There is a lot to like in the report.
Reform must percolated downwards.
Finally, one of the most important ‘next steps’ is for the Member Unions and Super Rugby teams to undertake their own process of Governance reform. In the end, unless the Member Unions and Super Rugby teams match ARU’s efforts, the prospects of success are limited.
Community Rugby Issues
One of the big challenges facing Rugby as a whole, from the grassroots to the elite level, is the lack of understanding or awareness throughout the Rugby community of the vision and purpose of Australian Rugby. As a result, individuals that I met with were uncertain of where their organisation sat within the Rugby system and what their role should be, let alone how they related to the other bodies.
This absence of clarity impacts negatively on many aspects of Rugby; from player development and pathways, talent identification, increasing community participation, communication with stakeholders, and developing revenue sources, including government funding and corporate sponsorship.
The configuration of community Rugby is complicated and fragmented, and this was a point raised throughout the consultation process. Ensuring that everyone, at all levels, has a clear understanding of where they sit, what their role is and how they relate to others is a simple and effective way of making sure the whole show runs more smoothly.
The structure of Community Rugby, while varying significantly between Member Unions, more often than not includes numerous organisations at different levels, many with their own boards and management.
The multiple layers of administration have led in some areas to duplication and inefficiencies of programs and resources between Member Unions and the ARU. There was also a degree of confusion about who is responsible for many aspects of community Rugby, including developing and implementing strategies to grow participation.
In short, the current structure could be said to be delivering mixed results at best. And yet the importance of a healthy community Game cannot be overestimated.
Community Rugby fulfils all those tasks that any parent whose kids take part in weekend sport is familiar with, including organising competitions and representative teams, undertaking programs to recruit and train players and engaging and supporting coaches, match officials and other volunteers.
However, the extent to which community Rugby undertakes these tasks successfully reverberates across all levels of the Game. While the Wallabies might be the financial engine of Australian Rugby, the community Game is its beating heart.
A point agreed by everyone throughout the consultation process was that a strong, sustainable community Game was a prerequisite for the long-term success of Australian Rugby.
Players and their friends and families at the local level are the most compelling advocates for Rugby throughout the broader community. Indeed, developing junior Rugby is more about ensuring the next crop of fans and supporters than it is about identifying future Wallabies. Without this loyal and committed base of support the professional teams are ultimately playing to empty stadiums.
As with the professional Game though, the competition for the hearts, minds and weekends of the Australian public is fierce and it will only get tougher.
While the ARU currently provides significant financial resources for community Rugby to the Member Unions, community Rugby has essentially been left to conduct their own operations.
Promoting greater accountability and clarity throughout the current system is required to increase the successful coordination and delivery of programs and services.
The benefits of increased coordination are clear, including greater leadership and direction, removing layers of duplication and inefficiency, better targeting of resources and improved communication with participants and volunteers.
This will not just ensure that finite resources are utilised more effectively, it will also open up greater opportunities to realise other revenue sources, such as sponsorship, membership fees and government funding. Similarly, it will enable ARU and the Member Unions to more successfully exploit opportunities, for example, by utilising Sevens Rugby to expand into new markets.
This doesn’t necessarily mean centralising community Rugby. Rather, it will ensure that all levels of Rugby are working to a clearly understood and agreed strategy, with common goals and objectives.
