Australian Rugby / RA

[Gnostic]

I'm glad you got that off your chest, RedsHappy.





Who would you like to see on the Board?

I'd like to reply for me it would be nobody. Apart from that I really don't care because anybody appointed is working within the system is pretty powerless to effect real change as the other appointed people and crucially as mentioned the NSWRU and QRU block anything that would diminish their stranglehold on power.

Add to that the ARU now has a deficit of standing in the community, anything that comes from Head Office is viewed negatively, they have spent their capital in a non-monetary sense and have zero to show for it.

 

[RedsHappy]

I'm glad you got that off your chest, RedsHappy. Who would you like to see on the Board?

Now that you ask, let me deal with this in terms of key qualifications (which is where it all should start, not by naming names first up):

1. First up, I would keep zero persons from the current ARU board. The alignment of this current ARU board with the strategic and operational needs of the code today is like that of choosing a hippopotamus upon which to play polo.​

​

2. I would design a 7 person board - larger boards notoriously decline in coherence and effectiveness.​

​

3. I would source a Chairperson with a successful history in the building and strategic leadership of an international pro sporting code based upon important amateur feeder roots. Certainly does not have to be rugby. And ideally with much international experience relating thereto.​

​

4. I would require a Rugby Coaching Stream Representative. A person with long experience of either being a successful elite rugby coach and/or building a successful bottom-to-top rugby coaching infrastructure (btw and e.g., Ewen McKenzie comes to mind for this role). Not at all necessarily from Australia, btw.​

​

5. Next a 'Grass Roots Representative'. 1 representative elected by a formal ballot process every say 3 years by members of, or directly nominated by, all the grass roots amateur rugby clubs in Australia.​

​

6. The CEO - critically, like the Chair, with similar qualifications. Certainly not an 'insider elite rugby mate'.​

​

7. I would allow RUPA to nominate 1 person as the Rugby Players' Representative but this person must be duly elected by all pro Australia-based rugby players as per 5 every 3 years and certainly not a RUPA 'insider mate'.​

​

8. Next, 1 person os suitable experience nominated by the 5 largest (by $s spent) funding sponsors of any layer of Australian rugby over the past 3 years and rotating every 3 years.​

​

9. Finally, to make 7: 1 person chosen by a Nominations Committee as having notable managerial qualifications and strategic business expertise in a field reasonably designated as having relevance to a professional sporting organisation like rugby, e.g., a highly people-intensive business, perhaps media, and such like.​

 

[half]

My board

1 member to each of the state unions.

1 member to the players union

2 members to Super Rugby teams

1 member to level 2 i.e shute shield

The above members elect the chairman

Board members re=election hhhmmmm between 3 & 5 years

 

[fairplay]

Now that you ask, let me deal with this in terms of key qualifications (which is where it all should start, not by naming names first up):

1. First up, I would keep zero persons from the current ARU board. The alignment of this current ARU board with the strategic and operational needs of the code today is like that of choosing a hippopotamus upon which to play polo.​

​

2. I would design a 7 person board - larger boards notoriously decline in coherence and effectiveness.​

​

3. I would source a Chairperson with a successful history in the building and strategic leadership of an international pro sporting code based upon important amateur feeder roots. Certainly does not have to be rugby. And ideally with much international experience relating thereto.​

​

4. I would require a Rugby Coaching Stream Representative. A person with long experience of either being a successful elite rugby coach and/or building a successful bottom-to-top rugby coaching infrastructure (btw and e.g., Ewen McKenzie comes to mind for this role). Not at all necessarily from Australia, btw.​

​

5. Next a 'Grass Roots Representative'. 1 representative elected by a formal ballot process every say 3 years by members of, or directly nominated by, all the grass roots amateur rugby clubs in Australia.​

​

6. The CEO - critically, like the Chair, with similar qualifications. Certainly not an 'insider elite rugby mate'.​

​

7. I would allow RUPA to nominate 1 person as the Rugby Players' Representative but this person must be duly elected by all pro Australia-based rugby players as per 5 every 3 years and certainly not a RUPA 'insider mate'.​

​

8. Next, 1 person os suitable experience nominated by the 5 largest (by $s spent) funding sponsors of any layer of Australian rugby over the past 3 years and rotating every 3 years.​

​

9. Finally, to make 7: 1 person chosen by a Nominations Committee as having notable managerial qualifications and strategic business expertise in a field reasonably designated as having relevance to a professional sporting organisation like rugby, e.g., a highly people-intensive business, perhaps media, and such like.​

Good Luck with that tall order!
Your dreaming

 

[Kooka Ranger]

Now that you ask, let me deal with this in terms of key qualifications (which is where it all should start, not by naming names first up):

1. First up, I would keep zero persons from the current ARU board. The alignment of this current ARU board with the strategic and operational needs of the code today is like that of choosing a hippopotamus upon which to play polo.​

​

2. I would design a 7 person board - larger boards notoriously decline in coherence and effectiveness.​

​

3. I would source a Chairperson with a successful history in the building and strategic leadership of an international pro sporting code based upon important amateur feeder roots. Certainly does not have to be rugby. And ideally with much international experience relating thereto.​

​

4. I would require a Rugby Coaching Stream Representative. A person with long experience of either being a successful elite rugby coach and/or building a successful bottom-to-top rugby coaching infrastructure (btw and e.g., Ewen McKenzie comes to mind for this role). Not at all necessarily from Australia, btw.​

​

5. Next a 'Grass Roots Representative'. 1 representative elected by a formal ballot process every say 3 years by members of, or directly nominated by, all the grass roots amateur rugby clubs in Australia.​

​

6. The CEO - critically, like the Chair, with similar qualifications. Certainly not an 'insider elite rugby mate'.​

​

7. I would allow RUPA to nominate 1 person as the Rugby Players' Representative but this person must be duly elected by all pro Australia-based rugby players as per 5 every 3 years and certainly not a RUPA 'insider mate'.​

​

8. Next, 1 person os suitable experience nominated by the 5 largest (by $s spent) funding sponsors of any layer of Australian rugby over the past 3 years and rotating every 3 years.​

​

9. Finally, to make 7: 1 person chosen by a Nominations Committee as having notable managerial qualifications and strategic business expertise in a field reasonably designated as having relevance to a professional sporting organisation like rugby, e.g., a highly people-intensive business, perhaps media, and such like.​

It would be a start but would lack any input from country rugby

 

[RedsHappy]

Good Luck with that tall order!
Your dreaming

One thing I am not 'dreaming' about, rather I am enduring nightmares:

The state of the code today in Australia.

Unless there is serious reform at the very top of our rugby system, nothing meaningful will change and from which state we are headed into disaster.

 

[RedsHappy]

My board

1 member to each of the state unions.

1 member to the players union

2 members to Super Rugby teams

1 member to level 2 i.e shute shield

The above members elect the chairman

Board members re=election hhhmmmm between 3 & 5 years

Whilst I agree much of what you argue for half, IMHO the above would result in too little substantive change as too much of the existing poorly run rugby infrastructure is directly mapped into your new board.

Eg, have the State Unions lately proven their ability to run large tracts of the code here in a successful, efficient manner?

 

[TOCC]

Why does every region or demographic of rugby need to be represented by an individual member on the board, why can't we have a board which makes decisions based on the best outcomes for Australian Rugby as a whole.

Im completely against selecting board members on a geographical basis or level of competition criteria, those members feel compelled to make decisions purely for what they feel suits that state, team or union they represent.. However what suits Queensland, the Force or the Shute Shield best is not necessarily what will be best for Australian Rugby as a whole.

Historical allegiances and nepotism need to be removed from the decision making within Australian Rugby, not encouraged further.

 

[BLR]

1. First up, I would keep zero persons from the current ARU board.​

Geoff Stooke was the only board member who voted against cutting a team and has said he was deeply uncomfortable by the process the other board members were taking.

He seems to have been the only one of the lot that wasn't out to shrink the game to nothingness through self interest.

 

[TOCC]

In hindsight, Super Rugby should be governed by an indpendant commission which makes decision based on whats best for the competition and not what suits the political agenda of the national body at the time, however, i now feel that the irreparable damaged caused by the events in the past 24months will require significant national level intervention to get it moving forward on an upward trajectory once again.

Whether that required intervention actually eventuates i remain doubtful of though.

 

[RedsHappy]

Why does every region or demographic of rugby need to be represented by an individual member on the board, why can't we have a board which makes decisions based on the best outcomes for Australian Rugby as a whole.

Im completely against selecting board members on a geographical basis or level of competition criteria, those members feel compelled to make decisions purely for what they feel suits that state, team or union best, however what suits Queensland, the Force or the Shute Shield best is not necessarily what will be best for Australian Rugby as a whole.

Historical allegiances and nepotism need to be removed from the decision making within Australian Rugby, not encouraged further.

Absolutely 100%+ right.

 

[cyclopath]

My board

1 member to each of the state unions.

1 member to the players union

2 members to Super Rugby teams

1 member to level 2 i.e shute shield

The above members elect the chairman

Board members re=election hhhmmmm between 3 & 5 years

I see real issues here. I believe the State Unions need to go, honestly. You will never break the relentless pattern of self-interest without it. I equally believe it will never happen as there is too much self-interest to let it happen.
2 members to Super Rugby teams? Which two? I can kind of guess, if rugby bureaucrats have any input. And they will.
1 member to Level 2 - again, Shute Shield might be the biggest such comp, so would probably be the most likely, but does that help the game Aus-wide; conversely does selecting the representative from, say, Perth club rugby help?

 

[half]

Let me make an addition to my board.

1 member women's rugby

1 member to each of the state unions.

1 member to the players union

2 members to Super Rugby teams

1 member to level 2 i.e shute shield

The above members elect the chairman

Board members re=election hhhmmmm between 3 & 5 years


Why this method

Wam is right about one thing that there is no one who can come in on a white horse and fix everything.

Our challenges are the result of semantic ingrained management structures using a top down management .

There is no magic way of rapid recovery.

Its going to be hard work.

By including all members of the rugby family / community on the board then we hopefully will get a bottom up structure.

Most of our problems IMO resolve around structural systems issues.

Cyclopath raises an interesting discussion point in who and how the votes are given to. Doubting the wisdom of the state unions to look beyond self interest.

In no particular order but these are my thoughts pertaining to cyclopath's issues, the Super Rugby teams would appoint two independent people to represent them not aliened to any team, the players union to have a nominee from their ranks, the next level down at say the SS level for those at this level to vote and determine their nominee .

AS to the state unions and the past records of being inward looking, driven by self interest and agenda bias. Totally true and their mismanagement is up there with best.

Herein lies a major structural issue we cannot ignore by trying to by pass the state unions after-all they represent the grassroots.

Meaning reform of some kind needs to happen, at this level.

We / rugby is approaching a very interesting crossroad in Australia, to grow and expand we need everyone pulling in the same direction. To achieve this requires leadership and new structures.

My model attempts to pull everyone together and as a collective develop from the bottom up structures to rebuild.

There is no easy answer anyone who says there is is peddling snake oil.

 

[William88]

I am still dumbfounded why the board hasn't yet stepped down?

Do they not see the damage being done to the game from holding their positions?

While the game remains in this state of limbo as a resolution is developed, it circles further and further down the drain pipe.

I'm sick of the lack of action and incompetence coming from the ARU.

It's time for them to go, now.

 

[cyclopath]

Half - You're dead right that there is no easy answer. I don't claim to have one. I'm inherently cynical and I don't necessarily disagree with your ideas in principle, I just doubt they would work in practice, as I think many of the usual suspects would re-appear, albeit in new shoes!

 

[Gnostic]

I am still dumbfounded why the board hasn't yet stepped down?



Do they not see the damage being done to the game from holding their positions?



While the game remains in this state of limbo as a resolution is developed, it circles further and further down the drain pipe.



I'm sick of the lack of action and incompetence coming from the ARU.



It's time for them to go, now.

I know what you are saying but at the same time I do not want to see the current board and executive sacrificed as a way of preserving the "system" that has got us here. This is a perhaps once ever opportunity to truly reform Rugby Governance in this country and lets not waste it by becoming too focussed on the individuals currently occupying the chairs in organisations that have ruled a system which has seen a progressive decline which I have argued has been happening since 1996.

IMO the only way that will give sustainable and meaningful results is the dissolution of the State Unions or at least the downgrading them to regional services providers/partners and the ARU being replaced by a Independent Commission or Board along the lines of Redshappy's proposal.

Whilst I do think that many of the individuals involved in Rugby has been less then competent in their roles, and many have lived very well on the gravy train while others maintained other roles with direct conflicts of interest, this is all evidence that the system itself is one that is not robust and lacks integrity. Fix the system or else find the next appointees in exactly the same position, and quite honestly I think its a minute to midnight for Australian Rugby professionally, I doubt there will be another chance at this.

 

[TOCC]

The ARU board haven't even accepted any responsibility or admitted the errors of their ways, which is what leaves me most fearful. Until they recognise their past mistakes then they won't acknowledge the need for change, currently the ARU is treading the line of status quo and have hid behind the mirage of this being a SANZAAR decision.

What structural changes are been made at a ARU HQ leve to ensure that the poor decisions which have lead to this point aren't to happen again?

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Come in FIFA

FIFA has sent its harshest warning yet that it will disband the board of Football Federation Australia and remove chairman Steven Lowy by November 30 should he fail to implement a more inclusive and democratic system of governance for the game in Australia.
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/...lowy-of-disbanding-board-20170706-gx6afe.html

 

[TOCC]

I do find a certain level of irony in FIFA making such a statement though, Qatar doesn't host a FIFA World Cup under a democratic and inclusive system of governance

 

[James Pettifer]

I do find a certain level of irony in FIFA making such a statement though, Qatar doesn't host a FIFA World Cup under a democratic and inclusive system of governance

Yeah, but they bribe better