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There's probably a million reasons why not, and possibly more than a million people that might disagree. But someone I'd like to see could be Robbie Deans. He already knows about developing rugby in the region, has the respect required, and the right background. And he sounds like he was supportive of the concepts behind WSR.
Jack Ma!
Can't see Deans taking on a CEO role. Does he have any business background at all (like as a day job when he was a player)?
Meanwhile Wayne Smith has written a sloppy article stating that the RA are on track to post a $4 million profit. Like pigs could fly. Looks like there will be less than 30,000 at the Springboks test in Brisbane this weekend.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Rugby Australia on the money
Raelene Castle, chief executive officer of Rugby Australia. Picture: AAP
WAYNE SMITH
SENIOR SPORT WRITER
@WayneKeithSmith
12:00AM SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
6 COMMENTS
Even allowing for the fact the Wallabies’ Test against South Africa at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday is likely to attract less than 30,000 spectators, Rugby Australia is on target to meet its budgeted bottom line of a profit in excess of $4 million.
That is very much a forward estimate, given RA historically does not announce its financial results until the annual general meeting in April. And RA, which last April announced a $3.7m surplus, is bunkering down for its toughest year of the four-year World Cup cycle next year when the only Tests played on Australian soil will be a Bledisloe Cup at the new Perth stadium, and a Pumas Test in Brisbane.
With the professional arm of RA — the Wallabies and the four Super Rugby franchises — responsible for generating all of its commercial revenue, a crowd of less than 30,000 is of serious concern to the national body, even if the Springboks are slightly overexposed in Brisbane. This will be their fourth Test at Suncorp Stadium since 2013.
“At the end of the day all of the money that we take into Rugby Australia is generated directly from the professional game, so we don’t take any money at all, despite what people are writing about levies and things,” said RA chief executive Raelene Castle.
“Rugby Australia takes no money at all directly from the rugby community. The national levy in place is directed back to the member unions and there is no engagement by Rugby Australia. Anything we invest into the community game is generated directly from the Wallabies and/or Super Rugby and any of our commercial platforms. That’s a real focus for me, to make sure that we can spend more money in the community, but it has to come off the back of the Wallabies’ platform. But ticket sales are not the only measure.”
It is those other “commercial platforms” that she is hoping to exploit. Longer term, Europe is seen as fertile ground and could become even more vital if Britain continues down the Brexit road. But for the moment, Japan has become the hot spot for RA, so much so that newly appointed commercial manager Cameron Murray is heavily based there these days.
The Wallabies will play a Test in Yokohama in October, the World Cup will be played there next year and the Australian women’s sevens rugby team will head off to the Tokyo Games in 2020 as the defending Olympic champion. Already Mitsubishi Estates has come on board as Australia’s naming rights sponsor for The Rugby Championships and it is understood there are other Japanese-flavoured sponsorship deals in the offing.
“We think there are opportunities to unlock some more commercial success than what we have had previously,” said Castle. “Ultimately, the more money we generate off the Wallabies goes into the community. We get smashed for not spending any money in the community. Well, we actually spend in direct grants off the back of the Wallabies about $4m a year and that’s cash that we give directly to community programs.
“Then there is another $3m-$4m a year we spend on things like officiating support, coaching support, development of size and age programs, blue-card programs, Get into Rugby programs, touch sevens … all of those programs that we ultimately hand over to the community so that they themselves can commercialise it. And that’s the piece that no one really understands. That is what a national body does. It’s not just the cash that you hand out; it’s also the programs that you develop that the community can commercialise for themselves.”
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
They must be so pleased they didn't accept the $50m - $70m from Twiggy, a projected $4m and they haven't even paid for Luke Jones to home yet, doing a great jo RA![]()
Last edited by The InnFORCEr; 06-09-18 at 13:31.
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
The reported net profit will depend upon the accounting treatment applied to the ARU/RA's books. For example, it would be possible to have a reported NPAT of plus $4M and still have a negative net cash flow.
The Wallabies vs Springboks test at Suncorp in 2016 had an attendance of 30,300, so it is quite possible that attendance at Suncorp for the same fixture in 2018 could be sub-30,000 (it was 37,600 in 2015 and 43,700 in 2013).
According to one of the Likely Lads from Lindfield, the earlier idea which the ARU/RA had about reserving future tests against the Springboks for Brisbane and Melbourne (and not "wasting" them in Perth, where the attendance at the Springbok test in 2017 was 17,500) didn't take into account possible over-exposure of the Springboks at those venues, so now there's a bit of head scratching going on about the placement of future tests in Australia against the Springboks.
But unless the ARU/RA is able to negotiate a peace treaty with the WA State Government following the acrimony of 2017, there aren't too many +50,000 venues outside of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney which the ARU/RA could hope to fill with premium ticket buying fans.
I am surprised that Canberra was never given a Springboks test. Sydney hasn't hosted the Boks in a long long time. I remember they decided that ANZ was too big to host the Boks even though they were getting 62,000 there at premium prices. Now they are struggling to get that for the ABs.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
I bet they're excited about next year, they won't have the projected windfall of killing the Force ($6M) they'll still be paying Hooper to infect the culture of the Wallabies to the tune of about $1.5M They'll have to cope with plummeting crowd figures at Superficial and Test level, they'll still have Force contracts to pay out, they'll have to pay Bordeaux for Luke Jones, they'll have to pay out some other Euro club to get back another one of Cheika's rejects so he can wallpaper the cracks in his match schedule, They'll still have a black hole in Melbourne sucking money out of the sport and it's a World Cup year, so they won't have as much revenue from test matches.
$20M shortfall? More?
C'mon the![]()
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And the following year they'll have to do it all again with 1/4 of the broadcast revenue, because fans are actively running away from watching rugby now!
C'mon the![]()
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and a reduced July test schedule in 2020. After that the 6 Nations unions have committed to playing tier two nations in that window so goodbye three test series propped up by away support.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Well so long as RA is supporting community rugby in the community with money going to the community for the community and by the community.
The community as in the MRRU board?
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
When I see those test attendances, I can't believe how far downhill the game has gone.![]()
Japan and the Pacific Islands for Aussie Super 9's!
Let's have one of these in WA! Click this link: Saitama Super Arena - New Perth Stadium?