Melbourne on chopping block

[Burgs]

What a shame, coz they really love their sport and all...

just thought I'd get in first

Melbourne on chopping block

By Bret Harris
November 17, 2007

AFTER missing a Super 14 licence two years ago, Melbourne is now in danger of losing its team in the Australian Rugby Championship.

The Australian Rugby Union is reviewing the inaugural championship, and Melbourne is believed to be under pressure to remain in the national competition for financial reasons.

The ARU is looking to reduce expenditure for the ARC, which cost $9 million to operate this year, with a loss of $5 million.

One of the key discussions at a commission meeting next month will be which teams stay and which go.

While the future of Melbourne Rebels is unclear, the other seven teams - Canberra Vikings, Western Sydney Rams, Sydney Fleet, Perth Spirit, Ballymore Tornadoes, East Coast Aces and Central Coast Rays - seem likely to continue.

Asked whether the Rebels would be dropped from the ARC, tournament director Peter Rowles said: "Not at this point. There has been discussion with Victoria about the future of the Rebels, but in terms of dumping them, no. The future of all the teams is up for grabs as part of the review process."

The loss of the Rebels would be a body blow to Melbourne, which was beaten by Perth to base Australia's fourth Super 14 team.

The Rebels exceeded all expectations on the field by reaching the final of the competition, losing to the Rays.

But there is an argument that the ARU will save a lot of money by not having a team based in Melbourne. There is a significant cost involved in flying teams to Melbourne and accommodating them.

Unlike the other seven teams in the competition, the Rebels imported their coaching staff and players from interstate, mainly NSW and Queensland. Their head coach Bill Millard earns around $150,000 a year.

The Rebels had to pay coaches and players relocation fees and accommodation costs.

Another cost-cutting plan is to fly teams in and out of cities on the day of the game to save on accommodation, which happens in the Heineken Cup in Europe.

"From a rugby point of view it was fantastic," Rowles said.

"We have to work out how to run it more cost effectively."

[shasta]

Another cost-cutting plan is to fly teams in and out of cities on the day of the game to save on accommodation, which happens in the Heineken Cup in Europe.

Yeah that sounds good. Over on the "redeye" bus up to Gosford back in Perth about 2300.

But seriously, The Rebels did themselves proud. Too bad most of those Vics who were crying out for a rugby team forgot to turn up on game days.

[James]

How well was it advertised/marketed though? Even a lot of Force fans didn't really know much about the Perth Spirit and the MARC and after 2 seasons we can call the Spirit players our own. For Melbourne a bunch of guys from other states (with a few locals) turn up to fly the flag for them and you'd only really expect those involved in club rugby to appear and not those who are more general fans. I'd have thought crowds will rise next season and costs will drop just because its no longer theoretical and we can be a bit more stream-lined. Keep the Rebels!

[Burgs]

I think it would be unfair to call a single inaugural season as a good indicator, for mine I would encourage them to leave it unchanged for a second season to let things bed in and improvements to logistics to be made without change ups happening as well.
How can you compare seasons for improvements if you change the structure all the time?
There should also be more Wallabies involved in a non RWC year too I would have thought, so that should attract greater interest.

[shasta]

How well was it advertised/marketed though?

A fair point. I would also hope there won't be too much change. But I can see why the doubts about a Melbourne based team arise. The WA rugby public really wanted a pro team here too. As we know they took it into their own hands to grasp the opportunity. Melbourne fans OTOH didn't really do the same. As a result they are still under suspicion.

[GIGS20]

The simple solution is to give Melbourne another year, with the threat of deregistration if certain financial (or crowd) targets aren't met. That way, their destiny is theirs to control and the Melbourne public have the opportunity to prove that a S14 franchise is worth the risk. ARC is all about devloping the game in Australia, not so much about making money. It should run at an acceptable loss for several years 'for the good of rugby', if they can get it to make money, so much the better!

[tragic]

Geez, one season... and a poorly-promoted one at that. I don't think that rates as a "trial" or "giving it a chance". I think the rugby deserves better than that.
And I agree with GIGST - just what is the ARC all about, anyway?

[AndyS]

The bit I don't understand is "There is a significant cost involved in flying teams to Melbourne and accommodating them." Surely it doesn't matter where you are flying them to and accommodating them, unless they are saying that flying teams anywhere is a bad thing in which case the Spirit and Vikings are potentially on the block as well.

If they pull the franchise, I think they can just about kiss Victoria off for rugby. I just can't see the support they have surviving "sorry no S14 team, have an ARC team, oh sorry, we're taking that back too". Sure they should have turned out for the games, but everyone pretty much sucked on that count (lack of publicity, clash with AFL finals, whatever).

My understanding is that their problem lay in the Rebels team itself being fly-in/fly-out and requiring accommodation as they were all based elsewhere. That I can understand but, if so, change the rules - give each team a strict allowance to cover local accommodation to encourage the use of local players. It might make the going a bit tough on Melbourne for a while (and probably us this year, given our injury list and number of replacements required), but so be it...the competition is all about developing players and giving them a chance to step up.

[Sheik Yerbouti]

The only potential problem with giving the ARC another year in it's current format is that the ARU might not be in the best fiscal position. Another year run as it was might ruin them.

[GIGS20]

Sheik will said fiscally disastrous year bankrupt the ARU or the Hihg Performance Unit. We must remember that they are the primary beneficiary of a broader ARC, since there is a greater pool of talent with experience at that level. If we don't have development teams at this level, then all we're doing is playing S14 colts.

As for the books, the auditors need to see a significant budget input from the ARU in order to balance the books, and saying that flying teams in to Melbourne and accommodating them there is too expensive is a crock, it can't cost more than Perth. If you're talking about fly-in Rebels players...well Perth did that with a brace of outside backs for a while, it didn't seem to push them to the wall!

JON is in love with the idea of a Melbourne Rugby franchise, now he needs to support that idea like the AFL support the idea of a Gold Coast team, throw a couple of mill at it for a while until it becomes self sufficient.

[JediKnight]

The only potential problem with giving the ARC another year in it's current format is that the ARU might not be in the best fiscal position. Another year run as it was might ruin them.

What happened to the profit from RWC03? Has the ARU been funding Growden's pie habit?

[jargan83]

the ARU would be broke by now if they had been funding that pie habit

[Sheik Yerbouti]

I just remember reading somewhere that the ARU weren't going so well financially. I heard that while keeping the ARC in its current format will be good in the long run, it's the short term that might stretch the budget too much.

[jargan83]

wtf happened to the $40 million they made from the World Cup, i thought they stashed a a fair chunk of it away to fund a future comp such as the ARC?? surely they didnt spend it all on pies and crap league/Waratahs converts??

[Badger]

the ARU would be broke by now if they had been funding that pie habit

Who ate all the pies?
Who ate all the pies?
You fat bastard,
You fat bastard,
You ate all the pies!