you want to play with the Big Boys, and some do.

7) Wherever possible, try to localise suburban competitions with the occasional cross-city game for a solid bus trip.

We all need to change in order for this to work going ahead.

 

[wamberal]

We all need to change in order for this to work going ahead.

We all need to cooperate, we all need to be willing to make sacrifices, and to accept less than ideal compromises. Our game is a great one, but it is under enormous pressures here, as you know better than I do.


Often the best in a society comes out when it is under threat, in wartime for example, people are willing to put their personal needs to one side and work for the greater good. I wonder who our rugby Winston Churchill is?

 

[Derpus]

1) Figure out how to localise the professional competition. There probably won't be as much money anyway, so the "South Africa brings the cash!" argument is nullified in that scenario

2) Cut Premier Rugby to First Grade + Reserves + Colts - the current system is a joke if these clubs truly want to be part of a national competition.

• First Grade of the top X clubs in each city, play nationally
• Reserve Grades and Colts play locally as a ready-reserve
• Remaining clubs and players redistribute to Suburban Clubs to get game time

3) Comprehensively overhaul schools rugby in order to streamline management of multiple competitions, and produce a stronger pathway through exposure of a wider group of players.


4) Remove the schools lockout on players at club level - if you play for your village club, you should continue to play for them except during the short schools season.

5) Reduce the number of unions in this godforsaken mess, particularly Sydney.

This is the biggest boundary imo. Who gets in and why.

That and i just don't see the appeal in watching a comp with multiple teams from each city when people can barely be fussed with all our talent condensed into only 4 teams. It'll never compete with NRL in terms of quality.

 

[Pfitzy]

This is the biggest boundary imo. Who gets in and why.

You mean in terms of clubs? Or the unions?

I'm talking mostly about the fact we have this multi-tiered approach in NSW with too many schools associations, Sydney Rugby Union, Sydney Junior Rugby Union, NSW Rugby, Suburban Rugby, Country Rugby, and then others of varying size.

Too many pots = too much pissing. Need to streamline it and ensure the thin layer of people running the community game can leverage off each other's efforts. Too much competition for resources.

It'll never compete with NRL in terms of quality.

Firstly, they have their own problems.

Secondly, FUCK loig.

I wonder who our rugby Winston Churchill is?

Me, of course

 

[wamberal]

Me, of course

When can you start?

 

[dru]

When can you start?

It's done isn't it? If not, I want to know WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

 

[Pfitzy]

When can you start?

Already finished. If you look through my various rants on this site about The Fucking Problem With Rugby In Australia, it is all there.

But you have to chase it like The Da Vinci code

 

[wamberal]

Already finished. If you look through my various rants on this site about The Fucking Problem With Rugby In Australia, it is all there.

But you have to chase it like The Da Vinci code

Okay, you have devised the plan, now you are the one we want to lead the implementation. Come on. Get to it!!

 

[The Honey Badger]

Yep, lets get grater focus on Club, semi/ fully professional .

Key to this will be the distribution of talent. No point starting with the 2 Blues and Pirates with teams that would struggle against UNI 3rd grade. (That said last 2 years Pirates have been pretty competitive, but they are struggling for depth).

Would love to see RA in a situation where they could pay loads of smallish development contacts to young players coming though (say $20K) and direct them into clubs as a means to distribute talent and holding talent in the game.

It would be smart to expand a club comp to include the regions, Perhaps Newcastle and central west , maybe southern. (Northern maybe could play queensland). Keep the comps state based with a club championship played 2 weeks after the GF (not in the pre season).

Then a National provincial comp above this with the 5 states. A short sharp home and away series between the 5 and final with the top 2. Promote the living hell out of this interstate series with every last dollar that can be found - if the quality is there maybe over time this could rival state of origin.


Then a Wallabies series

The a Short sharp Trans Tasman (+/- Fiji) Round robin for the 5 Provinces

And at the same time for the next tier of players, I do like NRC as a development comp but should be limited to maybe U25 players and non regular provincial and Wobs, but dont expect it to pull crowds

Then a Spring Wob Tour

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

A fully professional club rugby competition? The MLR model is okay if there is a wealthy consortium who wants to fund it. The great thing about club rugby is the tradition, the traditional rivalries, the traditional grass-roots support. They would all have to be swept away, and replaced by some big shiny new entities with no traditions, backed by some very rich people with very deep pockets, and no particular need to make a profit.

Lots of money would need to be spent on publicity. Lots of money would need to be spent on facilities. Lots of money would have be spent on establishing, running, and supporting the teams.



If we started today, right from the very beginning, it would take at least a couple of years to get it up and running. And lots of money. Did I mention the money?

Not quite fully professional. The current MLR salary cap is $500k with the most a player can earn being $45k. Which is what should be targetted in such a scenario here. Of course, there are work arounds like accommodation and car hire as well as employment opportunities with sponsors etc. All of which are used to supplement the salaries of man MLR players.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Yep, lets get grater focus on Club, semi/ fully professional .

Key to this will be the distribution of talent. No point starting with the 2 Blues and Pirates with teams that would struggle against UNI 3rd grade. (That said last 2 years Pirates have been pretty competitive, but they are struggling for depth).

Would love to see RA in a situation where they could pay loads of smallish development contacts to young players coming though (say $20K) and direct them into clubs as a means to distribute talent and holding talent in the game.

It would be smart to expand a club comp to include the regions, Perhaps Newcastle and central west , maybe southern. (Northern maybe could play queensland). Keep the comps state based with a club championship played 2 weeks after the GF (not in the pre season).

Then a National provincial comp above this with the 5 states. A short sharp home and away series between the 5 and final with the top 2. Promote the living hell out of this interstate series with every last dollar that can be found - if the quality is there maybe over time this could rival state of origin.


Then a Wallabies series

The a Short sharp Trans Tasman (+/- Fiji) Round robin for the 5 Provinces

And at the same time for the next tier of players, I do like NRC as a development comp but should be limited to maybe U25 players and non regular provincial and Wobs, but dont expect it to pull crowds

Then a Spring Wob Tour

That's the beauty of setting criteria for entry such as a licencing fee. It would be open to all comers provided they can 1) meet the financial minimums and 2) demonstrate they have the necessary structures in place.

 

[Pfitzy]

Okay, you have devised the plan, now you are the one we want to lead the implementation. Come on. Get to it!!

I don't hold a hose, mate!