Easy poll - should teh ARU have canned the ARC?
I'm guessing i know who voted yes...
Proudly bought to you by a brewery somewhere....
No, I haven't voted yet FR.
I'm gobsmacked that the ARU threw in the towel after just one season of the ARC. Surely they could have looked at ways of restructuring the comp so save some money instead of cancelling it. Perhaps they could look at what their own Fat Cats are getting paid and make some savings there! It was especially bad timing as it appears that the new Wallabies coach will be getting paid significantly more than John Conneley. The ARU has already said that the ARC delivered on most of the outcomes that the ARU wanted from the competition so they should have seen the value in keeping it especially with all the trouble they went through with the Sydney clubs to get it running. It is going to make it harder than ever to keep fringe players in Australia and not go overseas for the money, also it will be harder for the Western Force to recruit players without a strong competition for them to play in. How are the fringe players supposed to stand a chance of making the Wallabies without this comp to play in? I was so looking forward to the ARC next season as I was only able to see a couple of the games this year before we went away on holiday.
its a tough one for the ARU, do we keep losing millions or go around for another year, personally i think it deserved at least a second year....
Seriously there are no words for how dark I am on the ARU for scrapping ARC so hastily- perhaps there was need for reforms to pull back spending a bit, but scrapping the whole thing is completely heavy handed- and sets us back another couple of years of potential player development, especially here in the West. As a spectator I thoroughly enjoyed the Spirit games this year- as well as a chance to see the club rugby finals, which normally I probably wouldn't do otherwise. Really hope we can get something similar up and running before we lose all momentum for the concept.
welcome along swee82, good points in your first post...
Welcome swee82, good to have your point of view expressed...
What really annoyed me yesterday was receiving an email from the ARU, ie Matt Carroll, explaining their reasons for terminating the competition, reasons i as a supporter of the ARC already new...(And believed to be bullsh*t reasons at best anyway)...
Matt Carroll and the ARU can kiss my enormous arse...
Proudly bought to you by a brewery somewhere....
im sure its not gone forever. they made alot of mistakes and lost 5 million $$$. they need to learn from their mistakes and hopefully in the next few years they will start up another ARC.
I'm not sure if it is fair to add the loans/grants into the excuse after the fact.
It was known from the outset that it would cost money in the first two to three years.
As others have mentioned, they are quite happy to drop a million on an individual player yet won't consider making a loss on a successful development competition.
You have to spend money to make money in this life.
ARU denies 'cooking' the figures
By Bret Harris
December 22, 2007
THE Australian Rugby Union has rejected claims it exaggerated the size of the financial losses of the Australian Rugby Championship to justify scrapping the controversial development competition after only one year.
ARU deputy chief executive Matt Carroll also revealed that the biggest opponents of the ARC, the Sydney and Brisbane clubs, will lose their $2 million a year "Premier Rugby" funding from 2009 in a shake up of the structure of grassroots rugby.
While the ARU lost $2.5 million on operational costs for the ARC, the real outlay was $4.7 million, which covered loans to the New South Wales, Queensland and Victorian Rugby Unions, who fielded six of the eight teams.
"The loans were only repayable out of surpluses from the ARC so if there are no surpluses there is no repayment," Carroll said.
"In effect, because the thing wasn't going to make money, they were grants."
Carroll said the ARU had budgeted for a $523,000 shortfall in NSW but had to pay out $1.097 million; budgeted $198,000 for Queensland and paid out $415,000; and instead of paying out Victoria $280,000, ended up paying $857,000.
"That's how we get to our $4.7 million loss for the ARU," Carroll said.
He added that the ARU forecast the ARC would lose another $3.3 million if the competition continued next year.
The ARC could have continued in a streamlined format if the NSWRU and QRU had been prepared to bear their own costs.
"Everyone was keen on ARC for its rugby purposes," Carroll said.
"It generated opportunities for new players. It gave a high level of competition so everyone was fine with that, but NSW and Queensland, when I said to them going forward for the second year, if we cut costs down ... would you therefore wear your losses as distinct from the ARU wearing the loss?
"To be fair to them, they went away and looked at it and they said they couldn't afford to do it - and I can understand that.
"It wasn't as if we didn't try all measures to try to see what we could do for year two, but by our calculations, even with savings, even with factoring in the players agreeing to a substantial discount in payments, we came up with a $3.3m loss again for the ARU."
The ARU will stage an interim "third tier" competition in October next year before deciding on a permanent replacement for the ARC, which could be state or club based.
Carroll said the Sydney and Brisbane clubs would be closely involved in any new competition, but there would be changes at the grassroots level, including greater accountability of any funding.
"Premier Rugby funding runs out in '08," Carroll said.
"We've put everyone on notice, don't count on it for '09. In the original concept it was tied to reaching certain criteria. I don't know that there is any accountability at all any more. Any sort of funding into any sort of competition will be heavily accountable."
The Australia A, international sevens and national talent identification programs are also being reviewed.
While the concept of the ARC was sound, the structure of rugby in Australia should have been addressed before committing to one specific form of national competition, Carroll said.
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
Burgs, I don't know when you found this article, but are you getting an eiree feeling of deja vu over what we and GGST were discussing this afternoon?
Read this article differently : i.e. the biggest problem with the ARC was subsidising QLD and NSW rugby Union - the ARU also seems to be underwriting the Club rugby scence in thoses states as well - this is not healthy and they are in the process of amputating this money -
So the lads don't have an ARC and the Sydney/NSW Clubs who would have paid them something won't be able to - OZ rugby faces some challenges in the next couple of years - our younger players will quit for Europe
PS RugbyWa pays the insurance for all registered players - they also organise the coaching and refereering clinics and the like at what looks like subsidised prices - nobody runs 2 day courses for $150
61 years between Grand SlamsWas the wait worth it - Ya betta baby
I have trouble understanding how the NSW and QLD clubs need so much money? We're talking about a million bucks each in compensation for ARC players. That's obscene, especially when you realise that Matt Giteau isn't getting that sort of dough, so they're paying a marquee player's wage to both unions for fringe players, when the ACT and WA are fully self funded?
It sounds like the eastern states clubs were orchestrating the demise of this comp from the start (could explain a lot of the stuff you found frustrating Fulv) I mean if you're planning to kill it, you do exactly the things we were criticizing, you schedule it at an awkward time, you don't promote it well, you don't negotiate with the players, clubs or anyone else,you get people offside!
I'm not sure, but it could've been very craftily stage manged by some VERY SLIMY individuals.
C'mon the
The real story behind it all is still not on record. At least the public have been told that the only real loss in the ARC was from a $2 mill grant (gift) to NSW suburban clubs.
Funny, it the ARU has to keep throwing money at the Sydney clubs, that makes club rugby a financially irrrisponsible action. How the hell are they going to be the 'saviour' of Australian rugby?
Any young lad with an ounce of potential will be looking for contracts in NZ (NPC), SA (currie cup) or in Europe. Reminds me of the last 15 years before the Force managed to bring a few players back home.
And the ARU can say to pro ARC people "Hey we tried"Originally Posted by GIGS20
I'm still pretty dirty on this decision so i'm not going to go on the rant
1. because i'm drunk
2. because i'm drunk
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