Originally Posted by
Bakkies
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to you in response to the article in The Canberra Times published yesterday in regards to the Brumbies' viability. As a member of the Rugby community in the ACT it is deeply concerning to read that as we have seen in Western Australia the extreme consequences. The state body there went in to voluntary administration when the Force were wound up as they lost their main revenue stream to be able to meet their debts.
I believe now is time to look at the future options which include the competition that the team participates as the current status quo is not working. The marketing for Super Rugby currently is non existent which definitely wasn't the case in the Super 12/14 days, teams go weeks without a home match so they are away from their supporters for long periods of time (out of sight and mind), not enough give in regards to scheduling home matches and the competition itself doesn't generate enough revenue for its participants. The threat of South Africa pulling their teams out of Super Rugby is real so time now for the Brumbies to look at other opportunities which may revitalise the game in ACT and southern New South Wales. Forget about waiting for Rugby Australia they will just waste more time on consultants and reviews, the Brumbies can't sit around and wait.
I would suggest making a call to Andrew Forrest as early as next week as professional Rugby in Perth has a new lease of life in the last few months. They have control over fixture scheduling, marketing has gone up ten fold (definitely an issue here in Canberra), the team spends more time at home so they can get out to the Rugby community and he has invested in a program titled 'Rugby Roos' which is targeted towards children to encourage them to take up the sport at school or at their local club. Rugby Roos is also funded by Mindaroo which alleviates that pressure off the clubs, schools and state governing body and the Force players are assisting with the coaching. Getting the players involved in the coaching helps the children build a connection to them and also may encourage them to take up a coaching role when they retire from playing. The Force players in their contracts are required to do three hundred hours of community service a year.
The fans have come back to support the team in Perth and they have got it done in the space of a few months which wouldn't happen under the influence of Rugby Australia an organisation that needs a total overhaul which I will get to later. Rugby is getting a lot more coverage in various media streams in Perth which the game is lacking at the moment in other states.
Andrew Forrest's competition also has a focus towards Asia which I believe is where the Brumbies are now targeting anyway. It would make perfect sense given the sponsorship deals the team is looking at attracting and there are now international flights out of Canberra to Asia without having to go through Sydney.
Rugby Australia needs a total overhaul otherwise they will go out of business. The board and the current Chairman are major problems. They failed to be honest in regards to what was occurring behind closed doors while that happened players and supporters walked. It required a Senate Inquiry to be able to get some answers out to the Rugby public. The nominations committee that appoints the board and its Chairman have to go as we currently don't get a true representation of people on the board who have the game's interests at heart.
I have seen the annual report and the community Rugby allocation is nothing but a disgrace and this is while the governing body is still forking out far too much money towards the Melbourne Rebels. The outgoing CEO also took a pay out. For what? The Brumbies and the Force have been paid lip service since day one from the governing body so it is time to look elsewhere and the alternative is looking pretty good so far. We can't sit here and be laid to rot. The clubs via distribution from the local union are getting the smell of an oily rag from Rugby Australia. They are largely having to fund game development by themselves as the Brumbies get very little assistance from Rugby Australia. It is time to look at what Minderoo have to offer.
The vast majority of clubs don't have the resources that the likes of Tuggeranong and Queanbeyan have so it is very difficult to fund development from their budget.
There are some answers out there so I hope you pursue them for Rugby's sake in the ACT and southern New South Wales.
Regards