A few weeks back we solicited your questions to put to the NSW Waratahs CEO Jason Allen, who is at the helm of the ‘Tahs for a challenging 2011 Super Rugby season. He responded to the best ten questions we posed to him.
Have the coaching staff and leadership of the Waratahs been told that the ‘Win Ugly’ method is unacceptable to the board of the NSW Waratahs?
First of all, it is not the role of Board members and administrators to tell the players how to play and coaches how to coach. However, the players, coaching staff, management and Board are all committed to a common goal – striving for success in the Super Rugby competition.
That means being successful on the field and successful off the field. We want fans to be entertained by the Rugby being played and by the whole match day experience.
To that end, the feedback from the coaches and players is that they are certainly focusing on taking their attacking game to another level in 2011.
The Waratahs finished 2010 having scored more tries than they had in any previous season and the final two home games drew a combined total of more than 70,000 fans.
If we can continue from those strong points in 2011 then I’m sure all fans will be in for a great season.
Why is a new structure for NSW rugby, separating the Waratahs from the rest of the rugby commitments in NSW, needed?
The decision was made well before my arrival to split the operations of the two organisations but they will always be inherently linked.
The restructure has allowed the Waratahs Rugby Board and its staff to focus solely on the professional game, while the NSW Rugby Board and its staff can focus entirely on the game at the grassroots level.
While this is something new for Rugby, it is not new for many professional team sports in Australia and overseas where the national or state bodies are responsible for the community game while elite professional teams operate independently.
What should be noted is that the new structure has been set up to ensure the welfare of the community game will never be compromised.
The annual license fee for the new organisation to use the Waratahs brand will fund the game at the grassroots level, and any extra financial benefits generated by the Waratahs will also flow down to the community game.
What plans do you have to create a similar sense of excitement for older members, and for the new Generation Y members? What is being done to create a more vibrant, vocal crowd support at Waratahs matches?
We are doing a lot behind the scenes and are already seeing results. Memberships are already around 15% up on 2010 and with our new packages we will continue to see those numbers go up throughout the season.
In terms of match-day excitement, you’ll have to come to see what we have in store!
What I can tell fans is that we have new personnel involved in our entire match day production and that will hopefully bring a whole new experience to the event. We are conscious of recognising the traditions of the game as well as looking to up the entertainment value for everyone who pays their hard-earned cash to come through the gate.
We want activity in the venue precinct to rival that which they get on the field so the experience of a night at the Waratahs is a fun, enjoyable and memorable one.
A Roar subscriber (a self-styled ‘rusted on Waratahs supporter’) pointed out that he had retained his membership, despite the debacle of last year and against the advice of former members. But he had not received any recent correspondence to tell him what was happening throughout the season.
When are you going, he asks, to improve the service to Waratahs members?
This is definitely an area we have needed to make improvements in and we are in the process of doing so. If any of our members feel like they are not being treated with the respect they deserve, I encourage them to let me know and I will take up the issue personally.
Membership provides one of the most important revenue streams for Waratahs Rugby and they need to be treated right. I’m driven to ensure they are valued as they should be and that any hiccups which may arise can be resolved quickly and amicably.
Does the Waratahs management have any plans to take the franchise out of its mainstream media agenda and explore online ventures?
I don’t think you’d ever look to remove the HSBC Waratahs from the mainstream media agenda as millions of people in Sydney, NSW and Australia get their information about the team and about the sport from the mainstream media.
However an emphasis in doing more online is already underway and we’re increase the volume of online content we produce. We also work closely with a number of online entities, including The Roar, to ensure those who like to source information online can get an extra insight and be the first to know.
We are only too aware that we need to have a strong presence in the online world and are looking to keep up with it as best we can.
And what about taking the Waratahs to new places out of Sydney? What is the strategy about allocating pre-season games to various areas?
Taking the Tahs out of Sydney is tough given we only have eight regular season matches each year. We are very conscious that the HSBC Waratahs are a team for all of NSW and not just Sydney, and when possible players do make appearances at clubs and communities around the state.
Last week we were again able to take a pre-season match to a regional area (Nowra, NSW South Coast), and this follows matches in recent years staged in Gosford, Newcastle, Lismore, Orange, Bathurst and Wollongong.
In the off-season we talk to regional clubs and communities who are interested in staging pre-season matches and obviously there are a lot of logistical issues involved which we work through with them.
Strategically, we want to be able to take the HSBC Waratahs to as many areas around the state as possible and staging pre-season matches in regional areas is a perfect way to achieve this goal.
How do you intend to market the Waratahs brand, not only for sponsors but for the fans?
The Waratahs brand brings together a number of different values which we convey in our marketing; tradition, toughness, teamwork and excitement are some of them.
We must always be mindful of our history as the country’s oldest provincial Rugby team, but with a new generation of stars coming through and an expectation from our fans to be entertained both on and off the field, we are definitely looking to cater for a new generation of fans as well.
Are their plans to build ‘friendships’ with the other clubs that are co-tenants of the SFS/SCG complex?
Friendships certainly exist already between all the professional sporting teams housed in Moore Park including the Swans, Roosters, Sydney FC and NSW Cricket. The players, coaches and administrative staff regularly see each other in the precinct and there’s no doubt that everyone can learn things from each other.
At the end of the day though, particularly with the other winter football codes, we’re all competing with each other to capture the public’s imagination so while we wish each other success, but hope for even more for ourselves.
Will Super Rugby matches be played away from the SFS and ANZ Stadium?
At this stage, all HSBC Waratahs home games during the Super Rugby season will be played at the Sydney Football Stadium and ANZ Stadium, however we will continue to revisit the opportunities to play in regional centres during the pre-season.
Has there been any consideration to changing the captain of the Waratahs?
The coaching staff and team management take this question into consideration each and every year, however I think it’s quite clear that Phil Waugh remains the best candidate to lead the HSBC Waratahs.
He is the most-capped NSW captain in history and along with Chris Whitaker is one of only two NSW Super Rugby captains to have a win rate of over 60 per cent. He is a monument to the sport in NSW and is a deserved skipper for the state team.
Sure, there are other great leaders in the team, and the recent appointment of Dean Mumm, Berrick Barnes and Drew Mitchell to leadership roles is evidence of that.
However, their roles are very much designed to assist Phil in performing the role of captain.
In closing, I would like to extend a big thank you to The Roar and to all the contributors for the feedback and the support of the HSBC Waratahs.
Please show your support by becoming a Member and in turn, this will assist the growth of Rugby in NSW.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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