ARU hands control of new Melbourne Super Rugby team to Melbourne Rebels

[müdskipper]

From the Melbourne propergander unit.

By Adrian Warren
January 05, 2010 .The ownership saga surrounding the fifth Australian Super Rugby team has finally been resolved, with the Australian Rugby Union handing control of the franchise to the Melbourne Rebels consortium.

An agreement was announced on Tuesday between the ARU and the group headed by businessman Harold Mitchell.

Melbourne will join an expanded 15-team Super competition next year, when Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will all field five teams.

The Melbourne franchise will be based at the new 31,000-capacity rectangular stadium nearing completion in the city's sporting precinct.

Tuesday's announcement brought to an end several months of uncertainty about which interested parties would be involved in the Melbourne franchise, which will receive some loan funding from the ARU.

"Inevitably, these things take a while, but I wouldn't say it's been tortuous, I think it's been challenging,'' ARU chief executive John O'Neill told reporters on Tuesday.

"But the outcome we've reached with Harold and his team is a good one for rugby, a good one for the ARU and a good one for rugby in Melbourne.''

O'Neill said the ownership structure of the Melbourne franchise met the criteria set out by the ARU along with the funding arrangement and capital requirements.

O'Neill said the Victorian Rugby Union was not an equity partner in the Melbourne franchise, but described it as "a stakeholder''.

He said the ARU would have no more say in the running of the Melbourne team than it had in any of the existing Australian Super franchises.

Mitchell politely declined to disclose any details about pending major appointments including a coach and a chief executive.

"We are not too far away, of course we have been doing plenty of work, but I'm not about to announce it this morning,'' Mitchell told reporters.

The ARU announced on Monday that significant foreign-player concessions will be handed to Melbourne to give the franchise every chance of being competitive in their debut season.


AAP
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...002381,00.html

[Tazzmania]

Watching the Top 14 on Eurosport last night, one of the commentators mentioned that an assistant coach was going to Leinster to replace Michael Cheika, therefore by deduction is the hot favourite the new coach ?

[JediKnight]

Why are they 'Melbourne' & not 'Victoria'?
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[beige]

Why are they 'Melbourne' & not 'Victoria'?
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ARC hangover I guess...

[TOCC]

Watching the Top 14 on Eurosport last night, one of the commentators mentioned that an assistant coach was going to Leinster to replace Michael Cheika, therefore by deduction is the hot favourite the new coach ?

Michael Cheika announced months ago that he was not going to sign on again with Leinster once his contract was finished at the end of the season, hence why his name has been thrown about so much.

---------- Post added at 17:40 ---------- Previous post was at 17:39 ----------

Why are they 'Melbourne' & not 'Victoria'?
Posted via Mobile Device

they havent actually released the official name for the franchise yet, so it could be Melbourne but it might still be Victoria.

[GIGS20]

Isn't it their choice whether they're Melbourne or Victoria?

I would think that Melbourne would be more successful, Backwoods Victorian Bogans are even more AFL-Centric than the City Dwellers, who make a concession to other sports in the name of being "Cosmopolitan".....they don't actually support them, they just think it looks good and multicultural.

[tic]

How about "The brooding skivies"?

[Darren]

With a "Melbourne" AFL team, I woulda thought "Victoria" would be better as it covers all of the state and goes above teh current AFL groups ....

[normie]

Lets spark this thread up again;

http://twf.com.au/showthread.php?t=24035

And maybe a new poll and a vbook perhaps?

[Cookie]

do they have a cap on player payments under this new consortium

[TOCC]

Cookie i believe they are limited to the same $120'000(ish) that the other provinces are allowed to pay there players with, foreign players fall outside that limit though.

Also, i noticed in the bottom of one of the articles today that it mentions they will be sticking with the 'Rebels' name, didnt say if it was going to be Melbourne or Victoria, thats up to Mitchell.


I think it might be a good idea to go with the name Melbourne, it looks like we might be moving down the path away from state based names, especially in the future if Western Sydney or the Gold Coast get a team