Last week I received the email newsletter from the ARU, Get Onside. Usually this doesn’t have much in it that I don’t already know, as a well read rugby fan (humble too), and it tends to be more a PR marketing piece than informative. On this occasion an article caught my eye – “Williams takes Rugby to the bush”.
The first reason was my recent interest in grassroots rugby, and the extent to which the ARU (and state unions) have (or haven’t) been providing support for it.
On a first read you would be forgiven for thinking the camp was run by the ARU. Clearly the ARU has some involvement, as you don’t have a Wallaby Assistant coach (Jim Williams) and Junior Gold coaching staff in attendance without it.
The reference to Junior Gold scouts is neither here nor there, as presumably they are at any event where any prospective talent might be (including league events one would presume, alongside the Sydney Uni scout and the Joeys scout).
The reference to “Camp director Dave Schmude says the support of Australian Rugby, as well top quality coaching, are the keys to the Camp’s ongoing success” is the only real suggestion this wasn’t an ARU camp.
The second was several days earlier I had stumbled on a web site for the National Rugby Camp, which I hadn’t been aware of before.
Well, to give it its full name, it’s the Abigroup National Rugby Camp. And if you read the website, you’d be lucky to see any mention of the ARU at all.
The website makes clear that “Brothers Paul and Dave Schmude organise the camp on behalf of NERU” (NERU being New England Rugby Union), and good on them too for organising such a great venture that has clearly grown over the years.
The list of sponsors shows a lot of support from local New England business. However, the prominence of Abigroup’s name is clearly because of the support for it over the years. Indeed, the John Cassidy Scholarship gives a greater clue, given it is named after the former Chairman and CEO of Abigroup who resigned in 2004.
But you wouldn’t know it from the ARU’s press release, and that was the first thought I had when I realised it was talking about the same Camp I had read about a few days earlier. I had to check to make sure it was!
While this is a great concept, and the support of the ARU is to be applauded, in many ways it is pretty much what I expect the ARU to be doing as part of their reason for being. In fact, I say more, more, more! One in every state! Every weekday and twice on Sundays!
Further, when I read the press release from the ARU, having already been aware of the Camp and Abigroup’s role in it from several days before, my first thought was how it gave no credit to Abigroup.
Now John Cassidy and Abigroup may not necessarily be doing this for the kudos (although that’s a major part of why companies sponsor these type of things), and simply because of a love of rugby.
However, if I was the ARU, I’d be wanting to show how grateful I was for the long term support Abigroup has given the Camps and thus the sport of rugby over the years by at least mentioning them.
The ARU isn’t exactly rolling on clover at the moment, with cost cutting resulting in the Australia A program and Australian Rugby Shield being cut, and talk of some of the Wallabies major sponsors looking at not renewing.
So given rugby is meant to be the sport of the big end of town, you’d think it was Sports Administration 101 to be looking after your sponsors or prospective sponsors, by making clear where at least some of the credit for the camp appears to be due – Abigroup.
We certainly get every other sponsor shoved down our throat by the ARU, so on this occasion I’m a little miffed they didn’t mention one where I think rugby fans would say they deserve to be lauded.
Perhaps I am just a narky cynical sook, but I always seem to find the cloud for every silver lining the ARU trots out.
Trevor & Janice Knight
Guest
We do not know exactly when the Coaching Camp in Armidale was established but we understand that it has been extant for many years. The age of the Camp is nearer to 25 years than to 10. It came about through the initiative and the efforts of the former Armidale City Rugby Club and its successor Clubs; of New England Rugby Union; of the University of New England Sports Union now Sport UNE; of the residential colleges of the University of New England; of The Armidale School (TAS); of the business houses of the City of Armidale and of other organisations such as the ABIgroup in more recent times. It was the earlier organisations which dreamed up the concept of such a Camp and which nurtured it to the success that it now is. The grass roots of rugby in the New England region of NSW have developed, over many years, a unique national contribution to the game. That this contribution should be hijacked by the ARU without acknowledgment, is appalling.
Bay35Pablo
Roar Guru
Yikes, "focus instead on a few lines in an (I’m sure) hastily prepared press blurb that didn’t even have all the details of what happened in it" EXACTLY!! That's what I am getting at. If the marketing department can't even get it right, and really are rushing stuff out, then it reflects badly on the ARU. Looks like the administrators, being the first to get paid, are the last to become professional.
Rickety Knees
Roar Guru
Yikes - you are being either disingenuous or you are in denial. The ARU needs to acknowledge and engage its community. The ARU community deserves more than hastily prepared ARU communiques that ignore the contributions of others and seek to take credit for what it does not wholly deserve.
Yikes
Guest
What's to defend? There was a great week of rugby development in New England, and if you downers want to focus instead on a few lines in an (I'm sure) hastily prepared press blurb that didn't even have all the details of what happened in it, then you lot are just proving that you're actually looking for things to criticise. http://www.montypython.net/sounds/fawlty/satisfied.wav Surely likening the ARU to Basil is a fair comparison....!
Peter West
Guest
Yikes you are defending the indefensible
rugbyfuture
Roar Guru
the lady it turns out who does this stuff at abigroup i went to the bledisloe cup match with. shes a kiwi so its probs more for the warm inner glow than the advertising.
Rickety Knees
Roar Guru
Yikes - an inclusive approach would have ignored the Abigroup - if there is indeed a conflict of interest - and acknowledged Paul & Dave Schmude for their efforts over a decade!
Bay35Pablo
Roar Guru
Yikes, that was my first thought, but I caouldn't think which sponsor might provide a conflict. Here's the list of Wallabies sponsors: http://www.rugby.com.au/qantas_wallabies/partners/partners,186.html I can't see any that might compete with Abigroup. Again, the sponsors do this for the advertising as much as the warm inner glow. As such, I cannot fathom why the ARU, with the bum out of its pants, isn't thanking a sponsor who is clearly committed to supporting the game in its own (great) way.
Yikes
Guest
C'mon Bay. Why look for the cloud? I guess the story is there's a sponsor clash and so they can't use the name on their website. The ARU were very supportive of the camp and Abigroup in particular considering that Jim Williams, Ben Whittaker and Stuart Dickinson (who also went, not sure why he wasn't mentioned in the story) appeared at a sponsors-only dinner on the Sunday night as guest speakers as a thank you to Abigroup and the other camp sponsors. Keep in mind Jim, Ben and Stu were also there to run coaching courses run by the ARU independent of the Abigroup camp but at the same venue and put on for coaches who coach at the camp and parents, etc. There was a Foundation course, a Coaching Kids Rugby course, plus Jim ran an Advanced Coach Seminar and Dickinson an Advanced Refereeing Seminar for the local refs. The other ARU staff who were there running the courses then also assisted with the coaching of the kids who attended the camp. It was a great few days thanks to the hard work of the Schmudes (this is the 10th year of the camp) and well supported by the Unions (ARU, NSWRU sent Burgess and Robinson and the Brumbies sent two development staff to run some advanced training on the Saturday afternoon for the camp coaches). The kids enjoyed it (as can be seen from the comments above). This was a great couple of days for rugby in New England - no cloud, just silver.
TOCC
Guest
Whilst i agree with what you say in spirit, the realitiy is that Abigroup potentially conflicts with other sponsors, so by giving creidty to Abigroup they are pissing off a sponsor who directly pays money to the ARU...
mickeym
Roar Rookie
Well put Bay. Abigroup, and the guys who put together the camp should be recognised and applauded. A couple of the kids in my sons (U8) team attended the camp this month, and both came away saying "it was the rugby camp we've ever been to". And they go to every rugby training event on offer, including those run by their school, their club, and the NSWRU. The kids also really appreciated Benn Robinson and Luke Burgess helping out. One of their biggest thrills was when Luke was selected to be their coach for the final game of the camp. So, I'm with you Bay. Well done to Paul & Dave Schmude (great guys) Abigroup, and the rest of the sponsors. The ARU should be recognised for their assistance, but derided for trying to take all the credit. After all, the camp is known as the "Abigroup National Rugby Camp". Imagine how the ARU would react if the press started refering to our national team as "The Wallabies" instead of "The Qantas Wallabies"... P.S. Not only did the ARU get the name of the camp wrong, they got the ages of the campers wrong too. The camp is open to boys and girls from 8 - 17 years of age.
rugbyfuture
Roar Guru
actually, my dad works for abigroup (upper mid level executive) they not only do this but this year they've sponsored a few rows of the SFS (hoping for free tickets). but they seem to be aware of the sponsorship more than the general public and unions do, but still, they're happy to support it obviously as they've been sponsoring it for many years.
Rickety Knees
Roar Guru
Bay - this is being just plain mean spirited. What it does disclose is a corporate culture problem within the ARU.It is being exclusive of its supporter base (which will only turn the supporter base against them) rather than being inclusive (by acknowledging the good work of others and thus building good morale and a platform for further growth). This needs to be brought to the attention of General Peter Cosgrove and quickly. The game of Rugby will not grow whilst we have the ARU behaving in this way. Fort Fumble strikes again.