The Western Force are finally back home
Just saw this story in The West. Good news.
Turbulent chapter closes as Rugby Australia finally hands back Western Force intellectual property
Nick Taylor
The West Australian
Sat, 2 July 2022 6:12PM
The Western Force are finally back home after Rugby Australia returned the club intellectual property at Saturday’s Wallabies-England Test match at Optus Stadium.
The move brought a close to a turbulent chapter in Force history that saw the club axed by the game’s governing body, resurrected by billionaire Andrew Forrest and invited back into Super Rugby two years ago.
In 2016 the then ARU bought the Force IP – including naming rights, colours and branding - from RugbyWA in an $800,000 deal to help the franchise out of financial difficulty.
The move effectively handed ownership of the Force to the ARU, allowing them to axe the club the following year, unable to take the same action against the privately owned Melbourne Rebels.
In December 2017 the club name and IP was leased back to RugbyWA for $1 a year as part of the deal that saw the local body come out of voluntary administration.
RugbyWA went into voluntary administration as the ARU chased the state body for $1 million in costs over the failed legal fight – arbitration and in the NSW Supreme Court - to save the Super Rugby club.
The IP was handed back to RugbyWA chairman John Edwards on Saturday who passed it to Force owner Andrew Forrest.
Forrest said the real owners were WA’s “rugby loving public”.
The Force brought the community together and provided a pathway to the professional game, Forrest said.
The job is to keep the Force alive and make it the best team in “Australia, the southern hemisphere and then the globe”.
Edwards said: “The wonderful gesture by Rugby Australia brings to a close a difficult chapter in WA’s rugby journey and truly underpins the national union.
“The Western Force have been welcomed back into Super Rugby for the past two season’s but the announcement completes one of the most remarkable sporting comebacks of all time.”
Western Force chairman Stephen Daly said: “This is an acknowledgement not only of the Western Force as custodians of professional rugby in WA but the role Andrew and Nicola (Forrest) are playing for rugby in Australia.
“This is about moving forward and trying to make sure that professional rugby in Australia is tackling the opportunities ahead.”
RA chief executive Andy Marinos said: “The transfer of the Western Force IP back through to RugbyWA and the Western Force itself is an important step for Rugby Australia in its aim to grow Rugby interest and participation at all levels in Western Australia.”
RA chairman Hamish McLennan said: “We are grateful for the continued support that Andrew and Nicola have provided to the Western Force and for Rugby in Western Australia.
“Their support has ensured Rugby’s continued growth from grassroots to the professional game, enabling the sport in having a strong footprint across the breadth of the country.”
