Quote: BrisbaneRhino "The system in Australia cannot be copied, but its not the 'clubs' that make the money, its the so-called 'Leagues clubs'. These are non-profit organisations attached to league clubs often only due to historic reasons. They make absolute bucketloads of cash via pubs and poker machines, and yet as they are non-profit they have to spend their money on things - generally sports and similar. The link is sometimes very strong but sometimes not - I know for a fact that the Penrith Leagues Club tried to sell off the Panthers some years ago. Most NRL teams would not survive financially without support from their Leagues club. Its one of the main reasons Souths went out a few years ago - they have no strong leagues club to prop them up.
Penrith Leagues Club in Sydney virtually owns their suburb. Up here in Queensland Redcliffe Leagues club own most of the sports grounds on the peninsula and sponsor heaps opf other sports as well as running a very good standard semi-pro team.
I understand that the number of RU teams run is very impressive - I think what we're lacking in the heartlands is accessing quality athletes, who aren't necessarily going to union at all - more likely they keep trying to become football stars or simply do the classic British athletic kid thing - sweet FA. I'd be willing to bet that if you went round schools in Leeds for example you could find a heap of big, strong and fast kids who aren't playing a sport to any level at all. Get some of them into the game via a pro club and you may see results - see Ryan Hall for what can happen even later than that.
BTW you cannot ignore the TV money when discussing the income of the game as a whole. That money would almost certainly be far less impressive were Cats, Quins and in the future Celtic not involved but replaced by the likes of Leigh and Widnes. And I'd bet that for most - if not all - clubs that Sky income is the by far the biggest and most certain form of revenue they get every year.'"
& at headingley we are reducing the opening of the southstand social club
