Constantly we are told that the game of rugby needs to be played attractively and that winning on a regular basis will mean more people will attend Super Rugby games.
Well, I live in regional Queensland and all of that is just part of the problem.
The other part for the general public is the total lack of real promotion of the game by the senior administrators. In NSW and Queensland, whilst our kindergarten school age children get to see a Wallabies player every now and again, we never see anyone from the board of the ARU or the QRU.
They are like the phantom ghost who walks.
Why don’t these boards take a leaf out of politicians’ books and actually hold meetings outside of Brisbane and Sydney. It would be an opportunity for the members of the board to mix and meet with local administrators of the game, as well as the volunteers that referee, man the drinks stands etc.
These people are the lifeblood of the game yet no one on a board comes out to see them and discuss the game or the trials and tribulations that flow with running the game in those areas.
Take for example the Condamine Cods, who have done a massive amount of work over the past few years providing an outlet for drought affected farmers and in recent times have performed outstanding feats to lift the spirits of the community after the floods in Queensland.
Yet no one from Sydney or Brisbane could be bothered to come out and put on a few sandwiches and a cup of tea to meet with these people and say “thanks” from the rugby hierarchy.
Here they are keeping the rugby fire burning in extraordinary circumstances yet the high flyers will not even give them a day or two of their time. The cost of having a QRU or ARU board meeting in Toowoomba and then driving out to Condamine would be peanuts in real terms, yet from a PR exercise it would be a fillip for the community in the region.
They could have last weekend coupled this with the annual Downlands/Grammar match, which attracts people from northern NSW and right across Queensland.
They do not have to dominate events but they could have come and rubbed shoulders with people who have now pulled through the drought and flooding rains as well as trying to keep the game of rugby union relevant in their particular area.
What do we get though?
Nothing. As I say if either of the ARU or the QRU boards made a regular annual visit to mix it with the common man perhaps they would make people feel included and not tolerated in the game.
Maybe then also by feeling more included the people from the regions will return the favour by making sure they attend at least one weekend Super match by adjusting their local draws to include a Super weekend bye, so that everyone has the chance to go to Brisbane to watch the Super footy.
From little things big things grow. I hope the ARU and the QRU boards are listening. It still isn’t too late to do something on the Darling Downs to keep up with what other sports have done in recent times. A bit of real effort would be greatly appreciated by regional folk.
We understand the efforts our players make and we appreciate what our local administrators do, but it seems the further up the pecking order you go in rugby, the more out of touch with the human side of the game people become.
Venture out people, you may be pleasantly surprised with what you see and hear, as well as learn that what you are doing presently isn’t working as well as you think.
Mike G
Guest
I'm a city slicker but agree with everything in this article and pretty much all the responces. It seems odd that the ARU & respective state unions seem to treat regional areas with contempt. Further & it's just a gut feeling I have, but has anyone else noticed that in JON's 2nd coming, he's nowhere near as visual on our TV screens? I suspect (and I may be way off on this), that prior to coming back into the fold he was advised to tone down the public address stuff. This theory seems to make sense as he really did used to stir the pot & had a lot of people offside...But strangely I thought it was good for our game to have the media attention, albeit negative at times. It seems like with JON hardly doing any media these days, we are simply swamped by AFL & League, when perhaps we used to have a bit more attention...Is it just me?
Pops MacDonald
Guest
Hear Hear.
Invictus
Guest
Guys, Wayne Bennett is thoroughly professional in everything he does. I don't think the same applies to rugby admin in this country.
Darling Downs Friend
Guest
Well said Russell. Wayne Bennett really works the turf over once or twice a year and people in Rugby World wonder why a player like Berrick Barnes (a Brisbane GPS) product first appeared in a Toowoomba Clydesdales jumper (then a Brisbane Bronco feeder club) before he went back to rugby. If it isn't hard work for Wayne Bennett I cannot see how it is hard work for the ARU or the QRU to come and say hello.
Gary Russell-Sharam
Guest
How perfectly put. I couldn't agree more with every word. I live at Warwick not more than 2 hours from the QRU in Brisbane where it is ensconced but in the last 5 years I have seen two visits by a development officer, no players have been here and certainly no Admin from the QRU. Greg Holmes was born at Allora just twenty ks away and Hugh MicMenniman was born here, so don't tell me that its not worth nurturing a City like Warwick. I have long lamented that the QRU refers to the Country as Toowoomba and while I applaud Toowoomba's efforts in nurturing Rugby there are other places like Condamine, Warwick, St George, Dalby, Roma Goondiwindi and others towns that have solid rugby competitions. If you were to go through the current Reds and Wallabies team you will see a large % of boys that where born in the country areas of Australia but mostly these boys made their way to the top by boarding at City schools. Rugby League frequently visits small country communities (Bulldogs at Grantham) even as we speak Wayne Bennett and the St George rugby league players will be visiting the Local Cowboys League team very shortly that was devastated by the floods. The QRU have given out some grants to local Rugby clubs but no one visits. Like the Condamine Codgers, Warwick club house was inundated with flood waters but we just got on with it. We have had support from some of the city community like Qld Veterans Rugby offering labour and furniture. But it would have been nice to see some admin from the QRU or players from the Reds come to us after the event to bolster our confidence (like what the league is doing with the local league team) Young boys and teenagers want to see their heroes and the volunteers want to see the top people in admin. League makes the effort so why doesn't Union? Is it because Union is so reliant on the GPS system to produce. I have been saying this and sprouting about this matter for the last 12 to 15 years now and have put a lot of people off side with my opinion but I think it matters. So many young boys do not get the opportunity to see or be seen by the coaches and administrators of the game, we lose them to rugby league or they just drift away ignored. Invest in the grass roots and then you will see the fruits of your labour. Ignore them and you will crash and burn.
Darling Downs Friend
Guest
At present nothing happens. If they decided to come and have a look at some facilities in the Regional areas they may just decide to allocate games like the Sydney / Brisbane Premiers match in a centre like Toowoomba every now and again. Or maybe share out the schoolboy Internationals. Last year they attracted about 3,000 to a schoolboy International at Ballymore. We have a facility that will cater for up to 20,000 and given the right promotion an event like that would drag in over 10,000 or 15,000 easily. The Broncos host a pre season game here annually attracting that number each year. In Townsville they expect people to travel 2 hours by aircraft stop the weekend in Brisbane to watch a Super Game and give very little back in return. The ARU should meet in Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and then add in a few other regional centres in N.S.W. & Qld to start with. They are the "Australian" rugby union after all not just the "Sydney" rugby union. They should be working on weekend package deals for regional supporters to go and watch Super games. They all like to tell us how hard they work for the game but I wonder how many of them this year had to go and lift the topsoil off their football oval and replant it just to get rid of all the microorganisms to make the oval safe. Hiring a bus or paying for a direct flight into a regional centre like Toowoomba and using the time for a Board meeting is peanuts compared to what they would spend on hospitality otherwise
Damo
Guest
There is an echo out across the land. The ARU QRU and NSWRU are going to need some buses.