For the love of the game: The true believers looking to end rugby's 'finger-pointing and welfare mentality'

Mark it down in your diary. Saturday, 26 March. This is the day that has been set aside for rugby people to come together to celebrate and share everything they love about the game.

Curious to find out more about what is behind ‘A Day in Union’, I spoke with two of the driving forces, Greg Mumm and John Anderson, and discovered a fledgling organisation so chock-full of common sense and the values of grassroots rugby that the concept can’t help but be a shot in the arm for rugby in Australia and potentially worldwide.

The premise is simple: everyone involved in rugby, wherever they are located, in whatever capacity, individually or as a team or club, comes together on a single day to celebrate their involvement in the game and shares their experience.

Designed to both reconnect with the game people who may have drifted away and also serve as a binding agent for everyone involved in the sport, the organisers, while providing the spark, have decreed very few rules.

“We want people to express their love for the game in whatever way they deem appropriate,” says Mumm. “For some people or clubs that may incorporate a fundraiser or membership/player drive, for others it might be an opportunity for a reunion or an activity that generates increased publicity.

“All we are saying to people is that, whatever it is you do, make it fun and don’t forget to post your photos with the hashtag #ADayInUnion.”

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

In discussing the development of the concept, it is clear that the motivation for this movement comes from a deep place, where rugby’s traditional values of comradeship and being a game for all are strongly held.

“We felt that, over a period of years, rugby had developed a finger-pointing and welfare mentality, where probably too much was expected of central administrations and the rest of the game forgot to look after itself,” said Mumm.

“So, for us, it was a bit of ‘put up or shut up’, and we tried to come up with something proactive, originating and growing from grassroots level, going back to the essence of what is good about the game rather than getting too hung up about whether the Wallabies or Australia’s professional sides were winning or not.”

“We didn’t want to wait for sentiment to change, and this is really the wrong approach anyway. Whilst success at the professional level is desirable and important, it shouldn’t be the narrative for the whole game. Rugby is about so much more than this,” he concluded.

It is apparent that there are many organisations and volunteers all around the country who understand this already. Some are frustrated that, despite their own positive experiences and intent, their efforts have been compromised by coverage of rugby in Australia’s mainstream media that flits between negative and non-existent.

For others the issue isn’t so much about the media but people being lost to the sport for a variety of reasons – rugby and non-rugby – and it is through the establishment of A Day in Union the organisers hope to tap into the consciousness of people who were involved previously as players, coaches, administrators and supporters, remind them about what it was they loved about rugby in the first place and have them reconnect with it.

Many of the existing rugby charities and organisations have been tapped, and the response has been enthusiastic and heartening. A Day in Union is not a fundraising organisation competing for scarce funds; it is a vehicle for existing and new groups to collectively tap into positive sentiment for rugby and to enhance their own standing as a result.

To help publicise the event, this Friday, 4 February, marks the beginning of a 50-day countdown to A Day in Union. On all 50 days leading up to the main event there will be a video released, each one featuring a grassroots story or contributor sharing their views on the initiative and their involvement in the game.

With a plan in place to increase exposure via social media it is hoped that by the time 28 March arrives there won’t be a rugby person in the country who isn’t aware of the event and who won’t have considered how they might be involved.

An obvious question relates to the global potential for the concept.

“We have been contacted by various individuals and rugby organisations from overseas, and we’ve certainly encouraged them to become involved,” Mumm explains. “Because this is our first year, we felt it important to prove the concept in Australia, and if things go as well as we hope, then we’ll look to more aggressively expand the international reach next year and beyond.”

It’s a similar story when it comes to the involvement of the national and state unions and professional franchises within Australia.

“We certainly envisage having them on board with us, and the concept is obviously suitable for being able to help bridge any divide between grassroots and professional rugby. At the same time, we identified that it was critical for the long-term success of the movement that it originates and grows organically from the grassroots as opposed to being dropped into the calendar from above,” says Mumm.

It’s a salient point. This concept will succeed because it transcends professional and amateur. It doesn’t matter how or where anybody engages with rugby; what is important is reminding everyone of the benefits of rugby and enabling solidarity around the values of the game.

February is typically a great time of year for rugby supporters. Bodies and minds are refreshed, and the air is prickling with optimism and anticipation for the new season that lies ahead.

This year, thanks to Mumm, Anderson and a small group of enthusiastic committee members, there is a new reason to add to that positive mindset, a day on the horizon where cynicism and frustration can be set aside and the focus instead placed on celebrating the joy of rugby. More power to them and to everyone who becomes involved.

People wishing to know more are invited to visit adayinunion.com and follow #ADayInUnion.