Declining participation and ARU plans for the future

[Quick Hands]

With world rugby going through massive growth spurt with the $100m Chinese investment, new super rugby franchises with Japan, Argentina, growth of 7's, new North American semi-pro league etc etc...I really do believe that highly possible that in next 5-10 years will see some serious big money (more likely outside Asian money) invested to establish a professional domestic competition which will seek to acquire the best players from league and union in this country. League should indeed be very afraid of this possibility. As oz offers a very attractive sporting market, and growth of world game and poor management of game in this country will see others with opportunities to revolutionise the game here with a professional domestic competition with their own bent without the distraction of other parties such as ARU or SS driving the agenda.

I also reckon strong chance could be chinese money behind it, particularly given large investments chinese already making in oz and their own massive investment in rugby they are making.

I think that you are right in your observation that rugby is Australia is ripe for takeover by a foreign billionaire who was so minded.

Experience would suggest that the people who have most to fear from this are the entrenched hierarchy rather than the clubs. When World Series Cricket arrived, it was the ACB who ended up being swept aside into the future and the clubs did quite well. The first people that any Russian billionaire would clean out of Australian rugby would be the GPS old boy fraternity currently running the show.

 

[wamberal]

Rugby is a very complex beast. Any billionaire who decided to "take it over" had better make sure that he is very well advised by people who understand the game and its culture.



As a State School old boy, I would have to acknowledge that the GPS types do have their place, although I note that a former workmate of mine, another State School old boy, made it to Chairman a few years ago. And I quick look at the current board of the ARU demonstrates a huge amount of diversity.

 

[Quick Hands]

Rugby is a very complex beast. Any billionaire who decided to "take it over" had better make sure that he is very well advised by people who understand the game and its culture.

I'm sure that Brett Papworth, Simon Poidevin and David Begg would see themselves filling this role.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Haha. I was actually watching the Womens qualifier series being played out in Hong Kong last night. The game featured both Japan and Fiji. Japan were clearly the better team winning 55 to nil.

Anyway, as I was watching I was considering the recent news of Alisports investing in the game and their intent on setting up both Men's and Women's pro leagues. One option I think should be floated is an Asia-Pacific league, essentially a Women's version of Super Rugby but with a more AP focus. With both the Hong Kong and Japanese women qualifying for the WRWC I think there could be an opportunity to build something within the region.

Perhaps an 8 team league with a team from both Japan and Hong Kong, 2 or 3 from Australia and 3 or 4 based in China itself. Played on a home and away schedule plus a 4 team finals series to start. With the recent drive to get more and more Women's sport on Australian TV and the entry of the likes of Alisports I think such a model could be quite interesting.

For the sake of just spitballing it. If we had two go with just two to start I'd pick a team in each Brisbane and Sydney. Look for smaller venues such as Redfern Oval (5,000) and another similar sized venue in Brisbane. Venues that could be feasibly filled early on. Look for Alisports to cover the costs of travel and accommodations and have the squad run out of the existing infrastructure used by the Super Rugby franchises.

If we started with a third it would be a toss up between Canberra or Melbourne for mine.

I am actually serious that I do believe Asian money could come in and establish a domestic league in oz as all it would take is money and poach the best players from league with added lure of strength of world game. As is strength of latter and opportunities presented by oz market that would lure the odd billionaire with ego or the sort of consortium behind the $100m Chinese rugby investment as would be attractive proposition. I suspect would come with a lot of innovative thinking as they would be less beholden to aru, state and club faction politics

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[Braveheart81]

I am actually serious that I do believe Asian money could come in and establish a domestic league in oz as all it would take is money

I think more private equity investment in a Super Rugby franchise is pretty likely but I can't see a foreign group coming in and creating a whole league from nothing. It would be pretty much unprecedented and require a huge amount of heavy lifting, not just a big injection of money.

You'd need to be offering a huge amount of money to convince enough quality players to turn their back on the ARU. It's not like they are playing for peanuts now.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

I think more private equity investment in a Super Rugby franchise is pretty likely but I can't see a foreign group coming in and creating a whole league from nothing. It would be pretty much unprecedented and require a huge amount of heavy lifting, not just a big injection of money.

You'd need to be offering a huge amount of money to convince enough quality players to turn their back on the ARU. It's not like they are playing for peanuts now.

I am not suggesting would be turning their back on aru but yes my post probably implied this. Not unprecedented in world sport re: cricket

And with growth of world game and inability for aru to capitalise re: broke means opportunities for foreign money to come in possible for new domestic league in years to come and create a brand new comp. More likely a friendly major equity injection of expanded nrc perhaps? I don't discount investment in super rugby team happening well before my proposition. I rate my proposal of Asian money coming in with major investment in domestic league as about 5 % and only more so as world rugby going gang busters and attraction of oz sporting market for.those with big money and innovative ideas. Prior to world rugby surge in recent times I.would have said I must have been smoking something to make such a suggestion.

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[Braveheart81]

I am not suggesting would be turning their back on aru but yes my post probably implied this. Not unprecedented in world sport re: cricket

World Series Cricket happened on the back of a sport that was generating a significant amount of revenue and paying the players very little.

That situation existed prior to Super Rugby and the game going professional but isn't the case now.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

World Series Cricket happened on the back of a sport that was generating a significant amount of revenue and paying the players very little.

That situation existed prior to Super Rugby and the game going professional but isn't the case now.

On cricket I am talking about recent big competitions established in India and West indies.

But yes part of reason why I give 5% chance to my suggestion as more likely only probable for Billionaire with ego than someone looking at it as investment that would generate attractive ROI. Probably the more realistic is major equity backing for expanded NRC domestic competition with ownership of some teams and enough sizeable investment to have weight on how the new competition is played out more likely.

But even more probable is investment of friendly buy out of Super Rugby franchise as say Brumbies bought out by chinese consortium - could see how that would play out with coaching clinics in China, chinese players on sebatical with Brumbies for development purposes, exhibition games played in china etc etc...as that would certainly fit with the big plans for improving chinese rugby underpinned by the recent $100m investment...

 

[Quick Hands]

World Series Cricket happened on the back of a sport that was generating a significant amount of revenue and paying the players very little.

That situation existed prior to Super Rugby and the game going professional but isn't the case now.

The number of Australian players on big dollars in Europe and Japan would suggest that there is an untapped market.

Assuming a hypothetical billionaire wanted to invest in Australia rugby, doing so through disaffected clubs would be an option.

 

[wamberal]

Assuming a hypothetical billionaire wanted to invest in Australia rugby, doing so through disaffected clubs would be an option.

Nah, the clubs would just piss it away.

 

[Quick Hands]

But yes part of reason why I give 5% chance to my suggestion as more likely only probable for Billionaire with ego than someone looking at it as investment that would generate attractive ROI. .

All billionaires have an ego to match.

The only reason for investing in sport is to further the ego and rub shoulders with sports stars. Very few sporting organisations make money.

 

[wamberal]

All billionaires have an ego to match.

The only reason for investing in sport is to further the ego and rub shoulders with sports stars. Very few sporting organisations make money.

Sports betting does, though. China. Mmmmmm. Those buggers really love a punt.

 

[Quick Hands]

Maybe the Gazprom Shute Shield, every club with a $5 million salary cap.

Get rid of rugby league and the the GPS old boys elitists running the ARU/NSWU in one fell swoop.

 

[half]

Ho Ho Ho

Tis Santa here, and I am going to grant three wishes.

So lets have some wishes Santa is capable of delivering.

Ho Ho Ho,Half what are your three wishes.

Santa this is what I want for Christmas.

1] Saturday private school games moved to mid-week with local clubs having preference.
2] A development plan to remove us from SANDZZAR.
3] A policy were ARU board positions have between a 3 & 5 year life and you can only serve once.

Santa wants to know if anyone else has any wishes

 

[Quick Hands]

For Christmas, I'd like to see a coherent structure for rugby going from 6s to the Wallabies. (The lack of leadership at a number of levels of the game is lamentable IMO)

I think I wished for the same thing last year - I must have been naughty as Santa didn't deliver.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

For Christmas, I'd like to see a coherent structure for rugby going from 6s to the Wallabies. (The lack of leadership at a number of levels of the game is lamentable IMO)

I think I wished for the same thing last year - I must have been naughty as Santa didn't deliver.

I would like to see:
1) less infighting and more alignment between different levels - particularly on the NSW side....the politics of rugby does nothing but harm our game especially when played out in the public

2) Continued push for innovation at all levels to engage and create products that have wider appeal to different audiences - we see a lot of this at so many levels at top (Game on , viva 7's ) and the bottom (don't know where to start but examples of some of the things clubs like Manly doing, PI day for NRC etc etc)....would like to see just more of the same and publicly recognised - particularly at grass roots level where run by volunteers etc. Rugby has major opportunities presented by profile and growth of world rugby but significant challenges with competitive domestic market and only way to compete is through constant innovation, vigilance and willingness to embrace change. Rugby as a product needs to evolve to meet modern day demands otherwise we won't have much quality product to watch in the future.

3) Western Force to have its best season and secure its position....as WA important market opportunity for rugby that can't be lost..

 

[Joe King]

This kind of fits here.

Maybe a lot of what people are wishing for from the ARU can be achieved by the state bodies. This is one of the most promising articles I've read in a while. Concerns NSW, but if other states are acting like-wise, then it's an even better Christmas present.

http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/12/15/blueprint-making-nsw-waratahs-better-stronger/

 

[Quick Hands]

This kind of fits here.

Maybe a lot of what people are wishing for from the ARU can be achieved by the state bodies. This is one of the most promising articles I've read in a while. Concerns NSW, but if other states are acting like-wise, then it's an even better Christmas present.

http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/12/15/blueprint-making-nsw-waratahs-better-stronger/

Like the sound of all that.

One thing that I hope that NSWRU have picked up on is that junior development programmes are much more efficient and more cost-effective when rolled out through clubs. (SS clubs, junior clubs or subbies clubs - doesn't matter) Untilise the volunteer base to make up some of the shortfall.

As but one example: NSWRU used to run Camp Waratah at Riverview during the June school holidays - at a cost of about $70 per day IIRC. Manly Roos ran exactly the same programme in 2016, using the same NSWRU coaching staff for $10 a day (which included a sausage sandwich and a drink for every kid)

 

[brokendown]

as an aside,does "concerned Supporter"post on here?

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

as an aside,does "concerned Supporter"post on here?

Hope not.