Want to know why the sport struggles..?

[AndyS]

Forget turf wars - everyone will gain from Cup
Clearly, it's going to get ugly before Australia's World Cup bid gets over its first significant hurdle. Commitments about infrastructure spending have to be made within the next couple of months, and the scaremongering is as premeditated as it is predictable.

The fact that all the football codes, plus cricket, will ultimately benefit from the facilities bonanza seems to be lost on those, including my colleague Richard Hinds, who seem interested only in fertilising their own turf.

Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill, who has a unique perspective, rightly describes the World Cup as ''nation building'' and has no doubt rugby union stands to gain more than it may lose.

For the benefit of Hinds, a few facts are worth noting. Since Frank Lowy took over in 2003, football has received about $77 million from the Federal government, of which $45m has been allocated to fund a World Cup bid which ultimately benefits all.

In roughly the same time, AFL has received about $453m from the three tiers of government - almost six times that received by football.

From the $77m it has received from Canberra for redevelopment work at the MCG, to the $28m it received for Skilled Stadium in Geelong, to a $5m grant to the South Australian AFL to develop community facilities, to $250,000 for developing AFL in the Kimberley, the sport has gained in every state, at every level. AFL remains, by a considerable distance, the most generously taxpayer-supported sport in the country.

Next best is cricket, which has received about $141m - still close to double that received by football during the same time. The money spent on new facilities at the SCG and Adelaide Oval also suits the AFL. Strange that. Behind football comes rugby league (about $45.5m), tennis (about $14.5m) and rugby union (about $9m).....Rest

Forget the cup, what the hell is with that sort of funding discrepancy and what is the ARU doing about it?

[Action Hardcore]

Irate bro?

[Scotty]

Forget the cup, what the hell is with that sort of funding discrepancy and what is the ARU doing about it?

Trying to change their constitution. I think this is the reason they can't access any government funding like other sports. Too amatuer, apparently.

[TOCC]

a lot of the funding difference with Rugby to the other codes has to do with stadiums, rugby union in australia realistically only has one stadium that it can call its own and thats Ballymore, AFL and NRL have numerous stadiums and a lot of the funding is towards upgrading those stadiums.

[sandgroperrugby]

I thought a lot of missing out on Canberra money was due to NSWRU holding domination on the ARU board. And if they had equal voting across all states they would be able to increase the Federal grants income substantially.

So in other words the ARU is its own worst enemy!!!

[Burgs]

Forget the cup, what the hell is with that sort of funding discrepancy and what is the ARU doing about it?

Tightening their budgets...

JO'N has the luxury to be gracious about Union's position as it won't have any real effect on seasonal competition.

[TOCC]

I thought a lot of missing out on Canberra money was due to NSWRU holding domination on the ARU board. And if they had equal voting across all states they would be able to increase the Federal grants income substantially.

So in other words the ARU is its own worst enemy!!!

yeah you are correct, the issue is that the ARU board is deemed unconstitutional due to the weight positions that NSW and QLD hold, it does limit its ability to vie for more federal grants and i wouldnt be surprised if big changes are seen in this area in the next 2years.

[beige]

it does limit its ability to vie for more federal grants and i wouldnt be surprised if big changes are seen in this area in the next 2 years.

In soccer's case it was $15 million.

[TOCC]

In soccer's case it was $15 million.

???

[beige]

"Fix your set up and we'll give you $15 million." John Howard money...

Of course soccer was on the verge of collapse at that point.

[TOCC]

yeah, soccer/football may have had a credible reason for that grant, it may not have been a given that rugby would have received it

i think we can all agree thats its about time the ARU restructured itself to allow more funding, i think we will see it happen after the SANZAR contract renegotiation is done, any attempt to do a restructure before renegotiating there broadcast agreement has massive risks, in the next 12 months i expect that we will see the ARU undertake a restructure in line with establishing a greater funding agreement with the government to expand the 7's aspect of the game.

[shasta]

Ultimately, it will be Rudd who will have to stare down these sports, stare down the critics, and stare down the recalcitrants at state government level, to get the World Cup bid past the first, and perhaps most important, base. No stadiums, no World Cup.

Good point. I read the original article by Richard Hinds. He tried , and failed miserably, to make it seem as though he was sticking up for the other sports bar Fudball.

It was just another bleat from an AFL obsessed so-called sports writer. Victorian twat!