Grimmace
06-09-06, 04:48 PM
Third tier comp given go-ahead
Guy MacGibbon
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
A proposed new eight-team Australian provincial competition will go ahead despite passionate opposition from clubs that believe the competition would damage the grassroots of club rugby.
The Australian Rugby Union board today approved the eight-team competition, which would involve the amalgamation of club sides, to start next year.
Powerhouse clubs including Randwick and Sydney University have been among the opponents.
Each of the state unions as well as the Rugby Union Players Association have agreed to the competition.
Last week the NSW Rugby Union had said it would not support the competition unless the ARU underwrote it.
There have even been estimates that the tournament could run at a loss of up to $5 million a season for the first three years. NSWRU last week provided the ARU with its financial figures, which indicated that the tournament was liable to involve a "substantial loss".
Yesterday, ARU chief executive Gary Flowers was not making any predictions as to which way the board would vote but was confident his model was the right choice.
"Why this model?" Flowers said. "Because it's a model that was actually developed and created by the stakeholders.
"The whole process was geared towards that and that's been the outcome.
"This has always been about player development and giving opportunity to those aspirational players to be involved in the competition and follow a pathway through to the next level ... [and] we would argue this has the ability to strengthen club rugby across the board [as well]."
Source:smh
Guy MacGibbon
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
A proposed new eight-team Australian provincial competition will go ahead despite passionate opposition from clubs that believe the competition would damage the grassroots of club rugby.
The Australian Rugby Union board today approved the eight-team competition, which would involve the amalgamation of club sides, to start next year.
Powerhouse clubs including Randwick and Sydney University have been among the opponents.
Each of the state unions as well as the Rugby Union Players Association have agreed to the competition.
Last week the NSW Rugby Union had said it would not support the competition unless the ARU underwrote it.
There have even been estimates that the tournament could run at a loss of up to $5 million a season for the first three years. NSWRU last week provided the ARU with its financial figures, which indicated that the tournament was liable to involve a "substantial loss".
Yesterday, ARU chief executive Gary Flowers was not making any predictions as to which way the board would vote but was confident his model was the right choice.
"Why this model?" Flowers said. "Because it's a model that was actually developed and created by the stakeholders.
"The whole process was geared towards that and that's been the outcome.
"This has always been about player development and giving opportunity to those aspirational players to be involved in the competition and follow a pathway through to the next level ... [and] we would argue this has the ability to strengthen club rugby across the board [as well]."
Source:smh