Force relocation a no-go

Nick Taylor
The West Australian on March 30, 2016, 12:01 am



Australian Rugby Union boss Bill Pulver has ended speculation that Western Force are under threat and could be moved interstate.

The ARU chief executive toldThe West Australian that a takeover and relocation of the struggling Super Rugby club was not an option.

“I would be very confident in telling you that the Western Force are going to be a successful part of the Perth sporting scene for a long, long time,” Pulver said yesterday after talks with RugbyWA and the State Government.

“There are three parties working constructively towards a solution that will see the Western Force competing as a very viable part of Super Rugby for a long time to come.

“I still am very much a supporter of a national footprint for Super Rugby and you do not want to do anything that’s going to have any negative on the local community engagement.”

Speculation that the ARU was investigating a relocation of the Force to western Sydney was dismissed by Pulver.

A partnership with the ARU is possible, but if the Force board is not happy with the deal it will look at private ownership.

“I am extremely confident we are going to find the right solution,” Pulver said.

“I’m not the wise man from the east that expects to have all the answers.

“That’s why I’m here, working with all the key constituents, to make sure we have a viable solution.”

Department of Sport and Recreation director-general Ron Alexander took a long-term view of the Force’s situation.

“We don’t just want them to be viable, we want them to be competitive,” Alexander said.

“We’re asking the ARU to show us how that is going to happen.”

The Force are set to announce their seventh straight financial loss later this year and in August sold their intellectual property to the ARU for $800,000 — the first time they had gone cap in hand to the governing body.

In past years the ARU has bailed out the Waratahs and Reds and has poured $13 million into the privately owned Rebels.

The ARU has hired consultants Accenture to investigate ways of making all five Australian clubs financially viable.

Centralisation of back office duties such as ticketing and contracting are under scrutiny.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sp...ocation-no-go/

Righto, it's not going to happen, and that's from horse's mouth, so let's drop the topic all together. No more insane Western Sydney talk unless you are in a soccer or AFL thread.

ARU to possibly look after ticketing, wonderful, might be able to tidy up the Membership fiasco that we had this year - that's good news :approve:

ARU to possibly be involved in contracting, absolutely sensational IMHO, perhaps the playing field may level a bit, and if we only get a little bit more of fair go, that will do me until we deserve more :approve:

Let's leave all the negative shit for the Metro Rugby Threads and get behind the team we have, and will always have :cheers:

Hallelujah!!:yeah::yeah::whip::bigwave:

I liked the

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"...I'm not a wise man from the east..."

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comment

Pulver displaying previously unheard of self awareness

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Originally Posted by The InnFORCEr

ARU to possibly be involved in contracting, absolutely sensational IMHO, perhaps the playing may level a bit, and if we only get a little bit more of fair go, that will do me until we deserve more :approve:

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That is the most important part of the jigsaw IMO. It's been a point we have made like a cracked record on here. Fingers crossed. It is also very heartening to see background support from the Govt and particularly the boss of Sport & Rec.

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Originally Posted by sittingbison

I liked the comment

Pulver displaying previously unheard of self awareness

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Or possibly Pulver playing to the crowd.

Don't forget the massive backflip on pissing money up against a wall with Shute Shield funding.

Excellent....the Western Sydney relocation was never really on and I don't know why it got so much traction.

We still need a bloody plan for success and that's going to involve a change of coaching setup. Its the only way. Happy for Foley to stay as a director of coaching or a forwards coach but we need a visionary person who can come in, inspire and get this train wreck back on track.

In the meantime the Easter Staters can put up with our crappy, beige, pasty, gormless rugby.....AND LIKE IT!

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Originally Posted by GIGS20

Don't forget the massive backflip on pissing money up against a wall with Shute Shield funding.

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So far that's only a back track. They might actually give most of the money to Western Sydney Unions with strict conditions on how it is spent. Wait and see?

Oh, OK, I'm out of the loop a bit then.

If it goes to Western Sydney unions, it's not even much of a backtrack....sure they're Shute Shield clubs, but their performances prove that they spend their money in ways other than buying expensive imports.

:snigger:

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Originally Posted by The InnFORCEr

Righto, it's not going to happen, and that's from horse's mouth, so let's drop the topic all together. No
Let's leave all the negative shit for the Metro Rugby Threads and get behind the team we have, and will always have :cheers:

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The Force, and other Super Rugby teams are not paying their way in an economically rational world. Pulver, everyone's nemesis yesterday is suddenly our friend, and someone to trust - all within 24hrs. There are structural problems on and off the field for the Force, and if he's made a statement that he'll continue to fund it without restrictions then he has to do it for everyone else. He'll be out of the job in 12 months, and wont have to live by his promises. As for negative shit, - stop your fiddling Nero, there are metro folks who have youth players who may want to play for the team one day, you need to grow a little more skin, and lose the feeling of entitlement, being a cheerleader and prolonging the current situation means there will be no team in the future.

I like Pulver. He is a whole lot better than John O'Neill who took a million dollar golden handshake as he left the ARU close to financial ruin. Pulver had reinvigorated the NRC, brought about a national U20 tournament and held strong against pressure from the Shute Shield clubs.

Compare that to John O'Neill who didn't do much at all except to rile up the English before our unceremonious exit from the 2007 RWC.