The fans are the real base of the NRL yet they have virtually no voice and certainly do not get the vote.
At club level the same applies with fans having no direct voting rights over committee or other appointments of the club.
For the NRL and the clubs it is a case of take it or leave it, and some fans are choosing to leave it.
Why are the NRL and the clubs so reluctant to give the fans a voice and the vote?
Now the clubs and the ARL all started out very democratic, much like many bush clubs today, but things have changed a great deal since then.
With planned expansion of the NRL the time is right to look at new structures which empower fans and lets their voice be heard, for the new and existing clubs.
Clubs have traditionally be based upon people living in geographic areas surrounding their home ground. But today with fans increasingly mobile and TV and internet coverage widely available is this model still relevant?
As a minimum I am sure that existing club fans would appreciate the opportunity to be able to converse directly with the coaches, leading players, captain and CEO on a weekly basis which might be best done on the internet by way of question and answer session.
At the moment, communication with fans is from the top down only, by way of press releases or news conferences.
This ignores the potential significant contribution that fans can make. Giving the fans a voice would give them a sense of empowerment and greater involvement and commitment to the club.
We could also look at more open ownership and management structures particularly for the new teams resulting from any expansion.
We could also look at different competition structures to help expand the game internationally.
The rugby sevens model of a competition moving on a worldwide circuit could be an interesting example to follow with the Auckland Nines.
Nines rugby league could operate as an international tournament taking the game around the world with team fans necessarily watching most games on TV.
This would help spread the game internationally while providing a further television product.
Now I will not get on to the contentious issue of pay TV versus free-to-air, other than to say that you do not get into even your home ground for free unless you jump the gate.
What do you think, Roarers? Should fans have better opportunities to participate in and contribute to their clubs?
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