Steve Commander MA (PDET), CertEd, FLPI, ILM L7’s Post

We observe the South Island NRL Bid being compared with others. Confident in being the next club granted approval to join, we strongly advocate for expanding the National Rugby League men's and women's competitions to 20 teams as soon as feasible. This expansion should ensure sustainability where clubs, players, and communities can prosper. We believe that the South Island of #NewZealand has all the inputs for early success, similar to what was seen with the Melbourne Storm. We believe Rugby league is the premier sport in Australasia, given its extensive reach across the entire Pacific. We acknowledge and respect the efforts of everyone involved in the bid application process, from #PNG to #WesternAustralia. As part of the #rugbyleague community, we aim to collectively strengthen and cement rugby league's position as the leading sport in the Southern Hemisphere. The below analysis was completed on Australian fans in 2021; we plan to share similar data on the New Zealand and Pacific markets in the coming weeks. #NRL

Cracking list on here

A new Rugby Local Plan Issues and Options report is going to Cabinet next week. Link below: https://lnkd.in/eJAp_juU   Key headlines:   -       8 week consultation starting October 30th to December 22nd -       Consultation includes a call for sites -       Plan period to 2041 or 2050 – to be determined -       In terms of employment land, no additional supply needed to 2041, but 40ha to 2050. This however excludes strategic warehousing and offices.  -       In terms of housing land, no additional supply needed to 2041 based on standard method (but 3,114 based on HEDNA), 795 dwellings needed to 2050 based on standard method or 8,1010 based on HEDNA.  -       Safeguarded land is identified at SW Rugby as potential employment or housing site. -       Updated LDS with Preferred Options July 2024, Pre-Submission January 2025, Submission June 2025, Adopt 2026

Rugby and Qatar… After today’s Tori Towey debacle how can the IRFU and other Unions seriously consider this initiative- “Also high on their list of priorities is the scheduled launch of the new biennial Nations Cup tournament in 2026, with a lucrative proposal of €950 million over eight years having been tabled to stage a so-called Super Bowl of Rugby finals weekend in Qatar. No final agreement has been reached but, despite the potential financial bonanza, some major unions are understood to have reservations. In addition to Qatar’s human rights record, a relative lack of travelling supporters could have an impact on ticket sales and the atmosphere inside the stadiums. Sources suggest discussions are now entering a decisive phase” Don’t do it. Can’t do it for the right reasons…

We've all been buzzing since winning a Rugby Black List award and feel more than ever that serious discussion and action needs to be taken around this fundamental question: "If rugby in England wants to engage with diverse communities how will this be achieved if diverse communities have no access to rugby?" In highly populated urban areas the required space for schools and clubs to play rugby on doesn't exist in sufficient amounts. Interesting fact - 50% of the total BAME population in England live in 3 cities. London, Birmingham & Manchester. Any thoughts? Also consider that you can't start to fudge the game (which is something the powers that be are currently working on) to create 5 a side touch and call it rugby. The beauty of rugby as we know it is that all shapes and sizes have an equal and important part to play on the pitch. Without this element it simply isn't rugby.

"Good ideas are always crazy until they're not"- Larry Page My heart goes out to all the supporters, volunteers and of course, players and coaches of the Melbourne Rebels, the Board (past and present) who got them in to this mess, not so much. It sounds mad but why don't the Melbourne Rebels field a team in the 2025 Shute Shield? Before you scoff ( I heard it from here) the numbers are not frightening. The cost of travel would be around $500 000 (Assuming 2 Grade Teams and a Colts team - or 1 Grade Team, 1 Women's team and a Colts team). Add to that the cost of running a Shute Shield club (around $1m) and maybe some extras (call it $500 000 to be safe) and you are left with a bill of around $2m . Not a huge number between Victorian Rugby Union, the Victorian Government and Rugby Australia. This number would obviously reduce after Membership, Sponsorship and Gate were collected but even if that revenue amounted to zero - $2.0m to keep a club in Melbourne sounds a fraction of the previous arrangement. The benefits would be a club for Victorian juniors to aspire to (albeit semi professional) there is a Victorian team for fans to congregate around and the games can be played in Stadiums more suited to the size of the crowds. For Stan, there is a reason for Victorian Rugby fans to keep their subscription, it solves RA's issue of providing a team in Victoria and all of us can do something to support Rugby in Victoria. Would the other Shute Shield Clubs go for it? Not sure, the progressive ones would as they should see the benefits to the game, so probably. Liz Radcliffe (President of Victorian Rugby) no doubt has a lot to think about and good on her for taking the role at such a difficult time. No solution is perfect and this idea is a good example of that, however, no fairy god mother is going to appear with the cash required to keep a fully professional Rugby Union team in Victoria. Liz, you will be pleasantly surprised at the number of non Victorian rugby fans willing to put their hand up, myself included, to grow the game. Try it for a year and see what happens - got to be better than the current situation?

#BlowtheWhistle - As the New Zealand Rugby Board, resists the idea of a Pasifika voice at its governance table, should we be asking of ourselves these uncomfortable questions of them and us? Is Rugby, much like other institutions, who have utilised our Pasifika sinews and bones, forged on the moana, as simply a commodity, and as it has seen fit? That Rugby institutions, like other institutions have set parameters around our ability to self-determine what that is, where that is, for who and for how much - muzzling our voice to ultimately benefit just themselves their Unions and TV channels? In fact, one could suggest that rugby, this iconic piece of New Zealand consciousness, is a microcosm of the kind of control and benefit driven by capitalism, and profit that our moana bodies have given from factory floors to rugby fields, and that we have given them like we have done, sadly, with our children’s bodies in State and Faith care - both abused by a system we trusted? We as people of the moana, I also question, have we participated in this, and are we entirely victims in this whole transactional process? Why do we readily give up our sons and daughters to sport, to schools, communities, workplaces and faith communities that at times do not give them the opportunity to grow and build and move on or up as they see fit and determine? And for the few that do succeed, we hear of them, we hold them up, we celebrate them, and so we should. But if our aspirations, especially of that initial migrant moana community, were so this very small, tiny piece of us would know and understand success - then maybe we need to ask ourselves, as to whether that is a true collective measure of success? And finally, the institution of NZ Rugby demonstrates what it actually believes about our bodies, our sons, our daughters and our many years and levels of contribution to the sport of Rugby. When it closes the door on our voice and does not allow our seat at the Rugby governance table...Have we not earned it..because we don't want to just be on the field and wall...we also want to be at the table? #PacificGovernance #PacificVoices #PacificPlayers #ManaseToa

What do you do with the sheep after you get them over the bridge.

A very disappointing day for rugby in Australia. It seems history is set to repeat itself with another Australian Super Rugby Team ceasing to exist. It is naive to think reducing the professional contracting opportunities by 20% will increase depth and competition. The NRL and AFL have 17 and 18 teams respectively, Rugby will have 4. Which code do you think juniors will steer towards? A 1/4 chance or a 1/17 or 1/18, less career opportunities will equal less depth as potential players seek certainty and better odds of making it professional. How could a governing body be ignorant to a franchise operating insolvent for multiple years? I question whether this failure of corporate governance raises more concerns for the future of professional rugby in Australia.