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Roarers will read these words while nodding: “Each professional club should operate as a central hub of the community, not an adjunct on top, offering its professionalism via coaching courses, assistance for club volunteers, the opportunity for junior clubs to be associated officially as a family member and regular contact with the coach, players and administrators.”
This complete tool-kit for junior clubs should have been provided by the Australian Rugby Union as part of the Super Rugby franchise model, not left to the discretion of individual clubs.
Every club within a Super franchise’s geographical area should be a core part of the franchise itself and have access to advice and expertise to grow the game at all levels.
Waratahs coach Chris Hickey should, for instance, be conducting a monthly seminar for every grass roots coach in his catchment area to explain his approach, philosophy and tactics.
Super Rugby franchises should be asking what we can do for you, rather than you for us. Not asking for devotion but creating it through meaningful support for those at every level.”
The problem is, the above is an extract from an article by Craig Foster about football in the Sun Herald, with certain words changed to make it relate to rugby.
But it didn’t take much in that regard.
As such, it is nice to see that rugby is not the only major football code with grass roots problems.
Although with “230,000 registered footballers (at various levels) in the Sydney catchment”, football has a grass roots that dwarfs rugby’s (with 183,810 participants nation-wide according to the ARU 2008 Annual report by comparison).
However, in many ways rugby may well look to football for some guidance as to how to deal with what are clearly similar issues, in providing an integrated and complementary structure building its juniors to the international pinnacle.
While AFL and rugby league can look to huge TV revenues (and for league until recently, leagues club pokies) to help support a grass roots development model such as AFL’s enormous AusKick program, both football and rugby have a relatively limited revenue base with which to fund itself, much of which is used running the top levels which ensure that revenue in the first place.
In rugby, the Wallabies and Super teams, in football the Socceroos, and now A-League.
It is worth noting that AFL and league do not have to concern themselves with the international level as much, as their club levels are their main bread winner and main focus.
Football, like rugby, has stagnated until recent times at the national level, and suffered horrid infighting at the administrative levels, with warring bodies and apparent duplication.
However, football has reformed itself significantly in recent years, as the result of government funding and the scrutiny that went with it.
As anyone who follows football as well as rugby knows, there has been significant change to the junior training and structures, and to coaching, and an influx on Dutch and European coaches and executives – which some locals have resented.
The introduction of sevens rugby to the Olympics is likely to lead to increased funding to rugby, in a way which AFL and rugby league cannot hope for (given they are not and cannot hope to be international games, especially at Olympic level).
However, the administrative scrutiny that will likely come with that funding is unlikely to result in fundamental change to rugby administration anytime soon. The change that came to football took years, in reviews, reports and pressure.
There has been noise about change in rugby administration, with suggestions of independent boards for the Waratahs, constitutional change to the ARU, and the suggested introduction of private equity – with little discussion as to how and why.
However, this usually tends to be smoke without the fire.
As in football, those who have to cause the change are those that will be unseated by it, and unlikely to want to essentially get rid of themselves (unlike the Kiwi league chiefs, as also reported in today’s Sun Herald).
The current malaise in Australian rugby should be the reason for a root and branch review of the sport in this country, and reform to both administration and structures.
If rugby wants to stay in touch with the professional codes in this country, then it must accept that it has problems that need serious reform to fix. Anyone in the sport that thinks it can continue operating as it is, is kidding themselves. After all, the definition of stupidity is repeating the same actions and expecting a different result.
When that happens, we can start worrying about concerns like football has, with the knowledge the structures and administrators in place can act on and deal with such issues, rather than knowing little or nothing will happen.
Oh, to have the grass roots problems football has.
Same problem, different worlds.
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.