I’m a rugby fan. I grew up playing the game. My kids play and I help out where I can at my local rugby club.
I recently watched a short SBS clip pondering whether rugby is dying. The challenges faced by rugby in Australia in 2017 have been well-chronicled on these pages with a whole range of suggestions on how to fix things. Our results in Saturday night’s Bledisloe Cup do not help.
Indeed, the greatest thing about rugby in Australia right now is the grassroots and yet it is the area most fans are aggrieved with the ARU about their lack of involvement.
I got along to Rat Park in Sydney on Saturday afternoon and at the Shute Shield semi-final between Manly and Warringah and saw so many things to like about rugby and its inherent tribalism and enjoyment. The game day experience beats anything put forward in Super Rugby or even Test Matches.
Bill Pulver, Michael Cheika and many others talk about data and KPIs. They talk about how professional game is best served by understanding the stats on our players and how they perform. I’ve looked at this focus on data underpinning the professional game and see a golden opportunity for an incoming ARU CEO to re-engage the grassroots, and build the kind of dataset that any sport in the world would envy.
I’ve been involved in administering junior rugby and the hours of effort put in by thousands of volunteers deserve admiration. The ARU can invest in technology that helps the game at junior, school and senior levels while also delivering the kind of data they want for the professional game.
(David Davies/PA via AP)
So how do you do it?
We need to do what successful companies are doing globally – invest in technology and data. In particular, I think the ARU should be collaborating with some of the countries best and most successful technology minds (anyone heard of Atlassian?) who create amazing collaboration tools. As their website notes “tools for teams, from startup to enterprise. Atlassian provides the tools to help every team unleash their full potential.”
I use them as an example, but literally, we have thousands of successful companies filled with former rugby players or parents with kids playing.
Every club struggles with how to manage communication with their various teams. We use disparate apps (think Team App, Team Stuff, Teamer, Fuse Sport) plus emails, spreadsheets, documents, websites and of course engagement with registration systems mostly administered by the state unions.
All of this leads to duplication, effort and a constant reinvention of the wheel.
Imagine this scenario instead: the ARU collaborates with a technology partner or partners to build a new solution for rugby.
What would you build?
How about allowing registrations online in a simple fashion that flows to a club and allows a club administrator to allocate players to individual teams.
Other administrators set up the draw for the competition knowing exact team numbers by age group and once published, players and parents instantly have access to the draw on their mobile device. All the heartache in pre-season and mid-season shuffling is resolved and this could be done across juniors, schools and seniors.
This approach also means the ARU knows how many people are playing rugby at any time – regular competition or one-off games. They can readily identify areas of participation and focus the efforts of development officers.
(ARU Media)
Do we want to focus on skills around specific positions? How about the ARU engages directly with online skills training for every registered scrum-half in the country, all by clicking one or two buttons?
To the question of how the ARU can engage the grassroots and make their lives easier. How about a technology solution that reduces administration, allows for the posting and sharing of administration documents, training drills and creates an online community reflective of the rugby community in Australia.
Want some other benefits?
What about knowing how many volunteers you have, what they do and how much time they contribute? By assigning roles to volunteers you all of a sudden broaden the net and can see the inherent value played by those not taking a payment but simply engaged for the love of the game.
This creates opportunities for new partnerships – Qantas sits on our Wallaby jersey. What about a loyalty program for volunteers that rewards those who contribute most with Frequent Flyer points? Giving back to those who give most to rugby.
There is a huge opportunity in this for the ARU to show some leadership. All they need is a little courage and to look beyond professional rugby.
Brett Papworth keeps saying we need to build the foundation of the pyramid. How about empowering it with technology that makes it easier to administer and enjoy than ever before while also delivering the richest data that any sports administration has ever seen?
It’s 2017 folks, all of this is achievable all we need to leadership and engagement.
Upfromdown
Guest
Great article, and not a difficult solution really. The ARU need to realise quickly that they live in 2 worlds. The professional world and the amateur world. When these two worlds crossed in rugby during the 90's, we were lucky to conquer both but now we conquer neither. That is the great shame. The 2 world cup final appearances, a few super rugby titles and a few diluted Tri Nations/RC titles have papered over the massive cracks in the pro rugby only approach. It is 100% time to build from the bottom up. It is the only answer, However in a decade or so we could back to where we were in the 90's. Winning titles and winning 80% of our games home and away.
Sam
Guest
Great article! Most volunteers get stuck in because they like making a difference and have some fun with like minded people along the way. Some good technology that helps make it a bit easier, a bit cooler and a little more engaging is a great thing. Something collaborative that helps analyse what works and identifies where things can improve is crucial. That said we can't just use technology for the sake of it, we have to use it where it will make the greatest difference. It's like a teacher with classroom of kids with their laptop or ipads. If you simply replace the text book with a YouTube video or a PowerPoint presentation you won't get anything different. Real collaboration is a the U16 coach at Footscray calling up the coach from Wyndham City whose team pummelled his troops the weekend before saying "Your kids tackled like pros on Saturday. How'd you teach them that? Can I come down and watch what you do?"
Johnno
Guest
1) Merge CAS/GPS/ISA, the comps need to be stronger there are too many have's and have nots in these comps. Scot's have won 5 straight GPS titles. Waverley/Knox are too strong for everyone else in CAS... 2) Shute shield might even sell out it's been a great season, ARU cut funding to it which was heartless, but they are cutting on there own somehow and doing well. 3) FA cup style Australia cup. I'd like club rugby to have an Australia cup, like the FFA Cup in soccer. Have like 16 teams or 32-teams, eg 8 each from Sydney/Brsibane, 2 each from NSW/QLD country, 4 from ACT, then 8 from the other states and territories, be awesome and some upsets. Imagine sydney Uni haveing to go and play the Tassie club premiers in Hobart or Launceston. 4)ARU need to spend more on young players 18-21 so they don't leave and try there luck in NRL or overseas rugby comps..
Jimbo
Guest
By the way, player registration is on-line through the ARU
Jimbo
Guest
Right on - as an ex Parramatta Boy who lived in Penrith for a number of years and now live in Melbourne, I cry as I watch Soccer and Aussie Rules blossom in the Western Suburbs while Rugby Union dies. I was proud to watch the Melbourne Harlequins win the Dewer Shield and the 2nd grade Premiership and Colts feature in grand final games last Saturday. 50% of the players in these two teams came through the Club's Colts and six or seven came through the Club's juniors. This year the club had nearly 200 juniors - about 20% girls. This has been brought about by the club's army of volunteers over the last ten years. The ARU should look to how Australian Rules and Soccer have grown in Australia by have strong NATIONAL DOMESTIC competitions, while rugby union dances to the tune of SANZA. Twiggy's idea of a new competition featuring Asian and Pacific Island teams has some virtue - but why not include the Eastern States and withdraw completely from Super Rugby. Would NS follow when they have fly to South Africa every second week?
Fair Weather
Guest
Interesting. I thought everyone on here was saying AFL does not exist in western Sydney? Go Giants!
Geoff Parkes
Expert
Great stuff Michael. I'm not qualified to comment on the merits of the detail of your proposal, but how refreshing to read a constructive contribution to the debate, as opposed to all of the 'burn down city hall' stuff that is around.
Kiwi in us
Guest
Over here my boys have been involved in lots of things and my wife and I have volunteered and volunteered. I call it the grease that keeps the community working. One of the best things I've done. So rewarding. Doesn't matter what sport it is. So long as they are bleeding, they are learning.
Bakkies
Guest
Not Papworth and Dwyer they want to take Aus Rugby back to the 80s.
Brendon
Guest
"its inherent tribalism" That says its all. If by tribalism you mean people from the North Shore and Eastern Suburbs of Sydney then you're correct. Fans who equate travelling to Homebush for a game as the same as travelling to war torn Syria. I remember the days of 'Tahs fans screaming and crying about having to go to ANZ Stadium for games on social media. Go west past Strathfield or west of the Pacific Highway in the north and rugby is irrelevant. Aussie Rules is way more popular in Sydney west's than rugby.
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
Actually soccer is growing precisely because they target the kids. My eldest son that the others call "the soccer player" has gone to the dark side and here is how he was recruited. A few days after he started Year 1 a soccer development officer showed up at his school, showed a few ball skills, had a bit of a kick to kick and left a few soccer balls behind. By the time the other sports showed up the kids had already been kicking a soccer ball around for several years. 20 years later he is still playing soccer. Yes, I've been a soccer dad, and AFL too.
Ex force fan
Guest
Rather kill rugby in Victoria, WA and ACT and use all the money to grow grassroots rugby in NSW...ERU style!
Kashmir Pete
Roar Guru
Michael Great idea, great article. How do you bring this to ARU's attention? Cheers KP
sheek
Roar Guru
Technology & data are useful as assisting tools, not when their info is treated as infallible. I am not a fan of micro-mamangement. Humans tend not to respond well to micro-management. Leadership by administrators & engagement of the community are definitely necessary. But people also respond best to empowerment & the concept of ownership & input.
DaveR
Guest
It is an opportunity for the incoming CEO, but the rest of the ARU board allowed Pulver/Clyne to do what they did. They all have to go, pure and simple. And it includes John Eales. A new CEO with the same rest of the board will get nowhere. The only person who demonstrated some principle is Geoff Stooke and he is gone.
LifestyleSpecialist
Roar Rookie
Check out the global T20 league 'Last Man Stands' for a fantastic use case on technology empowering sport. I can imagine something similar for rugby would be a huge success across amateur and professional comps.
Bakkies
Guest
The IRFU has something similar that is already set up and been taken in to the clubs http://www.irishrugby.ie/playingthegame/development/rugby_faculty.php
Boz
Guest
So what's worse? Two 80kg kids colliding - and they're 2-3 years apart in age, or two 11 year olds colliding, with one kid being 30 Kg heavier than the other? As a father, I know which one I would prefer. You watch parents vote with their feet.
MJ
Guest
Weight based is not the answer....you simply end up with big immature kids being smashed by older physically stronger kids. There currently is the ability to smaller kids (bottom 25 percentile for their age) to play down 1 age division....it doesn't happen because they want yo play with their mates.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
The CEO doesn't need to engage in the grassroots. Is soccer and AFL killing us because Gallop and Mclachlan are engaging in the grassroots? Absolutely not. It's because they are focusing on maximizing the money in the professional game, so that there is money for their development arms to throw around to bring 6 year olds into the game. People looking at this never want to look at who's succeeding in Australia, and what they are doing. They stay focused on what we used to do, or what NZ a country without the same competition for sporting fans is doing. Let's look at what works in Australia in 2017 and try and follow that. Not what works somewhere else, and not what worked in 1992.