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I got some of these ideas from reading comments in another post and I just went from there. Sorry if it seems like one big comment, but I just thought it was big enough to have its own post and a new conversation.
In thinking about the depth of Australian rugby, it only takes about three minutes to come to the conclusion that we need a third tier of rugby in Australia that improves the overall standard of the game and eventually could generate some sort of income for itself. There needs to be more incentive and avenue to follow professional rugby. There needs to be a higher standard of rugby played below Super rugby.
At the moment the only interstate rugby below Super rugby for open ages is the annual Brisbane vs Sydney match. This is basically a game no one cares about. And that’s part of my point. Don’t set up things run by the clubs. And don’t set up half-hearted efforts. Some ground work needs to be laid for a competition that has humble beginnings but doesn’t have a bottleneck for growth in it.
I know it’s not comprehensive, but I’m sure something like this would have potential. Here is what I’ve come up with:
ARU sets up a third tier comp that could be a sort of Champions League. The clubs from each top grade side in the states that currently have a Super rugby team would participate in the next season’s competition if they performed well enough in their local competition.
It could be called the Australian Club Rugby Championship or Champions Rugby or something along those lines.
Set up:
In the first instance it could consist of this many of the top placing sides from each state:
3 NSW sides
3 Brisbane sides
2 ACT
2 VIC
2 WA
The competition would be broken up into two pools of six teams and a home and away series played.
In the semi finals the winner of Pool A plays runner up in Pool B. The winner of Pool B plays the runner up of Pool A.
The winners play the final.
The games would be played on a Wednesday night through out the normal rugby season.
Each team hosts five home games and travels to five away games extra each year – and possibly finals. That is a substantial amount of playing time for each club to promote team activities and give rugby fans some midweek rugby to attend and watch (more on that later). It would be up to each club to be able to make the most of these opportunities in the way that suits their fan base and club culture. But the ARU could help make sure the competition as a whole is promoted well and given air time in the relevant neighbourhoods.
It would take a few years to develop well. But it would lift the standard of rugby across the board.
VIC and WA would probably lose a lot of games to start with, but it would create a benchmark that would give them experience and exposure against better clubs. Also if this competition was in place the fringe players of the Super rugby squads could play for the clubs in their home capital. In fact the ARU should make that a requirement.
Coaching:
This competition would increase the base of highly professional coaches in our code in Australia. The coaches would be real managers and have to be able to implement varying game plans as well as coach up the fringe players in their squad to make sure they have enough players to get through the season with extra games. It would take a lot more commitment and skill than week to week premier rugby.
Funds and Administration:
It would enable clubs to find national exposure sponsors. It would help the clubs financially this way. There would be extra games to entice crowds too. Who knows, maybe even a few of the stands would be full for the marquee games in a few years time.
The competition could be broadcast live on the net until a TV buyer finds the money to invest in the broadcasting.
This is a crucial point. The next generation of people we need to encourage watching sports if we want to expand our fan base are internet people. They socialise and meet through the web, they are entertained on the web they watch TV on the web. It is also a good way to have control over the substance provided in the broadcast of initial competitions. We don’t need to hand control straight to a network – a standard can be set at a high level. The feeds can have the option of just crowd noise, referee noise and the commentary all on or off depending on user preference.
The administration of the competition could be run by the ARU. The ARU would put up a monetary prize for the winner. They would also cover a percentage of the costs for extra travel. This would help the clubs take it seriously.
Wind up:
I’m sure there are about 50 places that could be highlighted throughout my proposal to mark a mistake or weakness. But I think the general idea is there. This is by no means a quick fix. It is not meant to generate a huge amount of money immediately. But it will slowly increase the level of participation in rugby, the eyeballs watching rugby and the supporter base of our clubs can be utilised and even expanded. We don’t need to hand control to the clubs – but we don’t need to fight them either. This is a basic (not wholly thought through) solution that would begin to strengthen our national rugby landscape.
1st Grade club rugby could potentially become a much more professional standard if we want it to. We just need to take steps like this to encourage that growth.
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