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After months of speculation and delays, the ARU’s much anticipated Strategic Plan for the next five years has been unveiled.
Besides being reminded of obvious things, such as there is a Northern Territory Rugby Union, what can we learn from the plan at first glance? Will it solve all of rugby’s ills?
The plan represents a shift in perspective and position for rugby that will take much longer than five years to be fully felt.
You’d love to believe this strategy, backed by an improved media rights deal beginning next year, will guide rugby into the promise land.
Indeed, ARU CEO Bill Pulver pivots from “financial viability having never been under greater threat than in the last two years” to kick-starting the “rugby economy and [placing] our game on a sustainable financial footing” with the introduction of the increased television rights income.
The key will be how the new money is spent, how much gives an immediate boost and how much is invested for the long haul. Unfortunately, rugby needs large doses of both and the new rights deals aren’t big enough to make either a given without some tightrope walking.
One of the smartest moves I can see was to put the women’s rugby at the heart of everything.
There are a number of videos scattered throughout the launch release on the ARU’s revamped website, but the first one is hosted by star player Ellia Green. It’s clear the ARU’s belief is the women’s sevens team is the prime vehicle for rugby evangelism this year.
Women were also given a separate section of bullet points in Pulver’s preamble to the plan. Further indication the ARU believe the future of rugby is in encouraging full population participation. This is a smart social and business move.
Fairfax Media’s weekend supplement Good Weekend and The Daily Telegraph‘s Jessica Halloran were also given access to cover Green recently. Pushing the women forward in this Olympic year is a great idea given the amount of extra coverage niche sports will receive. In fact, the access is probably better than anything the mainstream outlets get with the game’s male stars.
One of the challenges raised in the document was rugby’s corporate partners desire for a larger media presence and to “create more stars and personalities”. That would resonate through the fan-base.
Developing and promoting stars is part of the world we live in now. If the Waratahs are to have a hope in hell of a Newcastle youngster connecting with Bernard Foley it will come through greater media access and a bold digital presence. The more star profiles the better when it comes to rugby’s next phase of growth.
According to the ARU, a key pillar of how the plan was produced was a survey of 8300 fans to see what they wanted from the game.
Some of the results are partially out of the ARU’s control: Wallabies success, a more entertaining style of rugby, more innovative rules, each Super Rugby team making the finals once every three years, and improved stadiums.
Coaching quality, player skill, competition, opposition, rugby governing bodies and governments dictate those conditions as much as the ARU can in most cases.
Others are well within the ARU’s control: increasing online content, improved match days, emphasis on grass roots and clubs, a thriving NRC, greater promotion, and free-to-air TV access.
The four strategic pillars – make rugby a game for all, ignite Australia’s passion for the game, build sustainable elite success, and create excellence in how the game is run – are largely just broader, harder to measure versions of the fan survey results.
In 2020, it will be more useful to visit the fan responses to gauge the ARU’s success than the four pillars. The ARU needs to meet that second tier of fan needs for this plan to be a success.
However, the reason the pillars are so broad is because the ARU is making a fairly bold attempt at broadening the game – and that is where the tightrope walking mentioned earlier comes right into focus.
The high-performance unit will serve all elite teams now, not just a Wallabies program; the professional game will fund community rugby rather than sit alone on top; three distinct formats will be nurtured (XVs, sevens and VIVA7s) rather than just ‘real rugby’ XVs; the game serves men, women and children; heritage is to be embraced while pushing innovation.
Almost all of the changes in rugby’s focus, reach and ambition are broader and most will require financial investment.
The tightrope will be walked between funding public school rugby programs and nurturing historical private school ties. A balance will need to be struck between developing sevens rugby into a year round game with the non-contact version, VIVA7s in close proximity, and the investment needed to give clubs 15-a-side rugby a boost.
Taken from this point of view, the two most important pillars of the strategic plan are “make rugby a game for all” and “create excellence in how the game is run”.
For too long rugby has been a game for people who are brought up in a certain class or a certain neighbourhood. And since the players went professional the off-field management has lagged in professionalism and accountability.
If rugby is able to broaden its footprint, developing players from a much larger pool, while developing transparent and accountable management practices, sustainable elite success is the logical byproduct. The murkier aim of “ignite Australia’s passion for the game” would probably follow closely behind.
It will be worth watching the implementation of the Australian Rugby National Charter and the output of the Australian Rugby Strategy Group.
Taking those objects into the real world for a moment, fans should keep a close eye on how the emerging management crises at the Brumbies and Reds in particular are resolved in the near future. Those are the first two tests of removing the remaining amateur cronyism from the game and making smarter decisions that benefit the whole above mates and ego.
And further down the track, one would expect a strategy group to, just occasionally, result in multiple levels of rugby pulling in the same direction. Could national, regional and club levels of rugby sing from the same hymnbook, if only once or twice? Will club rugby find a reason to praise the ARU’s investment in schools? Will all five Super Rugby clubs smile and shake hands on the formulation of a truly national elite program?
I am excited by the proposition of rugby becoming a broader game. For the game to succeed into the future it needs to matter to more people. Traditionalists are going to have to hold their game lightly with the hope of receiving more to love down the track.
I do have a few concerns.
Firstly, can the tightrope be walked? On a much more granular level than “build rugby into the public schools system with Game On” is someone making a decision on just how much money Game On needs compared to the clubs XVs game? This little balancing acts will be pivotal over the coming years.
Secondly, will the rugby community be patient? The truth is many of the targets listed in the strategy are modest and don’t encompass the full strategic shift the plan represents. That is because the full result of the changes won’t be fully felt in just five years.
Think about the progress of the Western Force over ten full years. How many Wallabies do you think we’ll have unearthed from Beenleigh State High School or Quakers Hill High School in just five years?
Zero Wallabies from either school by 2020 doesn’t mean broadening the scope of rugby was a failure. But it does mean patience is needed for this plan to work.
Over the past five years we’ve seen stagnation in rugby because the limits of growing rugby the old way have been reached. Rugby can’t remain a game for just one class or upbringing and this plan nudges the sport in the right direction.
Now steady hands are needed to stay the course.
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.