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The Shute Shield is arguably the traditional successor of rugby in NSW however a lack of funding could bid a stark future for the competition.
The premier grade rugby trophy is made up of 12 clubs across Sydney, and to this day remains the biggest local feeder for the Super Rugby.
Every Saturday, footballers fight for their club with the goal of not only success, but also furthering that sense of camaraderie you gain week in week out, playing next to people from all walks of life.
It’s rare blessing. A gathering that blends all four points of the compass into a competition, which not only fosters rugby in Australia, but tackles social divide and prejudice all at the same time.
From colts up through to grade, footy players of all sizes, ability and age can band together and contest against their counterparts in what is the Shute Shield Rugby Competition.
To your average footy head, the Super Rugby and the Wallabies is what you would think drives rugby in Australia but this not entirely true.
It is The Shute Shield, which has and will hopefully continue to be primary third tier comp in Australia, a tournament that has marked the beginning and end for some of our greats.
The competition which began in 1874 boasts the development of players like George Gregan, John Eales and David Campese to name a few out of a pool of champions.
However the impression the Shute Shield will have on Australian rugby in times to come has taken a step into the dark with a number of clubs struggling financially, leaving some on the brink of failure.
With the majority of the clubs continuing to make losses it paints a bleak future for the proud suburbs, and Australia desperately needs to make some changes to avoid saying goodbye to our biggest nursery of rugby talent.
But who is to blame?
According to the ARU’s 2012 annual report the heavyweights of Australian rugby have lost over $26 million in the last two years alone and it is no surprise that teams are selling their clubhouses to get by.
The main problem is expenditure and how funding from corporate overheads is allocated with clubs spending an average of $110,00 on player payments each year. Most clubs are underestimating player expenditure because they are fearful of being stripped by ARU funding.
The latest plea from the ARU is an excess of $500,000 dollars, which aims to keep departing Wallabies like Berrick Barnes and Drew Mitchell in the Shute Shield and lure them away from the charisma of Japan and France.
The unlimited wealth of resources and facilities of clubs like Sydney University makes it next to impossible for clubs like Penrith and Gordon to compete on paper let alone on the field as the two sides battle it out for the wooden spoon.
It’s not extraordinary that ‘the students’ have won the Club Championship for the last eight years leaving the financially burdened clubs kicking in the dust.
It is these sorts of fiscal divides that will bring about the end of some clubs and ruin a comp that has provided a pathway to elite rugby for many years.
Certain clubs no longer have the ability to attract players at the junior and senior level and provide them with the sort of luxuries you would expect when joining a rugby club. I couldn’t even get my hands on a pair of shorts that weren’t five sizes too big this year, let alone a hat.
I don’t have an answer to the Shute Shield’s cash crisis, but something needs to be done to save the competition, which has made rugby what it is in Australia today.
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.