Fanatics’ Post

According to website Rugby365, the sale of Newlands Rugby Stadium - to an undisclosed buyer - was voted on, and approved, at a recent Western Province Rugby Football Union council meeting. Following the move of Western Province Rugby’s professional teams to DHL Stadium in early 2022, Newlands Rugby has ceased to be a rugby venue. When Western Province Rugby was placed under administration by SARU in October 2021, one of the major tasks assigned to the administrator was to finalise the sale of the stadium. One of the obstacles included a proposal to have the stadium declared a heritage site however, an independent report by a heritage specialist suggested otherwise. Rugby365: https://bit.ly/4bKLJPr Western Province Rugby: https://bit.ly/3LiXRfR The independent report by Bridget O’Donoghue: https://bit.ly/3LiXRfR #newlandsrugbystadium #sport #rugby #commercialrealestate #rugbystadium #realestateinvestment #capetownproperty #assetmanagement #capetown #propertydevelopment #realestatenews #propertynews

According to website Rugby365, the sale of Newlands Rugby Stadium - to an undisclosed buyer - was voted on, and approved, at a recent Western Province Rugby Football Union council meeting. Following the move of Western Province Rugby’s professional teams to DHL Stadium in early 2022, Newlands Rugby has ceased to be a rugby venue. When Western Province Rugby was placed under administration by SARU in October 2021, one of the major tasks assigned to the administrator was to finalise the sale of the stadium. One of the obstacles included a proposal to have the stadium declared a heritage site however, an independent report by a heritage specialist suggested otherwise. Rugby365: https://bit.ly/4bKLJPr Western Province Rugby: https://bit.ly/3LiXRfR The independent report by Bridget O’Donoghue: https://bit.ly/3LiXRfR #newlandsrugbystadium #sport #rugby #commercialrealestate #rugbystadium #realestateinvestment #capetownproperty #assetmanagement #capetown #propertydevelopment #realestatenews #propertynews

An admirable aim undermined by a design-by-committee solution. The declared intention to roll out T1 rugby as the non-contact version of rugby in schools is as parochial as it gets. There is already a fast-paced, well-regulated, recognised non-contact version of rugby with national teams, World Cups and its own star players- it is called touch and is managed by the Federation of International Touch - you could even point to Try Tag Rugby as a more union-adjacent version. Instead World Rugby and the RFU with T1 rugby and previously Touch Union are trying to own the non-contact game and claim its players for their own- hence the dissolution of the O2 touch initiative after lockdown that had successfully seen many people take up touch rugby. As a player of both contact rugby union and touch rugby- I think T1 looks a hateful sport and a miserable experience as a competitive game. I'm surprised, and yet not surprised, that the overriding aim of 'get people running around with an oval ball and scoring tries' is being ignored here in the name of ownership and politics. Original Article: https://lnkd.in/ezdW_iRJ

Excited to launch Australian Rugby’s strategy for 2025 - 2029 yesterday. Australian Rugby’s “From Green To Gold” strategy towards 2029 - formed in collaboration with stakeholders across the game including member unions, Super Rugby clubs and the Rugby Union Players’ Association - features three key pillars: performance excellence, participation growth and promotion effectiveness. Performance excellence: To consistently build winning teams in Gold, connecting and inspiring Australians and our rugby community. Participation growth: To increase support for clubs, schools, coaches and match officials to enable growth in participation and strengthen the rugby community. Promotion effectiveness: To leverage major events and engage bigger audiences across platforms increasing visibility, support and interest in rugby and driving commercial value.

Given the current schism in New Zealand Rugby, Roger Mitchell's well-articulated recent article on #Rugby & talk of #Saudi money coming to create a Rugby version LIV Golf on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast (with Mark Foster), the storm clouds of #disruption seem imminent. For me, it comes down to the fact that when compared to other high-profile sports, elite Rugby players play too much, get absolutely battered week-in week-out for quite frankly relatively pitiful remuneration. No matter how much tinkering is done with rules, governance, player vs country contracts, concussion protocols, etc. this lack of money going to its stars leaves the sport more vulnerable than ever for someone to come along with a big cheque and mix things up a bit. The inevitability of this is almost palpable but the nuanced cause and effect, fragmentation and revolution it may cause is up for debate. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to a nice day out on Saturday attending European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR)'s showcase Championship Cup, final Stade Toulousain Rugby v Leinster Rugby at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, who knows I might have to go to #Riyadh to watch it next year! 😉 RugbyDAO World Rugby AYNE - are you not entertained? podcast Public Investment Fund (PIF)

Four Asian Rugby Unions Join Forces for Unions Cup to Boost 15s Rugby Growth As we wrapped up the Singapore Rugby Sevens, a landmark event took place that promises to enhance the landscape of rugby in Asia. The Singapore Rugby Union, alongside the rugby unions of Thailand , Chinese Taipei, and the Philippine Rugby Football Union Inc, have signed a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). 🤝 The Unions Cup: A New Chapter for Rugby in Asia Set to kick off from June 28 to July 6, 2024, the inaugural Unions Cup aims to boost 15s rugby and increase playing opportunities across Eastern and Southeast Asia. This marks a significant commitment to nurturing close-border rivalries, increased playing opportunities and the potential to expand to women's games next year. 🔄 Rotating Hosts, Building Traditions Each participating country will take turns hosting the annual tournament, enhancing the engagement and excitement around #rugby in the region. This collaborative effort not only aims to strengthen the #sport but also to attract commercial partners and align with the broader goals of World Rugby. 🌏 A Unified Vision The aspiration for the Unions Cup is to grow into a six-country tournament to become the equivalent of the Six Nations Rugby. As we look towards the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup and the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup, initiatives like the Unions Cup are pivotal in promoting the 15s game.   The future of rugby in Asia is stronger, united, and more exciting than ever!   RugbyDAO Web3 Sports Ventures #AsiaRugby #RugbyUnion #UnionsCup Photo Credit: Asia Rugby

Admittedly, I had a knee jerk reaction when I saw all the pink and purple in the World Rugby initiative Rugby Rising Play. (Sidenote: at 42 years old I'm working on understanding my own conditioning against societally identified "girlie things".) But looking at the broader negative reactions to this promo, reinforced self-reflection regarding my initial reaction and how that conflicts with my genuine belief about the sport of rugby - Women and girls are diverse, and all types of folks play and enjoy rugby. I have arrived here: This promo video is a good reminder that we need many different paths to entry into the game that make all people and children feel comfortable to join the game. Rugby is not just about being tough, it is also about finesse, tactics, style, and evolving as a game - and for that we need all kinds of people to join. If there is a sector of girls that will see this and feel that rugby is a place where they may belong - as fans or as athletes - it is a good thing and I applaud it. Women and girls are NOT a monolith, even in a tenacious sport. Some of the best athletes I coached only ever participated in theater or cheerleading or music and they applied their focus and became amazing rugby players. We as a rugby community have to reach our hands out to every type of person and let them decide if they want to be a part of the community. This World Rugby promo is an example of that. And YES, rugby needs fans! So even when people try rugby and find that playing the sport isn't for them, there is still a place for them as a fan. As for the fandom, children - especially girls, can find strength in watching others display their toughness. We allow boys who have never played Pee-Wee Football (little kids American football) to watch and admire the NFL players each week. We see how it makes them feel powerful and confident, so why not girls and rugby? Are we, as a rugby community, defining little girls who like pink, purple, and sparkles and resigning them to be moms and caretakers only?!? If so, that is absolute rubbish. So let's broaden the circle - that's what the women+ of this game have been doing. You should continue to follow our lead.

90% of people who completed our survey said that their business held fantasy sport competitions for men's sport but not for the women. Let's change that. The Guinness Women's Six Nations kicks-off THIS weekend and we've been thinking... what's the best way to get people involved and immersed with the tournament this year?   Our answer... we've set up a Six Nations Fantasy Rugby League powered by Energia so YOU can get more invested, learn about the players and invite your friends, family and colleagues to get invovled too! Not to mention there will be weekly prizes to be won which include match tickets and much more!   We do it for men's sport... so why not the women's too? Interestingly enough, we surveyed our audience around the concept of Fantasy Leagues and it was highlighted that the majority of businesses tend to participate in the men's versions of these but very few do the same for the women. In fact - Get involved here: https://lnkd.in/eUH2psRj

It will be extremely useful in preparing the teams and their High Performance plans, with objectives set for the qualifying process for Rugby World Cup 2027.

A very disappointing day for rugby in Australia. It seems history is set to repeat itself with another Australian Super Rugby Team ceasing to exist. It is naive to think reducing the professional contracting opportunities by 20% will increase depth and competition. The NRL and AFL have 17 and 18 teams respectively, Rugby will have 4. Which code do you think juniors will steer towards? A 1/4 chance or a 1/17 or 1/18, less career opportunities will equal less depth as potential players seek certainty and better odds of making it professional. How could a governing body be ignorant to a franchise operating insolvent for multiple years? I question whether this failure of corporate governance raises more concerns for the future of professional rugby in Australia.