The Pulverisation of Australian Rugby

[Crashy]

Sydney subbies has moved to an amateur status. No doubt there has been a few clubs against it but there were are a lot of mismatches and player numbers declined as a result. Lets hope it results in more people playing purely amateur rugby.

 

[Brendan Hume]

Brendan I think your posts are balanced and fair, especially given you are obviously aligned to one side. But this particular comment is ridiculous.

How many people from a decade ago are still with the ARU?

Do we blame Tony Abbot for John Howard and Paul Keating's shortcomings?

The model for the ARU board hasn't changed - primarily an old boys club that have a poor record of managing the game. The same situation exists within most of the State boards.
Rugby has moved to a corporate model with well paid executives and managers, but without providing a dividend for shareholders or a plan to move to do this. Sustainability is the key goal, which comes from a well run grassroots, a well resourced development pathway, and an attractive and salable professional product.
I have no alignment or allegiance, I'm just a bloke who plays a bit of rugby, has run a regional club for a number of years, and who has kids who play. I just want to see the game that I love passionately, one which can cater for players of all shapes and sizes and change the lives of players at a community level, be run in a way which is sustainable.

 

[Brendan Hume]

The model for the ARU board hasn't changed - primarily an old boys club that have a poor record of managing the game. The same situation exists within most of the State boards.

One really good example is David Crombie. Great bloke by all accounts, but resigned as President of the QRU Board to take a Vice-President position with the ARU. He's now the President of the ARU. This occurred after the QRU had lost $3.1M in 2009. What is he going to add to the ARU board the year after overseeing that sort of loss at the QRU?
Did notice he's been on tour with the Wallabies though...

 

[Braveheart81]

I have no alignment or allegiance, I'm just a bloke who plays a bit of rugby, has run a regional club for a number of years, and who has kids who play. I just want to see the game that I love passionately, one which can cater for players of all shapes and sizes and change the lives of players at a community level, be run in a way which is sustainable.

I think they're trying to get towards that.

I thoroughly believe that most of the problems we're now experiencing are the result of a decade or more of mismanagement.

The only option now is for the revenue generating areas of the game to live within their means so they can survive and then be able to start more money flowing to the grassroots.

We've had the problem where every level of the game has lived beyond their means and now the music has stopped. It's a sad fact of life that distributions to the grass roots are going to decline massively until such a time that the situation improves (hopefully it will!).

 

[Braveheart81]

One really good example is David Crombie. Great bloke by all accounts, but resigned as President of the QRU Board to take a Vice-President position with the ARU. He's now the President of the ARU. This occurred after the QRU had lost $3.1M in 2009. What is he going to add to the ARU board the year after overseeing that sort of loss at the QRU?
Did notice he's been on tour with the Wallabies though.

I believe the IRB (or World Rugby) runs most of their meetings around this time of year because all the major rugby nations are in Europe.

 

[Train Without a Station]

One really good example is David Crombie. Great bloke by all accounts, but resigned as President of the QRU Board to take a Vice-President position with the ARU. He's now the President of the ARU. This occurred after the QRU had lost $3.1M in 2009. What is he going to add to the ARU board the year after overseeing that sort of loss at the QRU?
Did notice he's been on tour with the Wallabies though.

They do say you learn more from failure than you do from success. You'd think he would have learned a lot from his time at the Reds by that logic I guess...?

 

[Brendan Hume]

I think they're trying to get towards that.

I thoroughly believe that most of the problems we're now experiencing are the result of a decade or more of mismanagement.

The only option now is for the revenue generating areas of the game to live within their means so they can survive and then be able to start more money flowing to the grassroots.

We've had the problem where every level of the game has lived beyond their means and now the music has stopped. It's a sad fact of life that distributions to the grass roots are going to decline massively until such a time that the situation improves (hopefully it will!).

But the idea seems to be to take money from the grassroots. Me and my two children will pay a total of $88 to the ARU and $145 to the QRU directly next year, for the privilege of playing rugby. We don't get anything new for that, and the pathway opportunities for our region have actually been diminished.

My club lives within its means, we pay no one - players, coaches or staff. We make small profits each year which are put back into facilities and equipment. Yet we're expected to cough up roughly $23K next year to support the ARU and QRU because they are mismanaged? I can't see how that is benefiting Rugby.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Brendan I understand your point.

But with no QRU and ARU there is no professional game and presence. That would surely see the game diminish at amateur level. Your club being well run would eventually be irrelevant with nobody to play for you, or against you.

 

[Train Without a Station]

But in agreement with your comments, mismanagement leading to increase fees may lead to that demise anyway.

 

[Braveheart81]

Brendan: Does your club or the competition you play in get any money from the QRU or ARU?

 

[Brendan Hume]

Brendan: Does your club or the competition you play in get any money from the QRU or ARU?

No. The competition hasn't received funding since 2011 I think. At the time it was a $28K grant to support a development officer. The competition now supports that role employing two DO's, all paid for by the competition.

 

[Crashy]

You are aware that the President of the ARU is a ceremonial role and ha decision making powers like a board member would???

 

[Brendan Hume]

You are aware that the President of the ARU is a ceremonial role and ha decision making powers like a board member would???

No. I'd be interested to know who paid for him to be in Europe then.

 

[Sully]

Brendan are you aware your club can apply for a grant through qld rugby's bartercard grant scheme and you also have access to a dedicated person to help apply for govt grants?

 

[I like to watch]

I think they're trying to get towards that.

I thoroughly believe that most of the problems we're now experiencing are the result of a decade or more of mismanagement.

The only option now is for the revenue generating areas of the game to live within their means so they can survive and then be able to start more money flowing to the grassroots.

We've had the problem where every level of the game has lived beyond their means and now the music has stopped. It's a sad fact of life that distributions to the grass roots are going to decline massively until such a time that the situation improves (hopefully it will!).

But the part of the game that has lived beyond its means continues unabated,whilst the grassroots is faced with levies instead of distributions.

Brendan I understand your point.

But with no QRU and ARU there is no professional game and presence. That would surely see the game diminish at amateur level. Your club being well run would eventually be irrelevant with nobody to play for you, or against you.

I don't believe the game would cease to exist sans Wallabies.
Yeah,juniors would probably reduce without a National team to support,or emulate,but that is going to happen as a consequence of the current deliberate ARU strategy in any event.
Seems like a choice of being stabbed or shot......

 

[Train Without a Station]

It's not just without Wallabies ILTW. Super Rugby is propped up by the Wallabies financially too. Without a professional presence and the profile it brings the game would likely diminish eventually to the level of sports like Basketball, etc.

 

[RugbyReg]

No. The competition hasn't received funding since 2011 I think. At the time it was a $28K grant to support a development officer. The competition now supports that role employing two DO's, all paid for by the competition.

which comp is that?

 

[Brendan Hume]

Brendan are you aware your club can apply for a grant through qld rugby's bartercard grant scheme and you also have access to a dedicated person to help apply for govt grants?

Yes. Our regional competition has someone employed that also works in this area, and I had very good working relationships with the state and local authorities. I haven't found the QRU's resources particularly good in the past.
The Bartercard offer requires our club to be participating in a number of other aggregation offers. These aren't particularly suited to regional clubs, and some contradict other relationships that we have. For instance we use a local manufacturer for clothing, rather than hooking up with Kooga/BLK and outsourcing that manufacturing to China. It costs us a little bit more money but the money stays in our community and we get great service and good trade terms.
I'm a bit frustrated and I'm aware it might sound as though I'm completely disparaging the state and national bodies. They have a job to do, which I accept, raping community rugby shouldn't be a part of that job. We have a strong and sustainable region, and this is being eroded. I'm predicting we will lose 30-40% of our senior numbers if the policy for the National Participation program is enacted as it is outlined now. If clubs can't manage the flow of cash from players to insurers, and money is required to be paid up front, in the quantities outlined, players will walk away.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

But the part of the game that has lived beyond its means continues unabated,whilst the grassroots is faced with levies instead of distributions.

I don't believe the game would cease to exist sans Wallabies.
Yeah,juniors would probably reduce without a National team to support,or emulate,but that is going to happen as a consequence of the current deliberate ARU strategy in any event.
Seems like a choice of being stabbed or shot..

In my anarchist's role I have dreamt while reading this thread of seceding from the union.
How about everything other than s15 and Wallabies just quit their affiliation with the ARU?
The game at these levels would (presumably) survive. Why? Because it is either self sufficient or or will be pushed into it very shortly. if this isn't sustainable then what is the present plan?
So the junior clubs could keep their levies for their own uses.
The grade clubs would be in the same position.
Oz Schools could pursue their sponsorship/membership plan.
If we did that for one season it might dawn on the powerbrokers that they should be serving us not the other way around.

 

[Train Without a Station]

In my anarchist's role I have dreamt while reading this thread of seceding from the union.
How about everything other than s15 and Wallabies just quit their affiliation with the ARU?
The game at these levels would (presumably) survive. Why? Because it is either self sufficient or or will be pushed into it very shortly. So the junior clubs could keep their levies for their own uses.
The grade clubs would be in the same position.
If we did that for one season it might dawn on the powerbroker that they should be serving us not the other way around.

IS nobody I think doubts they would survive.

But it's somewhat similar to being a franchise. You may be able to get by as your own entity but the advertising (in this case the professional game) and profile as a whole is what may be necessary to get your name out there and help you prosper.

Without a professional game, over time, rugby numbers would diminish. It may be slow, but it would be a slow death.

Well in this case, perhaps it's no different?