ARU fee structure change for 2015

[Quick Hands]

 

[RugbyReg]

Copied from NSW Subbies Thread - for relevance here as well.

The hairs on the tail are bristling.

I believe that the Chairman of Subbies has recently ( ie today) forwarded a scathing letter to the ARU regarding the implementation of the NIL & NPF fopr 2015 - and I suspect will have significant support from Sydney & Country Junior RU's, and NSW Country RU too.

Me thinks the fur is about to start flying..

Yep, things are rumbling up this way too, at least in Brisbane.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

I have seen the letter and it is more than scathing.
Basically the Sydney Subbies have indicated they will boycott the centralised ARU rego system by which the recently imposed fees are to be collected. Reading between the lines the setup is very bloody minded on the ARU's part: a registering player seems obliged to to pay the insurance and participation levies (to the ARU)online but can opt out of the club fee - thereby leaving the club potentially stranded.
Subbies are obviously very concerned about the impact on player numbers, pointing out that the numbers have been declining in subs since 2005.
The much maligned Sydney Juniors have adopted the Subbies position as well.
Interestingly, as I read it, Subbies are of the understanding that their participation fee will cross subsidise Shute Shield. Talk about giving your enemies common cause to oppose you.
The Grass Roots are well entitled to question the impost on them in circumstances where Beale has just had his ARU top up renewed: i wonder what a survey of those being asked to pay his wage by these levies would have revealed about the desire to keep him in the game. if I'm right you could save a lot of money very quickly by just not topping him up.
Values are all out of whack.
The Boston Tea Party has begun.

 

[Brendan Hume]

I have seen the letter and it is more than scathing.
Basically the Sydney Subbies have indicated they will boycott the centralised ARU rego system by which the recently imposed fees are to be collected. Reading between the lines the setup is very bloody minded on the ARU's part: a registering player seems obliged to to pay the insurance and participation levies (to the ARU)online but can opt out of the club fee - thereby leaving the club potentially stranded.
Subbies are obviously very concerned about the impact on player numbers, pointing out that the numbers have been declining in subs since 2005.
The much maligned Sydney Juniors have adopted the Subbies position as well.

This really is a nothing approach though isn't it? The fees will still be paid, it will just be administered by the clubs?

 

[Quick Hands]

This really is a nothing approach though isn't it? The fees will still be paid, it will just be administered by the clubs?

The mechanism by which the ARU are collecting this fee/levy/tax is the centralised registration system. If the clubs don't use the system, but go back to registering their own players, by either a piece of paper or a website then the ARU will have to find some other device to collect the money.

 

[Brendan Hume]

The mechanism by which the ARU are collecting this fee/levy/tax is the centralised registration system. If the clubs don't use the system, but go back to registering their own players, by either a piece of paper or a website then the ARU will have to find some other device to collect the money.

Yeah, but the money will still have to be paid... It used to be that a player had to be registered within 7 days of playing a game. We still haven't had that part clarified, or what the other payment pathway will be, but there definitely will be one. It has been said though that there won't be an offline function in 3 years.

On a side note, I've also heard that the NSWRU have only offset the Member Union Participation Registration Fee by 12 months and that it will be introduced next year. For clarification, in Qld this is an extra $65 per head for seniors and $40 per head for juniors on top of the $33 and $27.50 ARU levy. It's important to ensure this doesn't go through in NSW by stealth, and that those opposing the system are mindful that there is no timeframe or development plan mapped out that limits what these fees may be into the future.

I was told last night that the QRU are budgeting on a 20% decrease in club based participation in 2015 because of the changes, and when told that the new system will see some clubs fall over, a QRU staff member said "well they're the one's you want to get rid of aren't they, those fringe players and clubs".

 

[Quick Hands]

I was told last night that the QRU are budgeting on a 20% decrease in club based participation in 2015 because of the changes, and when told that the new system will see some clubs fall over, a QRU staff member said "well they're the one's you want to get rid of aren't they, those fringe players and clubs".

Unfortunately this attitude towards the grass roots is one of the reasons that rugby finds itself such a parlous state. This elitist crap will send the game down the plug hole quicker than any perceived disaffection with boring laws.

No league or aussie rules administrator would think like that, so we can't blame professionalism.

 

[Brendan Hume]

Yeah true. I was pretty shocked actually. And very disappointed. It really devalues my last seven years as an administrator spending my own time and money coaching at schools, in university competitions and running 'come and try' clinics with new kids trying to build participation at a club level. And I'm one person...

 

[Quick Hands]

Yeah true. I was pretty shocked actually. And very disappointed. It really devalues my last seven years as an administrator spending my own time and money coaching at schools, in university competitions and running 'come and try' clinics with new kids trying to build participation at a club level. And I'm one person.

A lot of us are with you.

Unfortunately this is not the first time that similar comments have been attributed to employees of ARU or QRU or NSWRU. It should be a sackable offence, but I suspect it's the corporate thinking that exists in rugby.

 

[I like to watch]

Yeah, but the money will still have to be paid. It used to be that a player had to be registered within 7 days of playing a game. We still haven't had that part clarified, or what the other payment pathway will be, but there definitely will be one. It has been said though that there won't be an offline function in 3 years.

".

Why will it have to be paid?
If clubs or organisations can get their own insurance cover on the same terms as previous years,then if they choose to ignore this new process what can the ARU do?

 

[Brendan Hume]

Why will it have to be paid?
If clubs or organisations can get their own insurance cover on the same terms as previous years,then if they choose to ignore this new process what can the ARU do?

That's quite different to simply not using the RugbyLink online registration. As the NPR and individual insurance are ARU policy, and with Subbies not having voting rights with the ARU, tt would require the union to de-affiliate (?) from the ARU and that would probably be an issue for insurers - insurance now is based on certain things being in place - in particular Smart Rugby and adherence to ARU policies and procedures around coach education and accreditation of referees.

Insurance and the National Participant Registration are two very separate things.

Personally I can probably live with the individual insurance, although I would prefer the policy be simplified and a lot of the extras be removed - they are so difficult to get anyway, it's ridiculous - so that it's cheaper again, and people can use the insurer of their choice for out-of-pocket expenses and income protection if these things are required.

The grab at money from the National Participant Registration is another thing altogether where the community is being asked to pay to deliver services, administration and development costs - many of which the community get nothing from. I'm not sure how a second grade Div 4 Subbies player is being serviced by the ARU...

Personally, I'd love to see the game split up into a Professional arm (similar to NSW) and have the community game much more decentralised to provide more agility to service delivery where needs are very different, but overseen by an elected group of volunteers with a budget to provide basic services to the game supplemented spending directly from the sub-unions where required.

 

[Chris McCracken]

I was told last night that the QRU are budgeting on a 20% decrease in club based participation in 2015 because of the changes, and when told that the new system will see some clubs fall over, a QRU staff member said "well they're the one's you want to get rid of aren't they, those fringe players and clubs".

If that is true - and I have no reason to disbelieve you at all - we are all in a worse position than we thought. Reprehensible in the extreme.

 

[Chris McCracken]

Why will it have to be paid?
If clubs or organisations can get their own insurance cover on the same terms as previous years,then if they choose to ignore this new process what can the ARU do?

Clubs can't get insurance on the same terms as previous years because we have always had a centralised insurance from the same provider. The old method simply disappears.

In the case of juniors, at least, it will be difficult to find an insurer as reasonable as Gow-Gates, too. I have always had excellent dealings with them and they are well priced.

 

[Brendan Hume]

Here's a report by Greg Growden on the Subbies letter mentioned earlier...

http://www.espnscrum.com/australia/rugby/story/251185.html

 

[RugbyReg]

Yeah, but the money will still have to be paid. It used to be that a player had to be registered within 7 days of playing a game. We still haven't had that part clarified, or what the other payment pathway will be, but there definitely will be one. It has been said though that there won't be an offline function in 3 years.

On a side note, I've also heard that the NSWRU have only offset the Member Union Participation Registration Fee by 12 months and that it will be introduced next year. For clarification, in Qld this is an extra $65 per head for seniors and $40 per head for juniors on top of the $33 and $27.50 ARU levy. It's important to ensure this doesn't go through in NSW by stealth, and that those opposing the system are mindful that there is no timeframe or development plan mapped out that limits what these fees may be into the future.

I was told last night that the QRU are budgeting on a 20% decrease in club based participation in 2015 because of the changes, and when told that the new system will see some clubs fall over, a QRU staff member said "well they're the one's you want to get rid of aren't they, those fringe players and clubs".

A shocking attitude. Did you call him on it?

 

[Quick Hands]

Here's a report by Greg Growden on the Subbies letter mentioned earlier.

http://www.espnscrum.com/australia/rugby/story/251185.html

Hopefully every rugby organisation in the country follows the lead of the NSW subbies and refuses to be part of the centralised registration system.

 

[Brendan Hume]

A shocking attitude. Did you call him on it?

It was to the TDRU President. Yeah he called him out on it, the conversation sort of stopped then apparently


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[Brendan Hume]

Hopefully every rugby organisation in the country follows the lead of the NSW subbies and refuses to be part of the centralised registration system.

It's interesting. I still like the centralised registrations - I've been using MyRugby for the past 7 years and while it's a bit rubbish now (hasn't had a lot spent on maintenance I assume) it was a really great tool. The new system apparently streamlines many functions like domestic transfers which really are a bit of a pain in the arse, and had app based team sheet integration which I thought was a real winner. I see that stuff as the core business of the ARUs job - supporting grassroots rugby with administrative, operational and developmental resources to enable those grassroots clubs to be sustainable. It shouldn't cost the earth. If they worked with the grassroots on redefining their grassroots support role they'd be able to come up with something that was affordable, practical and useful.


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[RugbyReg]

It was to the TDRU President. Yeah he called him out on it, the conversation sort of stopped then apparently


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Ah. So you weren't there?

Terry Shields and his crew have had it against the qru for many years. Very stubborn and never really open to any help offered. Sorry but if it wasn't first hand then I'm not convinced it was said as such.

 

[Brendan Hume]

Ah. So you weren't there?

Terry Shields and his crew have had it against the qru for many years. Very stubborn and never really open to any help offered. Sorry but if it wasn't first hand then I'm not convinced it was said as such.

I'm not trying to convince you.


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