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Some very interesting lines from Marvin here about the future. Good to see this story in The West
I saw a link to one at The Australian as well but could not open it.
Nick Taylor | The West Australian
Friday, 16 March 2018 9:00PM
Western Force chief executive Nick Marvin has been on a steep learning curve since leaving the Perth Wildcats.Picture: Michael Wilson
Nick Marvin admits he knew very little about rugby union five months ago when mining magnate Andrew Forrest came calling.
Since that point he has been on a very steep — and quick — learning curve in his role as chief executive of the reborn Western Force.
Marvin sought a new challenge after 11 years as chief executive of the Perth Wildcats.
That challenge landed in his lap when Rugby Australia lowered the boom on the Force and Forrest stepped in with his radical new plan to transform the sport.
Forrest’s ideas were viewed with disdain and dismissed by sceptics, but the Force are now just seven weeks away from their first game of World Series Rugby, the re-branded Indo Pacific Rugby Championship, against Fiji at nib Stadium.
After being locked in lengthy talks with rugby administrators, Forrest described the speed they had been forced to move to this point as “glacial”.
Marvin is in agreeance.
“It’s frustrating that at every step of the way there is someone that reminds you of how it was done and why this may not happen,” Marvin said.
“Rugby fundamentally has got to change the way it looks at itself. If you keep doing things the way it was done, the result will only get worse.”
More here
https://thewest.com.au/sport/rugby-u...-ng-b88774221z
Here's Wayne Smith's article
Like the new Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle, the newly appointed chief executive of the Western Force, Nick Marvin, sees himself as an outsider, but an outsider with a unique perspective on how rugby desperately needs to grow and how to achieve that.
Certainly he has come to his current position by a circuitous route: born in India 48 years ago, raised there until he moved to Melbourne when he was 17, worked as a management consultant and then, almost by accident, found himself in sports administration when he met prominent WA businessman and philanthropist Jack Bendat who persuaded him to come on board the Perth Wildcats.
By 2008, he was managing *director of the NBL side and *during the next eight years the Wildcats won four championships and posted an annual profit of about $1 million which, as any Australian rugby administrator would attest, takes some doing.
He then led the privatisation of the NBL and, for good measure, *became its founding chairman.
This time last year, however, Marvin decided that if he stayed any longer in basketball complacency would set in, so he resigned. Then, for the second time in his life, a prominent WA businessman and philanthropist came calling. *Andrew Forrest didn’t want much — just to revive the Force and guide it into the Asia-Pacific *region in his revolutionary concept, World Series Rugby.
“There really is nothing in this for *Andrew,” Marvin told The Weekend Australian. “Which is the reason I came on board, because I was inspired by what he wanted to do.”
His success, the Force’s success, will be governed initially on how well he works with Rugby Australia, which is perhaps why he feels such a kinship with Castle. “Like me, she is an outsider and so she has a fresh set of eyes and a really clear vision to grow the game. I found her to be very collegiate and motivated to make this work.”
Making this work is important because, although World Rugby is fully supportive of Forrest’s push into Asia, it has made its backing conditional on RA giving its approval. And Marvin admits the ideas being thrown at RA have never been conceived before. “New ideas … it takes some time. But I think it is important that we run through it for the benefit of sport,” he said.
Marvin talks of “growing the game” like it is merely a matter of pouring water over a plant. Who knows, maybe it is? Basketball, he found, grew its audience from 2000 to 13,000 by simply working in the schools. It’s all about what he calls “the defining moment”.
“Rugby has an amazing tribal following. You meet a Matt Hodgson as a seven-year-old, you’re a rugby fan, a Western Force fan for life,” he said.
Certainly he talks like an outsider. His focus is entirely on what he calls, in most un-rugby fashion, the “non-customer”. But before he gets to them, he pays tribute to the core supporter and in the Force’s case, they don’t come any more hard-core than the Sea of Blue.
“There is an underbelly of *between 3000-5000 supporters who have kept the sport alive in WA and they have kept the Force alive. Everything we do will keep the integrity of the game intact and ensure the rugby community has a great experience. But everything outside of that be will targeted at the non-customer.”
The Force will start ambitiously, playing three national teams who all rank in the top 16, Fiji (10), Tonga (13) and Samoa (16), Super Rugby rivals the Rebels and Crusaders plus a Hong Kong side and one other opponent to be confirmed. Even yesterday the Force’s playing roster was bolstered with the addition of four quality players, Force hooker Heath Tessman, former Chiefs flanker Johan Bardoul, Blues fullback George Pisi and Vikings prop Harry Lloyd.
But it is all geared to next February when the WSR kicks off, or at least a scaled-down version *because of the World Cup in Japan in September. “Next year presents us with a great opportunity to have a light version of what we will present the following year,” he said.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
I like this guys thinking.. Being Non Rugby background he is thinking at how he wants to watch the game.. what will bring his non rugby friends to a game. How do we encourage people to the stadium.. The Wildcats are the best team in NBL history and i have friends who just go to be part of the atmosphere game after game .. they say the hype is electric.. They were not BB tragic at the start but now love it .. Some very high profile people involved ,, People the ARU board could ony dream of being lol..
I wonder if Minderoo has contacted any of the ex-members from seasons past via email or letters?
Japan and the Pacific Islands for Aussie Super 9's!
Let's have one of these in WA! Click this link: Saitama Super Arena - New Perth Stadium?
Itd be nice but I doubt RA will share that information. They only want to use it to spam you with games on the opposite side of the country. We were all members nationally. This is the type of good will id like to see from RA, promotion of the sport
Speaking of past members seen a membership number of someone renewing above 2100.
Can’t wait for the amazing show!
What will they do when in middle of winter they realise they have an open stadium and rain is pouring in?
But The NBL comp the wildcats played in was the premier league in the country. Atmosphere for that would be amazing. World Series rugby has some back end broken arse players. U watching that? In the rain?
Oh and the wildcats played in a roofed stadium. Make rugby Like basketball. Make the atmosphere like basketball. All my mates will come
your mates wont come,their bail conditions prevent it
get your hand off it,Peter
Derogatory negative comments are all you are made up of Peter rabbit. I am pleased to go and watch rugby again!
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Japan and the Pacific Islands for Aussie Super 9's!
Let's have one of these in WA! Click this link: Saitama Super Arena - New Perth Stadium?
Unfortunately there are a lot of privacy laws and use of personal information, if RA sanctioned the comp and offered support instead of roadblocks im sure we could of continued using the MyRugbyID numbers, renewed simply and kept our existing seats. Minderoo really are starting from scratch
You'll be easy to find in the stands at the end of the season, when they don't win the comp (which they won't its arguable that they'll even make the finals in a dead duck pool like the "Australian" conference) you will be in the stands with your three mates Tim, Gary and Cameron.
Crowd will still be reported as 11,000 though
C'mon the![]()
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