wamberal
Phil Kearns (64)
In today's Australian there is an interview with Bill Pulver. Now, I am well aware that all incoming CEO's inevitably paint the worst possible financial picture of the organisation they are taking over, the reasons are obvious. Firstly, if there is a recovery, they look all the better for having succeeded. Secondly, and more pertinently, the dire financial outlook gives them carte blanche to take sweeping action (for example, JON canned the ARC because of the financial situation, without any open debate).
That said, if Pulver is correct, and the ARU ran at a deficit last year, and will be in deficit again in 2014 and 2015, then it is time for serious people at all levels of the game to get serious, and get together. If the game cannot at least break even, we are in serious trouble.
We need stakeholders at all levels to put their personal interests, their pet grievances, and their pettiness behind them, and all must agree to make the sacrifices that are apparently essential for the game to survive here as a serious sport.
We are now running fourth in a four horse race, we have a generation of kids who have never seen a decent game of rugby on FTA, or anywhere else for that matter, and (in Sydney at least) whose state school either no longer plays the game, or does not play it seriously.
That said, if Pulver is correct, and the ARU ran at a deficit last year, and will be in deficit again in 2014 and 2015, then it is time for serious people at all levels of the game to get serious, and get together. If the game cannot at least break even, we are in serious trouble.
We need stakeholders at all levels to put their personal interests, their pet grievances, and their pettiness behind them, and all must agree to make the sacrifices that are apparently essential for the game to survive here as a serious sport.
We are now running fourth in a four horse race, we have a generation of kids who have never seen a decent game of rugby on FTA, or anywhere else for that matter, and (in Sydney at least) whose state school either no longer plays the game, or does not play it seriously.