2016-2020 Australian Rugby Strategic Plan Inspire all Australians to enjoy our great global game A Game For All Australian Wallabies Australians Sevens ACT & Southern New South Wales Northern Territory Rugby Union Rugby New South Wales Rugby Union Rugby Union Rugby Union Queensland Rugby WA South Australian Tasmanian Victorian Rugby Union Rugby Union Rugby Union Rugby Union Brumbies NSW Waratahs Melbourne Rebels Queensland Reds Western Force Contents 01 Foreword: 2016-2020 Australian Rugby Strategic Plan 05 Introduction 07 Challenges Facing The Game 09 What Our Fans And Corporate Partners Want 11 Our Strategy 15 Make Rugby A Game For All 19 Ignite Australia’s Passion For The Game 25 Build Sustainable Elite Success 35 Create Excellence In How The Game Is Run acknowledgements Photo credits: ARU Media/Stuart Walmsley, Rick McLallen and Getty Images Accenture: Digital Technology Consulting Partner of ARU Foreword: 2016-2020 Australian Rugby Strategic Plan We are fortunate to be part of a great global game • Competing with the success of the game on the integral to the sporting and cultural life of millions world stage, making it hard to retain athletes and of Australians. Rugby provides opportunities for all coaches in a global economy and market Australians to have a run with their friends, entertains • Challenged to be financially sustainable, with our through our professional competitions and projects financial viability having never been under greater our national identity on the global stage. Our threat than in the last two years - which required all performance at the 2015 World Cup in England parts of the Rugby community to share the burden showed the potential of the game to inspire, thrill and of reduced funding and cuts to operational unite the country. expenditure. In this regard, I thank the Rugby community for its patience and efforts over the However, as most of our community knows, we face past two years in working with the ARU to address profound challenges to ensure the continuing these challenges that had the potential to damage relevance and success of the game we love. We are: our game. • Changing as a country, becoming a busier and more Importantly, Australian Rugby is on the verge of a new Bill Pulver diverse nation with less time for organised sports dawn with an improved media rights deal in 2016 set CEO - Australian Rugby Union • Operating in, arguably, the most competitive sports to kick-start the Rugby economy and place our game market in the world, for participants, professional on a sustainable financial footing. We have worked athletes, attendance, viewers and media attention across the Rugby community to come up with a plan • Engaging more through digital channels, where to capitalise on this opportunity and address the Rugby has a limited presence challenges we face. We have listened and clearly heard what you want, which is more than just on-field success. 01 Foreword – 2016-2020 Australian Rugby Strategic Plan This includes: OUR FANS OUR ADMINISTRATION • The values of the game driving consistent behaviours and decisions for players and 2. Ignite Australia’s passion for 4. Create excellence in how the administrators the game game is run • A place in Rugby for every Australian • National footprint, with global impact and local • In a hyper-competitive environment, our teams, from • Our game requires strong leadership and high enjoyment NRC, through Super Rugby to Wallabies, need to be performing organisations. To do this, we will deliver • Smart, creative, running Rugby more exciting to watch and ignite the passion in our the National Charter that will guide decision making • A co-operative union with each state, territory and fans, new and old. To do this, we will improve the across all of Rugby and implement the Australian affiliate working in an aligned way game through on-field innovation and better off-field Rugby Strategy Group that will bring leaders of engagement through digital and stadia initiatives – Australian Rugby together to guide strategy and As a collective, our vision is ‘To inspire all Australians including having our elite teams playing in world-class provide input into key decisions relating to our game. to enjoy our great global game’. To realise this vision, rectangular stadia. We will increase Rugby’s share of We will also ensure that the administration of we need to deliver better than ever before in four key voice in the public domain by connecting our players, Australian Rugby reflects the society we live in by areas: past and present, with the community. doing more to recruit, develop and retain women from the boardroom to the playing field in order to nor- OUR COMMUNITY OUR ELITE TEAMS malise their role and place in our game. 1. Make Rugby a game for all 3. Build sustainable elite success The 2016-2020 Australian Rugby Strategic Plan sets out the framework for Australian Rugby to deliver • Traditional XVs Rugby is our core and we need to • Our game needs winning Super Rugby, Sevens, across these four key areas over the next five years protect and strengthen our senior and junior clubs. Wallabies and Wallaroo teams. The professional and has been developed with contributions from However, this will not be enough to make our game game generates over 90% of the money in the Rugby every part of the game. It is a Strategy for Australian grow. We need to develop new formats of the game economy and surplus to invest in other areas of the Rugby, by Australian Rugby. to encourage new entrants through the doors of our game. To create sustainable success we will create a clubs and focus our attention on encouraging co-operative high performance environment across all To execute the Strategy we need to align funding with diversity, particularly to appeal to more women, of our elite teams that recognises the importance of our intent. As an industry, Rugby needs to become Indigenous and Pasifika peoples. Importantly, we will performance science, technology, and coaching smarter with the way it directs its investment. We direct a greater proportion of our energies and development to support improved talent identification, operate in a different world and the way we have funding to make these formats sucessful. athlete development and pathways, wellbeing, team operated in the past will not lead us to future success. dynamics and technical development. Our Strategy is focussed on the growth of the game at every level and we will harness a once-in-a-generation Foreword – 2016-2020 Australian Rugby Strategic Plan 02 opportunity to put our game back onto a Women sustainable financial footing by directing our investment into initiatives that will deliver more • More girls picking up and running with a ball participants, fans, elite success and ultimately, • Flourishing women’s Sevens scene – established revenue. and clear pathway • More women on the touchline and in the Boardroom You can expect to see the differences of this new Strategy everywhere the game is played from 2016. Welfare We have set ambitious targets for our game to achieve which we will publish and track – there • Zero tolerance for playing with concussion will be full transparency of our annual performance • Non-contact formats to address concerns about and scorecard as we move towards 2020. But physicality beyond these numbers we intend to effect rapid and • Elite athletes able to perform at their best real change in a number of areas: • Rugby is a positive influence on society Values This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to reshape the game we love. I hope you will join me in making this • Shared set of values we all recognise plan a reality. • These values guide all decisions and behaviours • We are proud of our game and our identity Clubs • The core of our game gets stronger and stronger 12 April 2016 • More diversity in our game • New formats of the game flourish in clubs 03 Foreword – 2016-2020 Australian Rugby Strategic Plan 04 Introduction Rugby in Australia is a key sporting and cultural • Positioned on a sound financial platform to invest platform that underpins our identity as a nation and in driving growth in participation, fan engagement projects it on a global stage, while providing and success for our national Sevens teams, Super opportunities for millions to enjoy our sport. Rugby teams and the Wallabies Traditionally, Australian Rugby has overachieved The Strategy has been created domestically and internationally relative to its market through a process of: size. However, in the last few years it is clear that Rugby has faced a number of structural changes • Consultation with all States and constituents in which have challenged the basis of the sport. Rugby • Consultation with the Rugby Union Players’ This 2016-2020 Australian Rugby Strategic Plan has Association been created to address these challenges and • Engaging 8000+ fans and sponsors through ensure that all parts of our game work together workshops and questionnaires effectively over the next five years and beyond. • Workshops with key representatives from all Super Rugby and state Rugby bodies Importantly, this Strategy will • Direct input from the ARU Board and management see Australian Rugby: • Operating under a single and unified direction, with all parts working towards achieving common targets • Implementing a whole-of-game strategic planning process • Promoting participation across three distinct formats of the game – traditional XVs (our core product), Sevens and non-contact VIVA7s 05 Introduction 06 Challenges Facing The Game The