Who should be the next ARU CEO?

[Gagger]

I agree swingpass (and welcome to the forum BTW)

First and foremost we need a top notch sports administrator. JO'N learned on the job with rugby - in this day and age we can't afford that time again.

I don't agree that they need to come from rugby, or need an overpowering love of the game to make the right decisions. As the Arbib report showed - a rational viewpoint can see the main problems and also realise that the current strategy is to milk the cow without feeding it.

Carmichael at the Reds showed a man from outside rugby - but who understood professional sport administration - would figure out very quickly that growing the game at grassroots is fundamental to the business model, not just in the long term, but also the short.

 

[Bruce Ross]

First and foremost we need a top notch sports administrator. JO'N learned on the job with rugby - in this day and age we can't afford that time again.

I don't agree that they need to come from rugby, or need an overpowering love of the game to make the right decisions. As the Arbib report showed - a rational viewpoint can see the main problems and also realise that the current strategy is to milk the cow without feeding it.

Carmichael at the Reds showed a man from outside rugby - but who understood professional sport administration - would figure out very quickly that growing the game at grassroots is fundamental to the business model, not just in the long term, but also the short.

"we need a top notch sports administrator"
"don't agree that they need to come from rugby"
"don't agree that they . . . need an overpowering love of the game"

Aha, I thought, Gagger's on about revhead Jason Allen. But then I got to the part about: "would figure out very quickly that growing the game at grassroots is fundamental to the business model".

Let's try and find the right bloke from among our own ranks, shall we?
.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Let's try and find the right bloke from among our own ranks, shall we?
.

Bruce,

I greatly respect your views on all things to do with rugby.
Do you not think that one of the issues with the game at the moment is the lack of looking beyond the traditional sources for rugby blood - in all aspects of the game - and that appointing from within only increases the likelihood that the game, in this country, will continue to look to those traditional sources for everything it needs?
My concern is that the traditional sources will not suffice for future needs (particularly if we are to play 3 tests more than AB's every year) and that a good number of people from outside the traditional rugby demographic are put off by the appearance of the game as being of and for ex private school boys.
Assuming that Matt Carroll is staying (and I am not saying he is not up to the job of CEO) he or someone like him needs to be able to convey the heartland issues to the CEO - who has a broader responsiblity.
Maybe we need a commissioner for community rugby who reports to the CEO?

 

[liquor box]

Let's try and find the right bloke from among our own ranks, shall we?
.

I will admit that I am a bit of a johnny come lately when it comes to looking at administration at football codes, I am usually preoccupied with what occurs on the field.

but....

I did start to take notice of what was happening at the Reds when they seemed to become a better team at a rapid pace, and improved their marketing and membership. It seemed to be reported that they got rid of a lot of the "old boys" network and recruited people who could do the job from day one and actually had to prove they could do this job as they did not have a network of friends/explayers to keep them employed if they failed. The Brisbane Roar from memory also installed a new female CEO before their success and it seems to work well as they had no ties to the past.

I think that for Rugby to be a growing and more successful sport we need our top administrators to not be "Rugby people" and if this is an absolute must then I would get "Rugby people" from overseas. While ever administrators are being hamstrung by their board to ensure that the individual states are getting their share of the pie rather than improving the game then it will go nowhere. There are too many vested interests involved if you recruit from within and this needs to be avoided.

Think of the fun banter that goes on this forum when the Tahs and Reds play each season, at ARU level this banter becomes a serious matter of trying to take all of the ARU's resources and putting them to help your team, and not the sport.


Personally I would like an administrator that also has an ability to negotiate with Government to try to set up more programs with schools and funding for better equipment and stadiums. This could mean we need to look at an ex/serving politition who has been successful in business and loves Rugby.

Did Malcolm Turnbull ever play rugby while at Sydney Grammer?

 

[TOCC]

I want the best sports administrator realistically available, i don't believe a rugby background is necessary, preferable yes, a necessity no...

Rugby Union in Australia is hampered by the old boys network, its effectively playing politics with the sport itself.
Bring in someone new who has no allegiances or nostalgic obligations and let them start fresh.

 

[Gagger]

Let's try and find the right bloke from among our own ranks, shall we?
.

And which powerhouse Australian rugby franchise would that bloke be currently running?

 

[RugbyReg]

always thought this guy would be worth a consideration on some level.

 

[wamberal]

I will admit that I am a bit of a johnny come lately when it comes to looking at administration at football codes, I am usually preoccupied with what occurs on the field.

but..

I did start to take notice of what was happening at the Reds when they seemed to become a better team at a rapid pace, and improved their marketing and membership. It seemed to be reported that they got rid of a lot of the "old boys" network and recruited people who could do the job from day one and actually had to prove they could do this job as they did not have a network of friends/explayers to keep them employed if they failed. The Brisbane Roar from memory also installed a new female CEO before their success and it seems to work well as they had no ties to the past.



Did Malcolm Turnbull ever play rugby while at Sydney Grammer?

Managing the Reds franchise is at a different level than managing the whole ARU. Not sure what you mean about the old boys network. The only thing that a network can do for you is to get you an interview. There are very few people rich enough, and stupid enough, to employ people with no ability or track record, just because they were at their school, or their rugby club. Maybe as their chauffeur, or pool cleaner. That would be about it.

As for Turnbull, this is the chap who wants to be Prime Minister. Are you seriously suggesting that he would be interested in running the ARU?


I worked for some years in general management with a very large, and very successful sporting organisation (not in rugby, and not in Australia). My working experience tells me that people who are successful in managing sporting organisations usually have a background in that sport. Not always, but in the case of the ARU, with its particular challenges and intrinsic problems, I would say that the new CEO has to have a real love for the game as a whole (and certainly not for a particular club or province) as well as a deep understanding of the game, and the motivations, strengths and weakness of all its stakeholders, and a willingness to ruffle feathers and to lead as well as to persuade and build coalitions for change.


The game must be unified, at all levels, for us to have a chance of survival, let alone prospetity in this country.


Then the CEO can move on to the UN and work on world peace. Oh. And a third tier for Australian rugby.

 

[TOCC]

Old Boys Networks in Australian Rugby transcends more then just arranging an interview..

You could almost look at Australian rugby as a mix of political parties: Nationalists, Monarchists, Greenies and Liberals..

The major players been RUPA, QRU, NSWRU and the Shute Shield clubs.
QLD Premier Rugby clubs, RugbyWA, Rebels etc are comparatively smaller players in comparison.

JON was brought back to power with the backing of the powers within the Shute Shield, subsequently his first act was to shit-can the very competition which threatened the Shute Shield's existence as the '3rd Tier' rugby comp within Australia.

 

[wamberal]

JON was brought back to power with the backing of the powers within the Shute Shield, subsequently his first act was to shit-can the very competition which threatened the Shute Shield's existence as the '3rd Tier' rugby comp within Australia.

Ah. The ARC. I remember it well. We went to a few games when we still lived at Wambie. Not much trouble finding a seat amongst the two thousand or so spectators. Mind you, the Rays drew a lot better than most teams, and we did win the comp.

How did your team go? What was the average attendance? Were there picket lines of Shute Shield proponents outside the grounds, keeping out the crowds?


Blaming JON for the demise of the ARC is pretty stupid. The timing was atrocious (in a World Cup year, no less, at a time when many hard core followers of the game were in Europe, not to mention our best players who would otherwise been drawcards, and when advertisers were committed to the RWC). The financial case was obviously totally flawed, otherwise no in-coming CEO with a love for the game would have canned it.


Good ideas, well executed, usually survive. Bad execution (or less than good planning, or strategy), and you end up with the ARC.

 

[TOCC]

Ok, obviously have different memories of the era if you remember all the Shute Shield clubs throwing their full support behind the competition..

Anyway the point is, their is well and truly an old boys network/allegiances within Australian Rugby... That is the very reason the Governance Review recommended a board of Independent Directors..

 

[rugbyisfun]

I'm getting a little sick and tired of the old boys network and private school bashing that goes on in these forums. I think a little bit more respect should be shown to these rugby stronghold schools and areas where staff, students parents etc give a huge amount to the game . I am well aware of a handful of schools who are now running what could only be described as full time professional rugby development program's. With the dire state of rugby shouldn't we be focussing on harnessing our strengths rather than marching forward, hell bent on expansionism when the supply lines are so obviously depleted ??

And as for the bashing of the old boys network. These are the people who year after year use their considerable influence to raise funds for the game. Who give up their time to sit in positions of responsibility to manage and direct the State and National unions.

I am all for the governance review.

Taking all of that into consideration I think it would be beneficial if the new CEO came from within the well established rugby network in Australia.

Heaven forbid it ends up being 'one of those rich kids who have been responsible for stuffing Australian rugby....'

 

[Man on the hill]

Those that claim to be experienced General Managers or business consultants on this forum will no doubt be familiar with the concept of a balanced score card as a decision making tool. Each judgement criteria is awarded a score of say 1 - 10 and each is further assigned a weighting, so that you are able to reflect the relative importance of each criteria against another and then compare otherwise disparate solutions - recalling that the OUTCOME is what is important. [Criteria can be also used in a filtering capacity - i.e. pass / fail, or must haves.]

In this vein, I would hate to see an otherwise outstanding candidate relegated to the trash heap simply because they did not have an embedded association within the current rugby landscape. An open mind will be the biggest advantage any candidate can bring to the table.

 

[Ruggo]

We need to get away "from our own blokes" and look at someone with a broader perspective. Previous affiliation with rugby should be nowhere near the selection criteria. The right person needs a balance between fiscal management and a knowledge of how to grow a code across a broader social spectrum. When this happens we will have much more solid foundations for the third tier comp we so badly need. The us and them mentality is the biggest hinderance for the code. I don't advocate alienating our traditional base but loosening their grip on the game to allow it to spread would be a huge positive step.

 

[TOCC]

I'm getting a little sick and tired of the old boys network and private school bashing that goes on in these forums. I think a little bit more respect should be shown to these rugby stronghold schools and areas where staff, students parents etc give a huge amount to the game . I am well aware of a handful of schools who are now running what could only be described as full time professional rugby development program's. With the dire state of rugby shouldn't we be focussing on harnessing our strengths rather than marching forward, hell bent on expansionism when the supply lines are so obviously depleted ??

And as for the bashing of the old boys network. These are the people who year after year use their considerable influence to raise funds for the game. Who give up their time to sit in positions of responsibility to manage and direct the State and National unions.

I am all for the governance review.

Taking all of that into consideration I think it would be beneficial if the new CEO came from within the well established rugby network in Australia.

Heaven forbid it ends up being 'one of those rich kids who have been responsible for stuffing Australian rugby..'

No one is bashing the volunteers, many people on this forum volunteer weekly help coaching their kids teams or run the touchline, i was the player representative on the board of a young club up in regional Queensland for 2 years so i understand the thankless hours injected into making the game work each weekend.

Problem is, rugby union has not been professional long enough to establish its own production line of sports administrators, it had understandably take time for the various levels of rugby within Australia to mature to the point where young administrators with a background in rugby and business management are rising through the ranks and been mentored by senior administrators who have considerable experience and time in the industry.

For example, Andrew Demetriou who is only 51, rose through the ranks from a professional AFL player to become the CEO of the AFL Players Association and subsequently the AFL, he has been involved in AFL at a professional level for over 32 years now including 14 years at a administrative level. During that time however he benefited and arguably had an accelerated learning curve by learning from other staff who had had already been involved in the professional administration for years previously.

Rugby Union on the other hand only went professional in 1995, it just doesn't have the production line/economy of scales/history of producing administrators that the other codes do. Inevitably it will, but its going to take a few more years.

 

[Bruce Ross]

I argued above that we should try to find the new CEO from within our own ranks.

The sort of person I would be looking for would have had demonstrated business success; be a top flight negotiator; and have a love for and commitment to grass roots rugby. Ideally in my view he/she would also be someone prepared to shake the tree, given that I believe our sport has really lost its way.

Let me throw a name into the ring. Alan Williamson was until quite recently CEO of the Bruck Textile Group. The company is the main employer in the city of Wangaratta and virtually the only significant Australian survivor in textile manufacturing. Under Alan's leadership it grew from producing very low-tech bottom-end fabrics to being Australia's leading innovator in textile technology. It is a major supplier to industrial, corporate and automotive industries, as well as ballistic and fragmentation protecting fabric for the military and security services, and flame retardant fabric for fire fighting. With Bruck Alan Williamson had a well deserved reputation for being a tough and effective negotiator with government bodies for his company and for the people of Wangaratta.

He served as Director and President of Eastern Suburbs for a number of years, and on the Board of NSWRU between 2006-2008. For the past three or four years he has attended virtually every Colts game - Thirds to Firsts - that Sydney Uni has played and is very heavily involved as a mentor to the Club's young players and coaches.

A proud Scouser, he is anything but a member of the leather patch brigade. If Australian rugby needs to get back to its roots and forge a new direction, Alan Williamson would be an ideal agent of change.
.

 

[liquor box]

I'm getting a little sick and tired of the old boys network and private school bashing that goes on in these forums. I think a little bit more respect should be shown to these rugby stronghold schools and areas where staff, students parents etc give a huge amount to the game . I am well aware of a handful of schools who are now running what could only be described as full time professional rugby development program's. With the dire state of rugby shouldn't we be focussing on harnessing our strengths rather than marching forward, hell bent on expansionism when the supply lines are so obviously depleted ??

And as for the bashing of the old boys network. These are the people who year after year use their considerable influence to raise funds for the game. Who give up their time to sit in positions of responsibility to manage and direct the State and National unions.

I am all for the governance review.

Taking all of that into consideration I think it would be beneficial if the new CEO came from within the well established rugby network in Australia.

Heaven forbid it ends up being 'one of those rich kids who have been responsible for stuffing Australian rugby..'

I think that the problem with the old boys network as it currently stands is that it is not conducive with growing the game at a junior level and allowing that to flow through over the next 15 years while these kids grow up.

Union is still seen as a private school game for a lot of people, and while there is nothing wrong with that it does allow for a class divide to appear and stop potential juniors from playing the game.

One of the biggest talent pools that the ARU should tap into is the massive number of Kiwi and Islander kids growing up in Australia. There are many areas in Australia that have massive numbers of these kids who have a rugby heritage, but they all end up playing League as it is the local public school game.

How many of the old boy network are going to support big budgets to get public schools in Woodridge/Logan, Ipswich, Caboolture and similar suburbs in Sydney (no knowledge of Sydney demographics)? These are the areas that the focus should be on for growth and due to the lower incomes of this area there is also an opportunity to get a scholarship system going where kids can change their life and get an education and play a great sport.

Any new CEO needs to focus on Rugby being for every Australian

 

[Mr Doug]

I will admit that I am a bit of a johnny come lately when it comes to looking at administration at football codes, I am usually preoccupied with what occurs on the field.

but..

I did start to take notice of what was happening at the Reds when they seemed to become a better team at a rapid pace, and improved their marketing and membership. It seemed to be reported that they got rid of a lot of the "old boys" network and recruited people who could do the job from day one and actually had to prove they could do this job as they did not have a network of friends/explayers to keep them employed if they failed. The Brisbane Roar from memory also installed a new female CEO before their success and it seems to work well as they had no ties to the past.

I think that for Rugby to be a growing and more successful sport we need our top administrators to not be "Rugby people" and if this is an absolute must then I would get "Rugby people" from overseas. While ever administrators are being hamstrung by their board to ensure that the individual states are getting their share of the pie rather than improving the game then it will go nowhere. There are too many vested interests involved if you recruit from within and this needs to be avoided.

Think of the fun banter that goes on this forum when the Tahs and Reds play each season, at ARU level this banter becomes a serious matter of trying to take all of the ARU's resources and putting them to help your team, and not the sport.


Personally I would like an administrator that also has an ability to negotiate with Government to try to set up more programs with schools and funding for better equipment and stadiums. This could mean we need to look at an ex/serving politition who has been successful in business and loves Rugby.

Did Malcolm Turnbull ever play rugby while at Sydney Grammer?

liquor box, if you are going to mention my old school, please get the spelling right!

My 'roughie' for ARU CEO, is an ex Wallaby, a passionate Aussie, and a capable promoter: Laurie Lawrence!! (Probably a bit too old now though)!

Why are posters restricting their thoughts to a male CEO? Plenty of ladies in this country are capable of doing the job!

 

[CTPE]

Looking at someone outside of rugby Malcolm Speed is probably Australia's most experienced multi-sports administrator. He's getting on in years but was the CEO of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) during it's halcyon years in the 1990's before moving on to become CEO of the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) 1997-2001. Subsequent to that he became CEO of the International Cricket Council (ICC) serving in that position until 2008. He's been a Board member of the Australian Sports Commission and is currently a board member of Golf Australia. Before entering into the world of sports administration he was a Barrister in Melbourne.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

I think that the problem with the old boys network as it currently stands is that it is not conducive with growing the game at a junior level and allowing that to flow through over the next 15 years while these kids grow up.

Union is still seen as a private school game for a lot of people, and while there is nothing wrong with that it does allow for a class divide to appear and stop potential juniors from playing the game.

One of the biggest talent pools that the ARU should tap into is the massive number of Kiwi and Islander kids growing up in Australia. There are many areas in Australia that have massive numbers of these kids who have a rugby heritage, but they all end up playing League as it is the local public school game.

How many of the old boy network are going to support big budgets to get public schools in Woodridge/Logan, Ipswich, Caboolture and similar suburbs in Sydney (no knowledge of Sydney demographics)? These are the areas that the focus should be on for growth and due to the lower incomes of this area there is also an opportunity to get a scholarship system going where kids can change their life and get an education and play a great sport.

Any new CEO needs to focus on Rugby being for every Australian

I've been a fan of locating specific areas to target on year by year basis. From a Sydney based perspective, I've always stated the area in which I was raised would be a perfect example. A very average working area with a large PI and Kiwi presence particularly in the public schools. If the ARU or NSWRU were to really push the game into both the primary and secondary levels they could find themselves with a really vibrant schools based competition that could flow on into the club scene in a relatively short time. Others in Sydney would be Blacktown, Liverpool and such.