ARU chief executive Bill Pulver is confident the relaunched National Rugby Championship beginning in August can prove the doubters wrong and make a financial profit in its first year.
Nine teams from around the country, including four from NSW and two from Queensland, were confirmed on Monday as participants in the NRC.
The season will run for 11 weeks from late August and fill a void in the domestic calendar that was left when the Australian Rugby Championship went bust in 2007.
In its one-season existence, the ARC burnt a mammoth $5 million black hole in the ARU’s pockets and as a result, there’s been significant opposition to going back to the well with the NRC.
It’s hoped the introduction of another elite competition to run on the back of the Super Rugby season will boost player depth and quality in Australia.
And Pulver says with broadcaster Fox Sports and Foxtel pledging to cover the costs of the competition, and sponsors and financial guarantors backing up the teams, the business model of the NRC is sound compared to its predecessor.
“I’d be very disappointed if this competition didn’t at least break even in 2014 and I think we have a real opportunity moving forward to make money out of this competition,” Pulver said at a press conference on Monday.
“If you want to grow the revenue of the game, which is clearly something we’re interested in, and you recognise that broadcasting rights are a key component of that. You have an absolute obligation to create incremental quality broadcasting content.”
Half of each squad will be made up of Super Rugby players, and the other half the best local players available to each team.
A Wallabies ‘face’ will be assigned to each side, and Australian stars will play if released from international duties during that time.
Despite the potential star power that will be on show, getting fans through the gate from late August to early November will be a major challenge.
But Pulver says crowd numbers are irrelevant to the financial success of the competition.
“There have been very modest assumptions made around crowds,” he said.
Pulver said it was imperative Australia created a domestic competition on par with South Africa’s Currie Cup and New Zealand’s ITM Cup – to provide a natural stepping stone for junior players to Super Rugby and international level.
“To think our elite season stops in July I think is a nonsense. You would never design a season that way,” he said.
“Our players go on holiday. That doesn’t happen in any other country in the world.”
Queensland City will play out of Ballymore, Queensland Country at Bond University, the North Harbour Rays at Brookvale Oval, the Sydney Stars at Leichhardt Oval, NSW Country to be based at Waratahs headquarters at Moore Park (but play out of country towns), and the Greater Sydney Rams at a yet to be finalised venue.
The University of Canberra Vikings will play out of Viking Stadium in Tuggeranong, the Melbourne Rising at AAMI Park and the Perth Spirit at nib Stadium.
AUSTRALIAN RUGBY’S NEW NATIONAL RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
* Nine teams, four from NSW, two from Queensland and one each from the ACT, Melbourne and Perth. Most sides are comprised of Super Rugby, club and university amalgamations.
* 11-week competition starting late August and finishing early November. Each team will play four matches home and away, enjoy a bye and then there will be two weeks of finals.
* Half of squad Super Rugby players, other half local talent.THE TEAMS:
* Brisbane City – comprised of Queensland Rugby Union and the Reds to play out of Ballymore
* Queensland Country – QRL and Reds, to play out of Bond Uni.
* North Harbour Rays – Manly, Warringah, Gordon and Norths, to play out of Brookvale Oval
* Sydney Stars – Sydney University and Balmain, to play out of Leichhardt Oval
* Greater Sydney Rams – West Harbour, Penrith, Parramatta, Eastwood and Southern Districts, home field to be announced
* NSW Country – Randwick, Eastern Suburbs, based out of Moore Park but to play in NSW country towns
* University of Canberra Vikings – ACT Rugby/Brumbies, University of Canberra and Tuggeranong Vikings, to play out of Viking Stadium
* Melbourne Rising – VRU and Rebels, to play out of AAMI Park
* Perth Spirit – Western Force and Rugby WA, to play out of nib Stadium.
Bakkies
Guest
Randwick are broke there is no way they can dictate how a side in this comp is run or tender. They should worry about their own backyard.
Thunderguts
Guest
so Mick your understanding of S15 matches is what you see on Foxsport news -- how many live matches have you been too??. "Starting small and thinking big" with no plan is a recipe for disaster and that is what the NRC will be unless Pulver comes up with a viable plan for ALL of Rugby in Australia.
Jimbo
Guest
NSW Country = Randwick & Easts. What a farce T h a t speaks volumes
mick
Guest
S15 comes up on fox sports news in the second half of the show they have already covered afl and league twice by the time they hit the s15 news on a Saturday morning. Start small and think big, all the pedantic critical idiots have no idea, its a start and better than nothing. I bet half the people who comment never even attend their local s15 and international games... Good work Pulvers ARU, once again its at least a start and already more viable than the previous attempt.
Thunderguts
Guest
Jimbo, your comments are truly reflective of the parochial and insular thinking currently plaguing Australian rugby. It is time that people look at the bigger picture which is "what will Australian Rugby look like in 2020" [assuming it still exists]
cantab
Guest
I don't have any answers on that one, in fact I think I fear the answer.
Jimbo
Guest
So ... seems to me that Bamain RU has assumed the history,role & relevance of Drummoyne (& Glebe) as being the premier rugbuy club of the inner-west. Good to see them rewarded for enduring years upon years upon years of silly SRU management & decisioins re promotion/relegation, provisos of having enough junior clubs & players, poaching by stronger clubs, court cases, fiscal viability issues, & I could go on. 'Balmain' was dormant for nearly 100yrs ... & now - well, it's obvious. Drummoyne was deemed ineligible as a 1st Div Club 'cos of the need to expand rugby in Wstn Sydney - ha. Joke. A merger of Sydney Uni & Balmain - both extremely well-cashed clubs, reeks of elitism & the chance for a bunch of 'chums' to make a lotta cash. This is a slap in the face to Drummoyne, UNSW & Hornsby Clubs - I hope this new comp drains the cash out of the strong clubs.
AndyS
Guest
Any money this competition makes needs to be put straight back into the competition. The ultimate goal should be for this to be as professional as possible, particularly with respect to the underlying development programs for the non-SR players.
The Bush
Roar Guru
If Gold Coast had the cash, super stuff - so why call them Qld Country and not just "Gold Coast? The joke is that if some Sydney idiot thinks the Gold Coast is Qld Country, then the ARU is in REAL trouble...
Thunderguts
Guest
Pulver needs to take a leaf out of Steve Tews [CE of NZRU] play book. The NZRU have just announced a $NZ2.9 m profit with cash reserves of $63m. Each of their 14 ITM Cup Provincial Unions have turned a profit with a combined surplus of $3.3m .
Thunderguts
Guest
After reading the statements from Pulver and the observations from Agnew in a companion article, alarm bells should be ringing because of the lack of detail on how the NRC is to be funded and administered. According to Agnew only one match per week will be televised by Foxtel with no commentary on what happen with semi finals and finals at a time when NRL and AFl are in finals mode and Rugby itself is in Bledisloe and quad nations finals.. Agnew speculates that ABC and or SBS will pick up additional matches but nowhere in Pulvers statement is this discussed. Pulver states "Foxsport/Foxtel are pledging to cover the competition cost" does this mean all costs and that FoxSports/Foxtel are locked in for a minimum of 3 years? Pulver also states that "Quality broadcasting content is a key component to the success of NRC" but is satisfied to accept 1 match per week. The most telling statement by Pulver is "crowd numbers are irrelevant to the financial success of the NRC" If the whole concept of NRC is to increase greater support for the game of Rugby then to dismiss crowd numbers as irrelevant clearly demonstrates the short shortsightedness of the whole NRC concept and the lack of vision by the ARU board to improve the financial well-being of the game of Rugby in all its forms. Agnew has failed to challenge the viability of the NRC but has resorted to form by nit picking the format etc of the NRC
jeznez
Roar Guru
Starts after the club season, won't remove players from those comps.
cantab
Guest
Agree with the sediments, I can only presume the GC had the cash to make it happen and Toowoomba/Downs rugby did not? Otherwise i'm a bit miffed. GC certainly is where professional sporting teams go to die, though I'd say a semi pro rugby team would have a better chance than most, especially with all the bros that live down there. So I've got no issue with GC having a team, that being said...lets not joke ourselves and call it a country team.
cantab
Guest
Serious pats on the back required if this comp really does make a profit.
Pillock
Guest
The ARU have come up with a good structure and hopefully a few diamonds will be uncovered in time for the World Cup. Also will put on notice Wallaby players who have been under performing. The only downside will be the absence of top players from club land for a minimal amount of time.
Happy Hooker
Guest
Tell him he's dreaming!
DB
Guest
Having been to watch the last 2 Reds trial matches in toowoomba over the last couple of years, I really can't believe that toowoomba is not the home for QLD country. From what I could see, Downs rugby was not short if cash and both games were fabulously attended. The Gold Coast is a dump!! The overall concept is great and kudos to mr pulver and the ARU but this is a shortsighted decision. As the above poster wrote - the GC is a graveyard. Besides, Toowoomba is probably half an hour extra drive than the GC, hardly likely to add significant costs etc
Bakkies
Guest
How much money has Bond Uni thrown behind this venture? I guess Pulver wants a uni connection much like the Brumbies and the Irish Provinces (Ulster- Jordanstown, Munster CIT and UL, Leinster UCD).
The Bush
Roar Guru
I think they missed a great opportunity with the Qld Country team to make it an actual country side from an area that doesn't have a national team. The Gold Coast is a sporting graveyard and people from the Gold Coast do not consider themselves "country". The side should have been based in Toowoomba, where the Reds consistently draw decent crowds for pre-season games, there is no sporting competition (there isn't even a league team in the Queensland Cup). The area has a long rugby tradition and one of the more "vibrant" local leagues. A real shame.