Independent Commission

[AndTheKungFoSing]

Hey guys,

Just wondering what your thoughts are? I think it's great, as i think 99% of RL fans do… but what annoys me is that the independent commission is going to still be picking up the storms slack. When it comes down to it, if the club isn't financially viable after winning three premierships, finishing runners-up twice and winning 3 minor-premierships and existing now for 10+years... it never will be! Yet every club seems to think we should support them financially and help them exist in the hope one day they will be able to support themselves.

Ofcourse on the flip side, the independent commission looks as though it is going to be able to bring in alot more money for the clubs... so who knows.

It will be interesting to see their support fall even more if the start loosing more games then they win.

 

[Kul]

I think there are more important priorities for RL. Whilst Melbourne is Australia's second largest market, the storm arn't brining massive crowds in the same way that the Swans do here.

Yes, a team in Melbourne is important for the game, but not as important at the following:

1 - a Central Coast team
2 - a second Brisbane side

 

[Jazza]

I think the Storm are important.
They may lose 5 million or whatever it is every year but the game more then makes up for that through tv revenue gained by having a Melbourne team.
Add to that if the Storm get more TV exposure after the next TV rights deal, more sponsors may come on board, more fans may start to follow them and more fans may go to games especially now that they have brand new stadium.

Im excited about the Commission but at the same time Im still a bit confused, I initially thought a new commission would extinguish the QRL, CRL etc. But apparently they'll still stay around?

 

[hammertime]

I think the commission is fantastic. I hope that the ARL dinosaurs can stop dragging their feet and come to a decision before kickoff. It's much like having the Wests and Balmain factions in Wests Tigers, too many people involved with self-interests and tribal loyalties.

The storm should start to pick up the slack once they get their brand spanking new stadium. I was down in Melbourne to watch woods a few months ago, and it looks great! It's right in the city. Olympic Oval has hardly any corporate boxes, and we know thats where the big bucks come into it. Plus, capacity is like 10k or something.. Not a good ground for footy.

Plus, Jazza's comments about the TV rights is spot on, the increased deal we will get from having a VIC team goes to offset supporting them a bit. They are definitely worthwhile supporting financially.

It does look like the NSWRL and the QRL will stay. Hopefully that's only a passing thing and that the commission will get rid of them once established. It makes the competition so disjointed to have these teams compete under different team banners to the NRL. That's my only gripe with the new structure. That, and also having Colin Lowe as the inaugural chairman.

 

[AndTheKungFoSing]

Hopefully that's only a passing thing and that the commission will get rid of them once established.

My understanding is that they will still exist, but only manage their respective comps and have nothing to do with the national competition.

That, and also having Colin Lowe as the inaugural chairman.

Also i am pretty sure noone from the current administrations can be involved…

 

[Jazza]

Hopefully that's only a passing thing and that the commission will get rid of them once established.

My understanding is that they will still exist, but only manage their respective comps and have nothing to do with the national competition.

That, and also having Colin Lowe as the inaugural chairman.

Also i am pretty sure noone from the current administrations can be involved…

It was mentioned but I think that was used as more of a deal breaker to get the ARL moving into negotiations with News.
Some are saying that Love needs to be chairman to help get the commission started because the people on the commission may not understand how to run the game initially, but I think that is a load of bull. I mean one of the reasons why we want a commission is because the old organisational structure isnt working, so why get someone from the old organisation to help get the new one up and running?

The people on the commission will be skillful, smart, successful and experienced business people who are passionate about Rugby League. It may take a little fine tuning but once these people understand how to run the game (Which im sure if its not immediately, it'll be in a very short space of time), then the benefits will come.

We dont need someone like Colin Love to be the chairman of these people.
Thankfully with the negotiations dragging out, many are viewing this as a lack of leadership by Love and support for him to be the chairman is waning. And there's the possibility he may not want to be chairman anyway.

 

[Geo]

I think it stinks that the Storm are going to continue to get propped up and I agree with Arthurson…...

Arthurson no fan of News Ltd's bailout clause for Storm GLENN JACKSON
January 18, 2010
FORMER ARL chairman Ken Arthurson has described News Ltd's proposal for an independent commission to prop up the Melbourne Storm with an annual grant as ''fraught with danger''.
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Arthurson, a former NSWRL and ARL boss, has seen the proposal for an independent body to run the game, a plan which is to be dissected by club officials and players today at the Sheraton On The Park hotel in Sydney. But while he is a firm believer in the need for a new commission, he said it should be formed without the baggage of the proposed grant to the News-owned Storm, believed to be up to $30 million over six years.
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''I think that's something that needs to be looked at,'' Arthurson said. ''I'm very supportive of Melbourne and I think it's important we keep them going in the competition, but at the same time it's important we don't support them to the detriment of other clubs. I think it's totally wrong.''
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Arthurson, while reiterating that a truly national competition needed a Melbourne entity, said the Storm clause would be the major stumbling block between the clubs agreeing to support the commission, believing they would be alienated by it.
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He said any extra funds for Melbourne should come from the payout that News would receive from ending its partnership with the Australian Rugby League, which the company is entitled to as part of the peace deal stemming from the Super League war.
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''If they want to put that into the Melbourne Storm, it's up to them, but I don't know if the ARL should be doing that. I do think that there's a certain amount of money that should be apportioned to promoting the game in Melbourne. But they shouldn't be giving any money to the Melbourne club. That's fraught with danger,'' Arthurson said.
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''Melbourne have won the competition twice and been in the grand final four times in the past four years, and if they keep giving them additional money, I don't think that's fair. They continue to be given money and support over and above everyone else. They're virtually saying Melbourne are going to be hard to beat for forever and a day.''
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Having said that, Arthurson had little doubt an independent commission would emerge from the proposal and today's watershed meeting - and it needed to.
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''I really believe the time has come for the ARL and News Ltd to get on with business,'' Arthurson said. ''Talking time is just about over. They've been talking and talking for a long time. It's very important that the game of rugby league becomes unified. If we don't, we're facing a lot of challenges from a lot of other codes. Being fragmented is not going to help us at all.
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''This is how it's got to be, quite frankly.''
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And his suggested name for the new body? ''The ARL Commission,'' Arthurson said.
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''After all, that's who we are.''

Not really a level playing field is it.......As long as all clubs are on equal footing .......drawing the same revenue from the game then bring on the Independant Commion.....

All clubs need to find the extras themselves......Don't see the rich clubs being to happy propping up the likes of the Storm. Sharks and Cowboys for long.....

 

[hammertime]

Hopefully that's only a passing thing and that the commission will get rid of them once established.

My understanding is that they will still exist, but only manage their respective comps and have nothing to do with the national competition.

You are right Kaiser. What I meant was that I just don't like the division between the NRL/NYC structure and the reserve grade State Leagues. It's something, to me, that needs to be changed also. It's too divisive and it would be great to see 1 Wests Tigers Reserve grade team in the scheduling on game day. I always loved those games, great to see guys returning from injury or blokes who are still developing.

To me, I feel like guys fade out of the spotlight if they don't go straight from NYC to the NRL.

If the commission is established, and the state leagues remain. I think it will be easy, as a next step, for the teams to breakaway and drag the reserve grades into the NRL format.

 

[Tiger_Al]

I think for the commission & tv rights sake its fair enough to help them for the 6 years being bandied about, news ltd. wouldn't give away control if the storm are not looked after because they have dumped a butt load of cash into that team… and the 6 years would guide the storm through the transition to they're new stadium, then after that I rekon they either fend for themselves or die... whatever happens happens... if they die, wel they've been given every chance possible.

 

[hammertime]

I do suppose though we also have to look at the broader expansion of the game. The AFL are in the same position with a independent commission and they have decided to pump a whole lot of money into Western Sydney. In order to remain competitive and try to capture market share, we need teams like the Melbourne Storm to survive.

They should at least be close to solvent in 6 years. If they do need propping up, it won't take as near as much money as they do now.

 

[AndTheKungFoSing]

You are right Kaiser. What I meant was that I just don't like the division between the NRL/NYC structure and the reserve grade State Leagues. It's something, to me, that needs to be changed also. It's too divisive and it would be great to see 1 Wests Tigers Reserve grade team in the scheduling on game day. I always loved those games, great to see guys returning from injury or blokes who are still developing.

To me, I feel like guys fade out of the spotlight if they don't go straight from NYC to the NRL.

If the commission is established, and the state leagues remain. I think it will be easy, as a next step, for the teams to breakaway and drag the reserve grades into the NRL format.

Yeah completely agree mate… I don't think you'll get many people arguing. The NYC serves a purpose, but the reserve grade should never have been dissolved.

 

[alien]

The ARL should just take over again. Rugby League was moving in the right diresction in the 90's untill Super League came and stuffed everything up.

 

[Jazza]

The ARL should just take over again. Rugby League was moving in the right diresction in the 90's untill Super League came and stuffed everything up.

Easier said then done mate. Im pretty certain News wont leave the game if they knew the ARL was gonna take full control.

But I do agree the game was going well with the game expanding and its popularity at an all time high until Super League came.

 

[Kul]

The Super League war did cause a correction in the landscape of RL. I'd hate to see where RL would be today if there were still sides like Illawarra, Norths and even Balmain/Wests filling up an already full list of teams.

The Super League war forced sydney sides to consolidate for the good of the national game - yes it hurt, but AFL would be winning now if it wasn't for the SL war

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Hey guys,

Just wondering what your thoughts are? I think it's great, as i think 99% of RL fans do… but what annoys me is that the independent commission is going to still be picking up the storms slack. When it comes down to it, if the club isn't financially viable after winning three premierships, finishing runners-up twice and winning 3 minor-premierships and existing now for 10+years... it never will be! Yet every club seems to think we should support them financially and help them exist in the hope one day they will be able to support themselves.

Ofcourse on the flip side, the independent commission looks as though it is going to be able to bring in alot more money for the clubs... so who knows.

It will be interesting to see their support fall even more if the start loosing more games then they win.

Oh contrare Kaiser, if Melbournites have proved once thing, they're hardly flippant about their sport. I believe in another decade if it isnt equal to the AFL it will definitely be sustainable. I have workmates in VIC and they do get behind gthe Storm irrespective of their position, (to reinforce this, I asked when the Storm were in a slump,) and it truly affirms that even though AFL is their sport of choice, RL will always have a place in VIC…

 

[alien]

The Super League war was not good for the game at all. We do have Melbourne now which is good but they might not be able to survive financially without News Ltd. and might have to move to Gosford down the track. The ARL already had plans expanding nationally. If Super League didn't come along we would probably have a team in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth and a second Brisbane team. Norths maybe in Gosford too.

 

[alien]

And the Illawarra and Wests (Campbelltown/Macarthur) areas should have been allowed to keep their own fulltime team without merging. Both areas are huge and have alot of juniors and it is only increasing.

 

[alien]

yes it hurt, but AFL would be winning now if it wasn't for the SL war

I'm sorry Kul but that's a load of B.S.

 

[Jazza]

The Super League war did cause a correction in the landscape of RL. I'd hate to see where RL would be today if there were still sides like Illawarra, Norths and even Balmain/Wests filling up an already full list of teams.

The Super League war forced sydney sides to consolidate for the good of the national game - yes it hurt, but AFL would be winning now if it wasn't for the SL war

Yeah thats true but I think that was going to happen eventually even without Super League:

I just thought I'd grab a bit off wiki:

Prior to News Corporation's Super League proposal, the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) and Australian Rugby League (ARL) had planned to rationalise the number of Sydney teams. In July 1986 The Daily Telegraph reported:
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"Ken Arthurson has proposed a Super League… comprising four or five teams from Sydney, two from Brisbane, three New South Wales Country teams, Queensland Country and Auckland. You could amalgamate Manly/Northern Suburbs, Eastern Suburbs/Souths, Parramatta/Penrith and so on."
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Following the expansion of the competition throughout the 1980s and 90s many clubs were not financially viable in the long term. The NSWRL introduced an invitation-based system whereby it could fail to invite a club, thus excluding it. This left clubs without the security of continued participation in the premiership.
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The 1992 Bradley report:
"...to reduce the number of clubs in Sydney, will be very hard for the League to implement given the long playing traditions of some of those clubs. In the long term, however, it is likely that Sydney is not going to be able to support eleven clubs as it does at present. Therefore in the long term this is the only viable solution. Sydney based clubs are going to have to move to new areas, merge or be relegated from the League. In the long term I believe that the ARL should be looking to reduce the number of clubs in the National Competition to fourteen, thus allowing clubs to play two complete rounds. This will mean, assuming that only four new clubs are admitted from areas outside Sydney, that there will be only five clubs based in Sydney."

So I think by 1995 the ARL were on track and ready to rationalise, they had brought the new teams in and they were probably preparing to cull sides by waiting to see what clubs would fail the criteria and then just cull them through not inviting them into the competition, until the threat of Super League took over their priorities.
I think kicking the Western Reds out was the biggest mistake made, now there is Rugby, Football, and 2 AFL teams there now which has made things more difficult.

 

[alien]

I think kicking the Western Reds out was the biggest mistake made, now there is Rugby, Football, and 2 AFL teams there now which has made things more difficult.

Yep, if Perth were given the support back then like Melbourne is now then they would be set and alot more people would be playing League over there by now. I remember reading that the Reds had to pay for the other teams to travel over to Perth. We are still recovering from the Super League war. We haven't moved forward nationally since the war. If anything we have gone backwards. And if the commission does get incharge, instead of the ARL, then there is a good chance there wont be any new teams in the comp for a long time. The 16 clubs will be incharge and they will focus looking after themselves instead of spreading the game and bringing in more teams from Perth, Adelaide, Central Coast, 2nd Brisbane team, Wellington etc.