RugbyWA announced a unique fan ownership model in a bid to save the Western Force Super Rugby franchise from going under.
The sell-off of 5000 ownership certificates will be an Australian first, with a $1000 price tag set for each share equating to a total cash injection of $5 million dollars for the team.
The announcement comes after a prolonged buildup of pressure on the franchise, which the ARU had to bailout earlier this year by purchasing their Super Rugby license and bringing them under the “high performance’ structure.
The ownership certificates are not like stocks or shares, they are non-transferable except to family members, but can be sold back to the club.
They give the owner a range of benefits including voting rights and input into staff reappointments and match day activities, as well as discounts for merchandise.
A more detailed list of benefits was included in the media release:
• Voting rights to an advisory committee and the new Western Force board of management
• Approval of the reappointment of key positions within the Western Force organisation
• Input into match day and team activities and specific owner’s functions
• A range of discounts on both Western Force membership purchases and Rugby WA player registration fees
A new board will be created with three certificate holders included along with representatives from RugbyWA and the Australian Rugby Union.
President of RugbyWA Hans Sauer was quoted in the official statement from the club saying:
“The introduction of the Western Force into the Super Rugby competition took the profile and interest in the code in Western Australia to a whole other level. We hope that Western Australians will join us once again as we fight to save the Western Force,” he said.
Head coach David Wessels added:
“We hope our fans get behind this initiative because Western Australia losing the opportunity to participate in the toughest and highest profile international provincial sporting competition in the world is a disservice to anyone who loves sport in Western Australia, not just rugby,” he said.
Force general manager Mark Sinderberry stated:
“All we can do is say to the ARU, ‘We’ve got this pot of money here, we’ve proposed how it should work, it ticks every box you’ve mentioned; if you are going to throw us out now you are going to throw away all of this’.”
Anyone can register their interest for the purchase of ownership certificates here.
The model has proven to work for clubs like AFC Wimbledon, Barcelona FC and the Green Bay Packers. But can it work in Australia for a rugby team? What do you think Roarers?
shasta
Guest
Mark Sinderberry was interviewed on ABC today. They have passed 3000 pledges
Shasta
Guest
There were 8972 at the last match this year. Just as there have been at every other match since a ground announcer plucked the figure out of his head about 25 years ago. :-)
mania
Guest
your so cute TWAS "You can play all the attractive rugby you want. If there’s nobody to watch it " everyone wants to watch ABs play. how else will you learn how its done? so even plainer. even if aus don't want to watch the ABs that still leaves the rest of the world that does. your confusing your teams. what you meant to say is "no one wants to watch aus derbies"
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
If Australia dies it impacts NZ. I can't make it any plainer than that. Ignore your business partners, you go down too. You can play all the attractive rugby you want. If there's nobody to watch it you won't make enough money to survival.
mania
Guest
twas - aus' domestic issue need to be sorted by aus.i cant make it any plainer than that. ausscrewed up the aus environment aus can sort it out. getting sick of aus using super as a development ground and bringing in players who aren't ready and get totally beaten down. it brings the level of rugby way down. nz may not have a big market but we bring entertainment and play attractive rugby. aus' virtue is its a big population. awesome way too go. u screwed up your rugby environment but at least you have a big population. u do know that SR can survive without aus? SA we need as they're the brutal best of the rest. big markets we now have in southAmerica and japan.
Bakkies
Guest
cutting the Cheetahs and Brumbies isn't going to strengthen the Boks and Wallabies. The 4 Nations is the golden goose and it's competitive credibility is in question after this season's competition. That would be the worst thing to happen. SARU are propping up and running the EP union for a reason.
Bakkies
Guest
Trump has a lot to do with generating soundbites and scaremongering
Bakkies
Guest
Sanzaar have said nothing since the Accenture involvement was announcement months ago
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
On-field results should not be the basis for forced mergers or dissolving of teams, that's for sure.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
No Trump supports Papworth's "Make Australian Rugby Great Again" campaign based around going back to what used to happen.
Republican
Guest
......it is according to Sanzar.
Republican
Guest
......to be sure, the Rebels most certainly should be under scrutiny but by virtue of their commercial base, i.e. Melbourne they will be beyond reproach in this respect.
Republican
Guest
......the Australian 'market' has long been saturated.
Republican
Guest
.........I wasn't aware Trump had an opinion on the pruning of the Super Rugby comp.
Bakkies
Guest
No Australian team should be axed. Clearly the Rebels were introduced when the ARU had no money and not the players. This is despite O'Neill's and Squirrel's delusion of relying on the Shut Shield to supply the next level. It shouldn't have happened but it did. No going back. You can't compare to this political and Watson influenced Kings who lost out in 2011 to the Rebels bid. The Kings are a sad case. They have a rich Rugby history of developing players and the game but in reality their union is Watson, bankrupt and politically dominated along with not being at the races at Currie Cup level in the pro era. They couldn't even pay their players before their first game this season. The Cheetahs may be badly run but they've held it together on the pitch. Won Currie Cups, developed Boks (along with players for other SA sides), trying to evolve the SA game by not playing 10 man Rugby) and they have won games in NZ. It would be poor to see them go too. I remember the days of Australian fans arguing for the Chiefs to be merged with the Blues or axed as no one watched them and they were rubbish. Now they have two titles and a top class coach. The Highlanders and Sharks were also lined up for the axe. Super Rugby fans and the pillocks in the media need to stop this mentality.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Wow you really understand the complexities of the market there. Australia's problems are everybody's problems because without the SANZAAR Super Rugby Alliance all partners suffer. NZ lacks its own domestic market capable of supporting a full professional structure on its own. Why doesn't NZ just go sort out it's own backyard and build up it's potential market? You seem happy to take the positives of the alliance but then complain about the negatives. I bet if you were in the UK you'd be the type of person to vote leave in the Brexit and think you'd actually retain access to the single market despite this.
clipper
Guest
Sydneysider - it might go OK, still think they will have to pour millions to get it going, just don't think they would go any good with the Force there. Don't know if spreading it out to 12 games in Perth is a plus, considering the crowds aren't that flash with just 5 games with the Force. Still the key is to have a winning side, like the Storm - the Force have never had that luxury, so it's hard to know how well they could do.
mania
Guest
Australian market share is ARU issues. sort outyour backyard and start a grassroots program. having a good entertaining superRugby comp is SANZARs issues. aus derbys aren't good or entertaining
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
And keeping 3 teams and slowly losing market share as the AFL and NRL erode their only 3 markets and regions was a better solution? You completely ignore the Australian market.
mania
Guest
no dumbest idea was giving aus 5 teams expecting them to get better and hoping that they would contribute positivity to the superRugby product. aus derby's are an automatic watch something else, anything else.