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Australian rugby’s focus in the future will be centered on female participation, western Sydney and the eradication of the ‘toff’ tag that has hounded the sport.
Once again I was saddened to see the ARU’s new television broadcast deal will not aid club rugby, and some of Australia’s oldest and most celebrated clubs in New South Wales and Queensland.
Of course many people see club rugby as a waste of time, and in the past a drain on resources. The current position of the ARU is somewhere in the middle, with an acknowledgement of its importance in creating Super Rugby and Wallaby players, but also as an entity that reflects the image of the toff, private-school player, and one that does not need direct financial backing.
It is clear that a greater emphasis is on rugby sevens at the moment, with its inclusion in the Olympics. No doubt other political pressures are on the ARU to make sure that both the men’s and women’s sevens teams are ready and primed to go in Rio. Sevens is a great concept and it should be supported, but the neglect of club rugby will have far-reaching effects over the long term.
Rugby clubs and their offshoots are often the first place people go for an introduction to the game. That is the role of club rugby, not specifically to breed Wallabies or sevens players, but to provide an avenue for women and men of all ages to join like-minded people who love to play, watch, manage and coach rugby union. Players, administrators, player managers, and quality coaches have all come out of club rugby, it is where many people go for their fix.
Part of the ARU’s vision is to gain back some of the ground lost to rugby league and other sports in western Sydney. However, without a sustained effort in aiding the two western Sydney Shute Shield clubs, this race may already have been run.
It’s clear that Shute Shield clubs have wasted ARU granted money in the past. The ARU itself cannot sit by and say it hasn’t wasted the hard earned money of many players and spectators. I don’t believe direct funding to Shute Shield clubs is the answer, as Bill Pulver says. Although, you can imagine they are slightly peeved that they will see no new allocations as a result.
It is up to the clubs themselves to maintain their own financial viability. However, the exact challenges that face the ARU are also those faced by clubs every day. The growth of rugby league, particularly in the west of Sydney, has been a huge drain on many clubs in attracting players, sponsors and then crowds to consume their content. The Shute Shield television deal has helped everyone’s cause, but this has come at a large cost to the clubs.
I am happy that the ARU seems to have a plan and they are going after executing that plan. Most of it will be worthwhile and many people will benefit, but a whole section of the rugby family is being neglected.
I have previously brought up the idea of funding clubs through grants of equipment requirements. I only bring it up as a possibility, not as the solution. Say club rugby has a total allocation each year and when required, a club will make an application to receive something such as playing equipment. How this is maintained for fairness is another story, and I can see old-school club people throwing barbs right now. At least with something like this, there would seem to be, even if largely superficial, some support for club rugby from the ARU.
The political skirmishing and abrasiveness of many club rugby boards and chiefs has put the ARU offside. Everyone isn’t there to agree on everything all the time, but it doesn’t seem like the ARU or some of the club heads want to budge an inch and get on with each other. Part of the reason Pulver is reluctant to fund club rugby is because clubs can seem very insular, and only interested in self promotion.
Old club hatreds are what create quality rugby rivalries, but they also create tension and mistrust when they are taken off the field and played out in the boardroom. You can’t begrudge Pulver for denying the current boards of Shute Shield clubs direct funding. Similarly, it is hard to know why some funding arrangement hasn’t been reached where clubs could benefit.
Long live the revolution, but it’s time some of us didn’t have our cake and eat it too.
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.