Ok. Let's have a numerical example.
As a 12 year gold member of the Western Force and an annual attender at Rugby Championship tests for the past 10+ years, I regard myself as a stakeholder in the WA Rugby Community. The ARU/RA, with what I believe is the complicity of the VRU, has given the finger to the WA Rugby Community, and I believe that it has sought to destroy the sport of Rugby Union in WA.
I also believe that the sponsors of the ARU/RA and the Melbourne Rebels have by their sponsorships endorsed the actions of the ARU/RA in its campaign against the WA Rugby Community.
Therefore, I believe that I have been given sufficient reason to avoid future personal and commercial dealings with the ARU/RA and their sponsors, both direct and indirect.
Personal dealings.
For each of the last 10+ years, it has been my practice to attend the Bledisloe test in Sydney and the Australia vs South Africa RC test, where-ever it has been held in Australia, and to take 4 to 8 guests from Sydney, Perth or Brisbane to the tests.
In 2017, I paid
- $958.40 for two Gold Western Force memberships (used to be 4 Gold memberships, but the tin lids have grown up)
- $1,637.80 for 8 Platinum seats at the Bledisloe test in Sydney on 19 August 2017
- $1,305.30 for 8 Platinum seats at the Australia vs South Africa test in Perth on 9 September 2017.
Total: $3,901.50
The total payments to the ARU/RA in 2017 were a bit lower than prior years because Platinum seats for Lang Park usually are more expensive than the equivalent seats at nib. In a few previous years, after a particularly good P&L, I have paid out up to $6,400 per test for hospitality packages (but that's not been the norm).
In 2018, for the first time in over 15 years, I will not attend an international rugby union test in Australia, nor will I be taking any guests. Instead, I will find alternative sporting events for myself and my guests. For example, this month I have paid $2,347.20 for 8 Diamond seats at Origin 1 in Melbourne on 6 June.
I don't imagine that anyone in the ARU/RA will lose any sleep over the loss of my paltry $4,000+ in 2018. However, if on average say 1,000 of the Sea of Blue had been spending similar amounts and now plan to spend no more money with the ARU/RA, then the loss of revenue from the WA Rugby Community in 2018 could become something like $4 million and that would probably get the attention of the bean-counters in the ARU/RA.
Based upon current communications from the ARU/RA, I cannot envisage a time in the future when I may reconsider my decision to attend no more events hosted by the ARU/RA, unless there is a tangible and positive improvement in the relationship between the WA Rugby Community and the ARU/RA.
I note that the premium sponsors of the Melbourne Rebels at present are Fuso, Massey Ferguson, Land Rover and BLK. I believe that by their sponsorship of the Melbourne Rebels, these organisations have endorsed the activities of the Melbourne Rebels and the VRU which are hostile to the WA Rugby Community.
I shall bear BLK's sponsorship of the Melbourne Rebels in mind when I next visit a sporting goods store to purchase merchandise, and I encourage all other members of the WA Rugby Community to similarly reflect upon BLK's sponsorship of the Rebels.
Commercial dealings.
I shall remember FUSO's sponsorship of the Rebels if and when I advise our METS clients about their truck and bus requirements.
My businesses run fleets of 4WD vehicles (mainly Toyota and Nissan but occasionally Land Rover). 2018 is a replacement year for part of the fleet. Guess what, Land Rover - you haven't made our short-list in 2018.
I will remember Massey Ferguson's sponsorship of the Rebels in my dealings with clients and contacts in the Wheat-belt.
QANTAS is a major sponsor of the ARU, through its sponsorship of the Wallabies, and I believe that the continuing sponsorship of the ARU/RA/Wallabies is an endorsement by QANTAS of the actions taken by the ARU/RA against the WA Rugby Community.
For several years now, QANTAS has been our preferred airline for intra-state and inter-state travel - QANTAS do not fly direct from Perth to the locations of our major international clients (i.e. Africa), so they get little or nothing of our international travel spend. However, from late 2017, our preferred airline for intra-state and inter-state travel changed. I and our staff now collect Velocity frequent flyer points.
I expect that the consequent loss of $250K to $500K in annual revenue from us will not show up as even the slightest blip on QANTAS's revenue charts and will be of absolutely no consequence to QANTAS. However, if a good portion of other companies in the METS sector in WA were to change their supplier of intra-state and inter-state travel, then the blip in revenue might become more noticeable.
BTW, when we fly to Melbourne in June for Origin 1, we will fly Virgin. In all previous years, we have flown QANTAS.