Confraternity of Brothers Clubs Inc. COMMUNIQUÉ Confraternity Conference No 73 Innisfail Brothers 10th 11th and 12th October 2014 Delegates representing Brothers Clubs from all over Queensland and the Northern Territory met in Innisfail in far North Queensland for the 73rd Confraternity Conference. Clubs as far apart as Logan in the South to Darwin in the Northern Territory were in attendance. With a membership of fifty one Clubs, the Confraternity of Brothers Clubs is a strong and powerful association providing enormous benefits to its member clubs. The Confraternity is made up of Junior and Senior Rugby League Football Clubs located in all of Queensland’s major cities and towns from Cairns in the North to Beenleigh in the South as well as Darwin in the Northern Territory. There are nine clubs in the Brisbane, Logan, and Ipswich area alone and eight Licensed Leagues clubs across the State There are also six Old Boys Associations involved. Over 70 conference delegates discussed topical issues revolving around Rugby League and the operation of their clubs and associations. A varied and interesting agenda saw delegates addressed by a wide range of presenters who imparted a wealth of knowledge that clubs can use to improve their performance both on and off the field. Confraternity Chairman Brian Roberts, welcomed all delegates and in particular new attendees. All were invited to have input during the course of the Conference and to ask questions at the appropriate times. Paul Laffin the General Manager of Brothers Leagues Club, Innisfail welcomed Conference delegates to Innisfail and outlined the weekend’s activities and facilities provided by the club. Daryl Subloo, Chairman of Innisfail Brothers then officially welcomed delegates. The licensed Clubs Sub Committee Chairman, Mark Hennelly, chaired the first of the afternoons sessions, commencing with Leigh Anderson, Board Chairman, Queensland Rugby League (QRL). Northern Division who spoke on the activities, structure and governance of the QRL in North Queensland. 1 Ray Phillips the Club Relationships Manager from Clubs Queensland then brought delegates up to date with the work of Clubs Queensland in support of our licensed clubs. In particular, Ray spoke on the Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) and advised surveillance will be undertaken of compliance with the legislation by the regulator. Ray also outlined the work on the Liquor and Red Tape Reduction program which has delivered a number of tangible benefits to clubs. Following this Ty Williams from Innisfail Brothers Development then spoke on his experience in progressing a rugby league career from the Brothers juniors to a North Queensland Cowboys and Queensland State of Origin player and more recently with Northern Pride. Ty explained development opportunities in the Innisfail area and his work with Innisfail Brothers junior development. The QRL. Regional Coordinator, Northern Division, David Maiden then addressed the conference on his role particularly throughout Cape York. David explained the long distances and sometimes dangerous travel many players have to undertake by dinghy and on dirt roads just to play Rugby League. Delegates enjoyed David’s presentation during which he outlined the various competitions and remote locations where league is played. A new club was formed at White Rock near Cairns during the year which introduced large number of new players to the game. David also outlined details of a number of indigenous carnivals that re currently being played. This was followed by a video presentation from one of our valued sponsors, Schweppes, which apprised delegates of their various products including the success of their ciders which is leading the market in respect to cider sales. Mark Hennelly, Ipswich Brothers then updated on tax issues and the reviews being undertaken by the Taxation Department on our licensed clubs. These reviews are to assess and clarify the status of these sports clubs, in regard to tax liabilities and whether they are considered “not for profit” clubs. Damien Trudgett, from another long term sponsor Lion Nathan then spoke on their latest line of products and the growing popularity of cider and craft beers. New on the market is the new 10 can pack of cider. After the day’s sessions, Delegates enjoyed the hospitality of our sponsors with refreshments and a light meal. The Confraternity wishes to acknowledge our most generous Sponsors and thanks them for their ongoing support and Sponsorships. Saturday morning commenced with the Official Opening by Councillor Bryce McDonald, the Deputy Mayor, Cassowary Coast Regional Council. Councillor McDonald welcomed delegates and spoke briefly on the Cassowary Coast and the important role Brothers plays in the area. 2 Darren Schooth from the QRL then provided an overview of results of the QRL Club Audit Program. All Brothers Clubs have been assessed and a range of data has been collected around facilities, player numbers etc. Reports are currently being developed which will be useful for grant submissions and benchmarking against other clubs. It also shows clubs infrastructure priorities, volunteer bases and suppliers. Darren advised that the audit shows Brothers Clubs have over 7,500 players. This was followed by a RQRL Presentation covering NRL Activity & Programs for 2015, provided by Arthur Eustace Earle. Arthur provided the Confraternity with the “Guidelines for Preferred Facilities” for rugby league including such things as synthetic turf, dressing rooms etc. Arthur also updated delegates on the Pacific Island strategy to develop the game in these islands and an Intrust Super Cup update. Arthur’s presentation sparked a general discussion around volunteers and the difficulty attracting and retaining them where a range of options and problems were discussed among delegates. Assistant Coach of the Inter State Champions the Northern Pride Rugby League Football Club, Joe O’Callaghan spoke on their High Performance Academy which currently has 210 players participating. Joe explained how the program came about, how it works and what they do for the players. Next two of our sponsors/suppliers addressed the conference on their wares. First Brian Waldron from Aspect Sportswear spoke on his wares, advising orders should be on by December. Brian explained the new “Aspect Locker Room” which is an online ordering system for Brothers clubs. Brian showed Delegates a range of clothing items demonstrating a range of styles and materials. Aspect are continuing their incentive program for clubs introducing new clients. Following Brian our official on field supplier Peter Oversluizen from Triple Play outlined the service and products available from Triple Play. Amongst the products Peter displayed was his new two piece jersey which allow/s for sponsor’s logos across the top. Delegates were then brought up to date on the Brothers NRL Bid by bid founder Justin Barlow. More details on criteria required for any new team should be released later this year after the NRL review currently being undertaken on all aspects of the game. Justin provided an overview of the approach being taken and the proposed model. The Trademark agreement with Brothers confraternity is almost in place. Chairman Brian spoke briefly on the QISSRL, Confraternity Shield held at the Gold Coast during the year. In 2015 the competition will be held in Ipswich utilising Ipswich Brothers new fields. It is expected 44 teams will participate. 3 The member Leagues Clubs then provided an overview of their performance over the past years, with all clubs trading well. Clubs outlined their future plans and initiatives. Innisfail now has 5000 members and are building an upstairs auditorium in the near future. Ipswich have two additional fields finished which will be well utilised during next year’s Confraternity Shield. Cairns boasts 35000 members and reported their recent development is now finished and will be extending the car park with an extra 115 car spaces at their Fuller Sports Club. Host club for the next conference, Bundaberg had a good year and have finished off work on a number of upgrades. Bundaberg now has 13 netball teams affiliated with their club. Townsville reported on their Leagues Club and the progress on club upgrades including the restaurant. Townsville Blackhawks then gave the Delegates a presentation on how they gained entry into the 2015 Intrust Super Cup and their plans in going forward. Club Delegates then retired for the day to enjoy the facilities of the Innisfail club and for the bagman to do his work. Sunday commenced with a minutes silence to remember those Members that have departed and unfortunately we have had a few pass away in recent times. Our prayers and condolences go to their families. They will be missed but not never forgotten. It was then the turn of the football clubs to report on their last season. While results were not as good as Brothers clubs have come to expect, overall it was a good year with some mixed results. Numbers increased across the board with signs of further growth next season. Clubs shared mixed results with Brisbane Juniors, Ipswich and Darwin reporting an increase in player numbers. Interesting the number of clubs now fielding women’s and girl’s sides. Brothers clubs were well represented in the finals across the board as well as in the represented player ranks. The Australian team fielded 6 former Brothers players including the Captain. A welcome development within the confraternity is the growing number of “Old Boys Clubs”. While some are just establishing themselves others are going strong such as Logan Brothers Old Boys with 68 members and Ipswich with around 70 active members. Cairns, Mustangs and host club Innisfail joined these clubs in updating delegates on their activities in support of the football clubs. Delegates from other clubs also indicated they would look at founding “Old Boys” in their regions which can only help Member Football Clubs. A welcome break from business was the held with the Sergeant at Arms Bob Mulley reporting on those that transgressed over the weekend.