Former PM John Howard.....

[Geo]

Former PM John Howard asked to overhaul NRL
By Phil Rothfield From: The Daily Telegraph October 07, 2009 12:43AM 69
Source: The Daily Telegraph
FORMER prime minister John Howard has been secretly approached by league officials to become the game's most powerful figure.
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As part of a radical blueprint to overhaul the current structure of the game, Mr Howard has been asked to be inaugural chairman of an independent commission to run the NRL.
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The Daily Telegraph can reveal that Mr Howard, 70, was sounded out recently by Gold Coast Titans boss Michael Searle, who is leading an NRL club committee to establish the commission with eight directors.
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Mr Howard, a league supporter and St George-Illawarra fanatic, is currently in the US.
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A spokesman told The Daily Telegraph last night: "Mr Howard has no comment to make other than to say that he has always been interested in rugby league and has the best interests of the game at heart."
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It is understood Mr Searle is pushing for the former prime minister because he is seen as a distinguished, statesman-like figure with no ties to any faction.
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He is also a figurehead many believe would be the unifying force the game needs and the man to help ward off the AFL's multi-million-dollar assault on league's heartland in Sydney's west.
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It is believed the push for Mr Howard will meet with some opposition because some influential figures believe the retired PM may be too old for the role.
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Mr Howard would be the only appointee to the board; the rest would be nominated and go through an election process among club and state delegates.
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Mr Howard has a strong knowledge of league and is not allied with either co-owners News Ltd (publisher of The Daily Telegraph) or the Australian Rugby League, neither of which would be represented on the commission.
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The commission is being mooted to resolve the game's complicated ownership issues and the fractious set-up between the NRL, the ARL, the NSWRL, the Country Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League.
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It is proposed all would merge and operate under the Howard-led independent commission, identical to the AFL's senior management structure.
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Many senior figures at club level believe the game's development has been stymied by its unwieldy structure and "blazer brigade" culture created by too many controlling bodies.
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Now, with the game at the crossroads ahead of crucial upcoming TV rights negotiations and ambitious expansion plans into the Central Coast and southeast Queensland, they want a commission to unify the code.
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NRL chief executive David Gallop last night lent his support to approaching Mr Howard.
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"I was made aware of it in some discussions I had recently," Mr Gallop said.
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"I'll just say this: to have someone of his high profile and passion involved in the game would be handy.
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"I get briefed from time to time on the proposals for the commission but it is something being driven by the clubs and I haven't been involved in any discussion with John Howard."
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Mr Gallop would remain as the NRL chief executive and still wield the day-to-day power.

Could only be a great thing….......except for the last line....David your days are numbered..........

 

[Juro]

I liked Howard as prime minister for the first few years but then was very tired of him in the end. We all know that the NRL needs an overhaul. Whether Howard is the right man for the job, who knows? We all know Gallop isn't though, so any change would have to be for the better!

 

[stryker]

John Howard was a tough prime minister who made decisions and stood by them. He has a very thick skin. He doesn't get pushed around.

I think he would be great in this job.

 

[NJLM78]

Peter Costello has also suddenly become available for the position. Malcolm Turnbull may soon be available too.

 

[Snake]

Mr Howard is a sports tragic and loves footy … take politics out of it he would be a real bonus for the NRL with the AFL battle approaching .The old system is finished it,s just jobs for the boys this new structure is what's needed .At least the NRL will always be in surplus!!!

 

[innsaneink]

Searle is pushing this?
I hear warning bells.

 

[mikey]

Either give me a bucket or an Uzi. John Howard in charge of league - I would much rather choke on my dog's vomit.

 

[Mystery]

He is probably the best prime minister weve had is very well known throught the world… He would be nothing but a bonus to the NRL in my opinion

 

[senexx]

The Commission is a bad idea. The Administration is all ready bogged down and/or corrupt. We do not need to corrupt it any further. If they had to pick a politician, pick someone like John Brogden. If John Howard has any role in the NRL I believe the vast majority of people will tune out of Rugby League and into other sports. For him, not being a part of a faction that would not be true. For a start we know he's a Dragon's fan…

 

[Geo]

Why News Ltd is eager to quit the NRL ahead of time
Roy Masters | October 8, 2009
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Frustrated by continuing conflicts of interest over coverage of player scandals and payment for media rights, NRL part-owner News Ltd is desperate to exit the game.
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The haste to abandon the NRL eight years ahead of its scheduled departure has fast-forwarded plans to establish an independent commission to rule a code that seemingly has as many leagues as Jules Verne envisaged.
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Former prime minister John Howard, whose principal sporting passion is cricket and whose interest in rugby league is focused on St George Illawarra, would be reluctant to lock himself into a long-term leadership of a re-branded Australian Rugby League. NRL chief executive David Gallop, who is certain to be the commission's inaugural CEO, was quick to distance himself from Howard, given rugby league received an $11 million grant on Saturday from the Rudd Government to construct a centralised administration.
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The NRL club boss pledged with the task of recruiting commissioners, Gold Coast's Michael Searle, has approached former Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon and chairman Gary Pemberton, who was also involved with SOCOG (Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games) and the NSW TAB.
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A past Queensland treasurer, Terry Mackenroth, currently a Queensland Rugby League director who sits on the board of the ARL, is considered a certainty to be elected to the commission. NRL executive board member Katie Page is also highly regarded but has a potential conflict as part-owner of Harvey Norman, the retail chain that sponsors State of Origin.
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The potential break-up of Foxtel could also have accelerated News Ltd's determination to leave. News Ltd currently owns a quarter share and management rights of the giant telco, which has pay TV, mobile phone and online operations.
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Should Telstra relinquish its half-ownership of Foxtel, News Ltd and the other quarter shareholder, James Packer's Consolidated Media Holdings, hold pre-emptive rights to buy it outright.
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The C7 Federal Court case, in which Seven owner Kerry Stokes claimed a conspiracy by a coalition of Telstra, News Ltd and James Packer to shut down his pay TV arm, established that the law looks unkindly on a sport and a broadcaster being controlled by the same entity.
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It is not known whether News Ltd will exercise a first-and-last-rights TV option as a condition of its exit from the NRL.
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News Ltd chairman John Hartigan - a newspaper man - is tired of the conflict and looking to improve the balance sheet, while chief accountant Peter Macourt can see the value of exercising broadcasting control over a product that outrates AFL.
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News Ltd draws $8m annually from NRL revenue, partly as re-payment of debts incurred during the Super League war but also to fund the Storm's annual $5m-$6m loss.
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Such is the rivalry in the ''catch-and-kill-your-own'' world of rugby league, the NRL's other 15 clubs would demand News Ltd's $8m be split among them, rather than fund a club that has won the code's two big prizes - the NRL premiership and the under-20s Toyota Cup.
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It is anticipated News Ltd, whose 1997 peace treaty with the ARL committed it to exit all but one of its clubs within 20 years, would leave the Storm at the same time it departed the NRL. This would impose immediate cost burdens on the NRL outpost.
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While the Storm's revenue will increase when it moves to its new $300m rectangular stadium next year, it would need significant subsidies until gate-taking and sponsorship can be maximised.
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The Broncos, the NRL's only listed club, is controlled by News Ltd, with a 67 per cent share, and makes an annual profit of between $1m and $2m. News Ltd's conflict was exposed during the State of Origin series when a Broncos player considered legal action against a News Ltd publication for a story that wrongly linked him with drug-taking.
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News Ltd's Sydney tabloid, The Daily Telegraph, announced its back page would be a ''scandal free zone'' when the relentless exposure of misdemeanours attracted the criticism that the media company was undermining the value of its own sporting asset. A meeting of NRL club executives in August complained about harsh coverage.
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The ARL, whose half-ownership of the NRL is enshrined in the 1997 peace treaty, was suspected a few months ago of deliberately stalling moves towards an independent commission. However, ARL chairman Colin Love is a strong supporter of a commission, despite News Ltd's oft-expressed view the ARL is made up of dinosaurs who should also surrender control.
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Love is aware many leading Australian companies have been reluctant to invest in the NRL, knowing they were lining the pockets of one of the world's biggest corporations.
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News Ltd also has a half share and management rights of Premier Media Group, owners of Fox Sports, which has the rights to televise five NRL games a week until 2012\. As News Ltd half-owns the NRL and PMG, it is in fact paying money to itself for rights that, based on rugby league filling 66 of the top 100 spots on pay TV, is a seriously undervalued commitment.

Very interesting read from Masters over at Fairfax…....

Seems News Ltd's push for a commission may be driven by another adgenda...........hmmm

 

[Yossarian]

He is probably the best prime minister weve had is very well known throught the world… He would be nothing but a bonus to the NRL in my opinion

Well that's your opinion. I disagree with all of it apart from him being well known.

 

[Juro]

Very interesting read from Masters over at Fairfax…....

Seems News Ltd's push for a commission may be driven by another adgenda...........hmmm

When do News ever not have another agenda?