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#Post#: 113706--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jersey Reds cease trading
DIR By: championes
Date: September 29, 2023, 11:27 am
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--- Quote from: Brown Bottle link ---
>
> Why is it the RFU's responsibility to bail out failed
businesses that own rugby clubs? And how exactly are they
feathering their own nests?
>
--- End Quote ---
Here's its "Purpose" from the most recent annual report.
"To enrich lives, introduce more people to rugby union and
develop the sport for future generations"
Under its failed watch during the 12 months covered in this
report, three of the country's top flight rugby sides have gone
bust in one season, the England team has reached new lows in
performance, it totally mismanaged Eddie Jones - giving him a
further contract and more cash but failing to get rid of him
until a year after he'd failed to perform, the Championship is
barely functioning and now one of its few potential Premiership
teams has since gone bust, below that grass roots rugby is on
its arse -- with barely enough registered players in England to
fill Twickenham twice.
By all its own measures it has failed.
During that same period Bill Sweeney's salary has gone up from
£540,000 a year to £668,000. Seems right to get a 24% pay
increase when it's all going so well.
Indeed, the year before that it was £430,000. So he's had a 50%
pay increase over two years.
But it's all fine.
#Post#: 113707--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jersey Reds cease trading
DIR By: Brown Bottle
Date: September 29, 2023, 12:23 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: championes link ---
>
> Here's its "Purpose" from the most recent annual report.
>
> "To enrich lives, introduce more people to rugby union and
develop the sport for future generations"
>
> Under its failed watch during the 12 months covered in this
report, three of the country's top flight rugby sides have gone
bust in one season, the England team has reached new lows in
performance, it totally mismanaged Eddie Jones - giving him a
further contract and more cash but failing to get rid of him
until a year after he'd failed to perform, the Championship is
barely functioning and now one of its few potential Premiership
teams has since gone bust, below that grass roots rugby is on
its bottom -- with barely enough registered players in England
to fill Twickenham twice.
>
> By all its own measures it has failed.
>
> During that same period Bill Sweeney's salary has gone up from
£540,000 a year to £668,000. Seems right to get a 24% pay
increase when it's all going so well.
>
> Indeed, the year before that it was £430,000. So he's had a
50% pay increase over two years.
>
> But it's all fine.
>
--- End Quote ---
So, going back to my question which you quoted but ignored,
which failure(s) out of LI, Wuss, Wasps and Jersey was/were
caused by the RFU?
#Post#: 113710--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jersey Reds cease trading
DIR By: Mayor West
Date: September 29, 2023, 3:15 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
The huge funding cut must have had a significant impact on your
financial planning. I know it isn’t directly the fault of the
RFU which had its income curtailed by covid but if you had a
five year projection for your business based on your current
guaranteed income and it was reduced by two thirds, it is bound
to have a devastating effect on your business.
I personally am a “what if?” Type of person. Low risk
taker. Many businesses run on a very different more ambitious
approach but higher risk. They are the ones hardest hit by
things out of their control. Rugby, which has been on a knife
edge before Covid, seems to have been badly affected by the
pandemic and the fallout. It doesn’t seem like Jersey were
reckless like Wasps, possibly just unlucky or unfortunate.
#Post#: 113711--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jersey Reds cease trading
DIR By: JammyGit
Date: September 29, 2023, 3:17 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Mayor West link ---
>
> The huge funding cut must have had a significant impact on
your financial planning. I know it isn’t directly the fault of
the RFU which had its income curtailed by covid but if you had a
five year projection for your business based on your current
guaranteed income and it was reduced by two thirds, it is bound
to have a devastating effect on your business.
> I personally am a “what if?” Type of person. Low risk taker.
Many businesses run on a very different more ambitious approach
but higher risk. They are the ones hardest hit by things out of
their control. Rugby, which has been on a knife edge before
Covid, seems to have been badly affected by the pandemic and the
fallout. It doesn’t seem like Jersey were reckless like Wasps,
possibly just unlucky or unfortunate.
>
--- End Quote ---
They almost went bust in 2016 and have zero fan base or ability
to develop it. I can't see how they weren't overreaching.
#Post#: 113714--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jersey Reds cease trading
DIR By: Guildford Quin
Date: September 29, 2023, 5:33 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
It feels like Nero fiddling whilst Rome burns. The RFU and
Premiership Club owners seem to be solely interested in their
own financial security and those interests are not aligned. The
self-appointed RFU continue to be content to attempt to fill
Twickenham with part-time rugby supporters and are oblivious to
the quality of the product on the pitch and it's relative
entertainment value. Meanwhile we have a bunch of wealthy
disparate Premiership Club owners with little vision for
marketing their product to a wider fanbase and seemingly content
to absorb an operating loss every year. It's total infuriating
madness and destroying the game I love. With only 10 Premiership
clubs operating next season, surely now is the time for some
common sense, to put aside any self-interest and create a
moratorium of sorts to conserve their long-term survival ? The
RFU is reliant on the Premiership clubs to provide players for
it's National product, and the Premiership clubs partly depend
on their financial assistance, but I don't think the balance of
power is realistic and seemingly the relationship between the
two is still dysfunctional. Whilst both continue to operate in
their ivory towers, I fear that in 5 years time the professional
club game I love to watch may no longer exist
#Post#: 113716--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jersey Reds cease trading
DIR By: 1964cb
Date: September 30, 2023, 3:45 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Even as someone who lives in Guernsey and is a big Raiders fan -
this is sad news.
I hope they make a comeback at a comparable level to us.
Re the Siam it’s technically Guernsey v Jersey and not Raiders v
Reds though their can be a lot of similarities between the teams
!!!
#Post#: 113717--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jersey Reds cease trading
DIR By: Camquin
Date: September 30, 2023, 3:47 am
---------------------------------------------------------
One area in which the RFU has been remiss is in financial
oversight.
Every time a club fails mid-season, the other clubs are left
with a hole in their finances, and if you are not on TV, home
games are the main source of revenue.
For Caldy and Cambridge, this is the second time in three
seasons it has happened - we were both in National One when Old
Elthamians collapsed and are both now in the Championship.
The RFU is meant to look at the business plan, which in both
cases was predicated on signing up a new sponsor, who never put
pen to paper.
The RFU should require all contracts are in place by 1 August,
when if a club has to withdraw there is still time to promote
another club to fill the gap.
Clubs would still fail, but hopefully not mid-season.
#Post#: 113718--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jersey Reds cease trading
DIR By: Brown Bottle
Date: September 30, 2023, 5:47 am
---------------------------------------------------------
That's a fair point, Camquin, but one of Jersey's problems was
an existing "investor" who, since they were basically just
funding it, probably weren't contracted. I'm sure I've read that
Jersey have refused to disclose who their benefactor is/was.
Nothing Jersey can do if the benefactor just pulls out.
Also, Jersey have been bailed out by their government more than
once and Biljon has claimed they pulled out of a deal, which
they have since denied.
I most of the above is short on hard facts but they seem to be
in short supply.
#Post#: 113719--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jersey Reds cease trading
DIR By: Domestos
Date: September 30, 2023, 5:57 am
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This is something which we have debated on here a number of
times.
Surely it cannot make good business sense for a company (A
professional rugby club) to rely on hand outs from a benefactor.
The company should be financially viable without subsidies or
monies which could be withdrawn at any time. You wouldn't run a
chip shop that way, why run a rugby club like that?
#Post#: 113720--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jersey Reds cease trading
DIR By: Brown Bottle
Date: September 30, 2023, 6:39 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Domestos link ---
>
> This is something which we have debated on here a number of
times.
>
> Surely it cannot make good business sense for a company (A
professional rugby club) to rely on hand outs from a benefactor.
The company should be financially viable without subsidies or
monies which could be withdrawn at any time. You wouldn't run a
chip shop that way, why run a rugby club like that?
>
--- End Quote ---
Trouble is there isn't a premiership club in that position!
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