Shute Shield 2015

Do you know something that wasn't in Mark Scott announcement?

He said ABC TV would:

"Rationalise our television outside broadcast vans and scale back our sports involvement. The ABC is the only broadcaster maintaining its own outside broadcast fleet. With the ABC facing declining audience interest in local sports competitions and some codes chasing commercial opportunities, ABC TV is revising its sports strategy to ensure the cost-efficient use of resources and optimal audience impact. ABC TV will be providing more detail on its revised sports strategy."

I agree it doesn't sound promising, but the Shute Shield (or anything else) wasn't specifically mentioned.

'declining audience interest in local sports competitions'

would love a source for that.

Probably true..can't compete with federal politics

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/act-...ccer-and-wnbl-basketball-20141124-11spqv.html

Coverage Gone

Quote from the announcement that TEN will replay one S15 game on Sunday mornings from 2016:

"Ratings for Super Rugby declined by about 10 per cent for Fox Sports this year, despite the NSW Waratahs winning the competition, and the network is said to be concerned about ratings for the National Rugby Championship, a tier below Super Rugby."

you'd have to be certain that the drop in ratings was the abysmal Reds performance last year.

So if I get this right;
- Shute Shield clubs were encouraged to contribute to and belong to an NRC franchise, with a min of about $200K needed per NRC team. The NRC is struggling for ratings and concerning the network broadcast partner, but the ARU will expect any club involved in 2014 to happily back up in 2015, with no guarantees beyond then.
- Meanwhile back at the Shute Shield competition where the clubs have the opportunity to make money to invest in the NRC, the ARU takes away the $28k per club per year. Now ABC takes away the TV coverage.
Good luck to all clubs trying to raise sponsorship for the Shute Shield and NRC competitions.
Cynical Shute Shield clubs were right, the ARU will simply migrate deserting Shute Shield sponsors into the NRC.
Mission accomplished ARU.

Not a bad catalogue of blows to the game. In the last 2 weeks, the ARU pull funding, NSW instigate a player levy and an exhorbitant increase in insurance and now the loss of the only free to air Live rugby in the country. Rugby now has less profile than Netball.

an absolute shocker and the ARU have no-one to blame but themselves. Its almost like the ARU is trying to kill the game - astonishing.

I should also add that the ARU appears to be succeeding in this so well done gents!

Why don't all the Shute Shield clubs get together and see if the ARU can run the NRC without Sydney clubs.

And if Randwick and Uni don't want to be involved well don't play in the Shute Shield next season.

Comments above are based on the budget cuts and then expectation that the clubs support the franchises.

While I live in the bush, I am an avid Eastwood fan and record all the shute shield games which I have always enjoyed watching when I get home from our local game days. Apart from the loss of my favourite Saturday night viewing, I'm concerned now that our bush players will have no pathway to further their rugby career as the Shute Shield inevitably becomes just an anonymous competition in Sydney.

So for young bush players they will have no choice but to purge their parents wallets by leaving town and going to private school.

For the majority of kids though who have parents without a corporate gold mine, what will happen instead is they will drift to the local league clubs, get paid more per game than a shute shield player used to get and try their luck through the established country league pathways to high level rugby league.

Thanks Mr Pulver you may have saved the GPS schools but you just killed rugby.

I anticipate many local sponsors will just walk away - the NRC is meaningless.

Funds raised through the efforts of long standing volunteers in SS clubs just redirected away from the community they believe in to elites ie; NRC . Spivs , player managers , imported self serving careerists everywhere . Hardly worth throwing public funds at broadcasting what's left

The system is now about getting spotted at elite private school or tax payer funded sports high school move directly into a Uni backed NRC franchise (funded by the efforts of the community clubs) etc . Rugby in this country is rotten and run by people completely out of touch with those who have sustained it.

If I was running the ABC I 'd take a swipe at the competition the PM , treasurer and communications minister played in .

??? Did I miss a comment.
My views, based on my GAGR viewing I think there is more Australian Rugby love for the SS than the NRC - this will no doubt differ between states and it is allowed to.

I'll support the game, provide ideas - but seriously taking ABC from the grass roots is a kick in the guts and a further dent.

I'd sponsor a team that has good support, because support, supports sponsors.

I was reflecting the thoughts of it is what is above . Love SS hate what is being done to it by the Pulveriser

Confirmation from NSWRU -- some hope from the last sentence, maybe:

In response to your email;

I have today received advice from the Head of Sports and Events ABC Television Mr Justin Holdforth;
“The ABC TV will no longer provide coverage of the Sydney Rugby Union’s Shute Shield competition”

This is the end of a 57 year relationship and I must say how disappointed I am to see the only Free to Air live Rugby on television allowed to disappear.
NSWRU and SRU met with high ranking government officials with Clubs also making representation to local politicians all to no avail – it came down to dollars in the end.
We have had discussions with a number of alternate broadcasters and will now be able to go to the market to see what real interest there may be.

regards

Bruce Worboys| Executive Director - NSW Rugby Union IBM Centre, Allianz Stadium, Driver Avenue, Moore Park NSW 2021 T +61 2 9323 3440 | F +61 2 9323 3470 | M +61 414 49 2400 | W www.nswrugby.com.au

I felt sick reading this.
The death of a thousand cuts.

Note to Mr Pulver -- the ARU now has NO live rugby on Australian free-to-air TV apart from tests. I thought you said this was vital for the success of the code? Your frequently stated aim of getting S15 on free-to-air has now also fizzled into a replay of one game on channel 10 on Sunday morning from 2016 onwards. What a joke!

Stop it.
You're reminding me of how far we've fallen.