- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Over the past year the NRL has been under new management.
Primarily we have a new CEO Dave Smith who from the get go has been criticised for not being one of the “boys” and by that I mean he has not been raised and bred in the NRL like David Gallop or Ian Schubert.
No Dave Smith comes from the banking sector and that had the media scared.
We all read and saw how the media reacted with most condemning the move and stating he wouldn’t know how to run the game.
Well I ask this question, does anyone know how to run the game?
For years the media and NRL powerhouses have insisted we needed someone from within the NRL or someone who has been around the NRL for years to run the game.
For years on end we have had a game which has not really made any profit, we have clubs which struggle to even survive in a saturated Sydney market and when we do introduce a new team such as the Titans, they themselves struggle financially and if the media is to be believed where close to bankruptcy.
For years the NRL has stayed in a holding pattern as it would with not much progress being done to expand the game or even make it stable with healthy profits etc.
Instead we get the NRL being run by NRL men who think they know what’s best for the game which has generated not much.
We have a new TV deal but clubs are still struggling and there are no real headways to expand the competition globally or even nationally.
Then Dave Smith is hired, a banker who I believe dreams about profits, portfolios above everything.
A man who could care less about the boys club that is the NRL, who comes into a culture that has soaked in so deep it threatens to destroy itself.
Dave Smith doesn’t know the NRL, he wasn’t born or raised with it like so many of us and that’s a good thing.
In one year alone Dave Smith has approved a new nines tournament which while not run by the NRL was approved by it.
While this may be a gimmick it does generate revenue and interest.
He also introduced an integrity unit which will hopefully try to clean up the game.
There is also an effort to make NRL games more entertaining with jumping castles, rides and even live entertainment from bands etc.
Pretty much to make every game more inviting and to make it feel more of an “Event” rather than just your average game, Again however this was panned in the media as useless….Well is it?
Think about it, aren’t we all complaining that ticket prices are too high. Doesn’t this sort of solve that problem by giving us more value for money, and doesn’t this make the game more “Family Friendly” so that everyone can enjoy the game?
It shows Dave Smith is actually trying to improve the overall game, not just what’s played on the field but outside of it.
There will always be errors on the field etc, but we expect that and the refs and now Todd Greenberg can always solve these problems.
What we need is someone like Dave Smith who will aim for profits and customer satisfaction because while we may not like it the NRL is a business.
It does need to make profit and so do all the clubs.
The NRL must evolve if it is to keep up with other sports such as the AFL, Big Bash League and so on.
These will leave us in the dust we do not chase after them and try and make up ground.
For too long we have relied on the NRL to simply live on without any thought as to how or why.
However Dave Smith will make sure the NRL keeps up with other sports and keeps its presence in the Australian sporting landscape.
He will have to make unpopular decisions. He will have to prioritise money. But just remember, every company must change to stay relevant, and that is what the NRL must continue to do.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.