Aussie Pro Rugby
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The Australian reporting that some of Aus' biggest and best known fund managers are working on a secret plan to raise $100m to help save rugby union.
A group of up to 15 stock pickers and rugby aficionados have been quietly trying to raise the funds in recent weeks, promising to contribute their time and investment acumen for free to help their beloved but embattled sport.
The target is $100m capital.
Funds to do what? Are they thinking of a new comp?
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Funds to do what? Are they thinking of a new comp?
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Funds to do what? Are they thinking of a new comp?
The Rugby Future Fund will target a $100m capital raising according to initial pitch documents seen by The Weekend Australian, which show plans to donate 1 per cent of its gross assets per year to the Australian Rugby Foundation (ARF).
Renowned stockmarket investors such as David Paradice, Geoff Wilson, Phil King and up to a dozen others are named on the documents as having given in-principle support.
The funds would be invested with the fund managers on a pro-bono basis, on a similar basis to the ASX-listed Future Generation fund that donates to youth at risk and mental health charities.
The Rugby Future Fund says its money would be earmarked for “community and diversity, women in rugby and high performance”, the pitch document says.
Money raised will target development of the women’s code and try to encourage broader participation in the men’s game, which is currently played predominantly in the country’s most expensive private schools, and specifically target players of Indigenous and Pacific Nations heritage.
The pitch document says it will focus on “high performance” and “building a sustainable system for winning that is consistent from top to bottom”.
Funds would go to support community rugby, clubs and schools to “grow the number and diversity of people participating”, “accelerate growth and enhance opportunities for women and girls” and “develop and retain young talent” at higher levels.
The fund managers would predominantly invest in Australian stocks in what would be an open-ended unit trust.
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So who is giving up the cash?
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@Duluth Apart from the players, perhaps the decline can also be attributed to the change in coaching staff with John Ulugia now scrum coach?
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@Duluth Apart from the players, perhaps the decline can also be attributed to the change in coaching staff with John Ulugia now scrum coach?
Maybe that explains part of it?
It does seem like a change in emphasis for some reason though. One thing the article didn't touch is the rolling maul.
They used to be so efficient at scoring from mauls. This year they didn't attempt it as frequently as other teams.. often they would set up a dummy maul and have a runner around the fringes.
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@Duluth Apart from the players, perhaps the decline can also be attributed to the change in coaching staff with John Ulugia now scrum coach?
@antipodean and the fact Laurie Fisher is at the table for Schmidt
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Maybe that explains part of it?
It does seem like a change in emphasis for some reason though. One thing the article didn't touch is the rolling maul.
They used to be so efficient at scoring from mauls. This year they didn't attempt it as frequently as other teams.. often they would set up a dummy maul and have a runner around the fringes.
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The change in emphasis is easier to explain: Larkham wanted the Brumbies to become a more rounded team, in part to help attract more people to watching and supporting. That's straight from the horse's mouth.
I think it shows a lack of maturity and on-field leadership that they didn't keep a strength of theirs to utilise when appropriate.
A lot of people around here believe the loss of Laurie Fisher is obvious in this regard and should be a positive for Schmidt's Wallabies.
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Wisemantel? Replacing DC with him? What a clown show.
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Joe's first Wallabies squad is due out today. Should be interesting.
