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Force facing extinction: report
April 24, 2009 - 12:03PM
Australia's newest Super 14 franchise, the Western Force, is at risk of folding according to a report in today's West Australian.
The newspaper says that an independent report compiled by LEK Consulting shows the Force are on track to lose $2.8 million dollars this year. The loss is on the back of the failed sponsorship from to the Firepower scandal and crowds staying away from Subiaco Oval as it is unsuitable for watching rugby. Membership with the Force has nearly halved since 2006 while the average home crowd attendance over the same period of time has plummeted by nearly 10,000.
The Force will play at Members Equity Stadium next year and the report obtained by the West Australian says that the move will help ease the final hemorrhaging. However, the problem will not be fixed with franchise's bottom line unless the West Australian government spends $73 million it promised in 2004 to upgrade the facility and increase the capacity from 18,000 to 25,000.
ARU chief John O'Neill has urged the WA Government to honour the deal.
"If you look around Australia, the successful franchises in rugby union, rugby league and soccer have dedicated, purpose-built stadiums," he told the West Australian.
"I'd be greatly comforted if the WA Government would deliver that outcome for the Force. The ARU's commitment to Perth is unambiguous. It was the correct decision to give Perth a team, and they have shown the potential of rugby in WA. Any suggestion we would willingly move the team from Perth to Melbourne is ludicrous. However, we've got to get the Force back in the black as soon as possible. The ARU is not a lender of last resort."
smh.com.au