Action must be taken to stop the AFL killing league Phil Gould
August 7, 2011
Let's get one thing straight. I am not the person responsible for fighting the advance of AFL into the western Sydney regions. It would appear that since I was asked to become general manager of the Penrith Panthers, people have been given the false impression I am now in charge of western Sydney and that it's my job to confront the AFL. Talk about trying to deflect responsibility. I work for the Penrith Panthers. I am not employed by the NRL. It is not my job. It is the NRL's job. And the evidence overwhelmingly suggests the NRL has failed to properly protect and develop rugby league in western Sydney over the past 10 years, leaving it vulnerable to the AFL machine. This vital region in the rugby league landscape has been neglected terribly.
The Panthers can't fight the AFL in Western Sydney. That's a total mismatch. The Panthers can only look after themselves. Rest assured, I will be fighting for the Panthers and the Panthers will always fight for our fans and our wonderful junior league. However, it is the responsibility of the NRL to service grassroots rugby league to ensure rugby league's place in western Sydney. And despite the best efforts of many passionate individuals, the current programs are leaderless, disorganised and under-resourced. There are too many league brands. No focus to their efforts. No plan to have all these bodies working together. If you ask me to name one man who has taken responsibility for this all-important role of devising a strategy for rugby league to maintain its stake in the west; well, I couldn't tell you. Rugby league needs someone with the leadership skills and the courage to say, ''The buck stops with me!'' Let me tell you, the AFL has got one! Everyone answers to Andrew Demetriou. He also has the ear of our government leaders.
Every major development issue in the game seems to have all our current rugby league administrations pointing the finger at each other, saying, "That's their problem." This is why we have fought so hard to appoint an independent governing body that can give our game the direction it needs. The sooner they take control of the game, the better. However, they are now saying the current NRL partners will not hand over control of the game to the independent commission until November 1. That's way too late. The two years of procrastination in implementing the commission has already cost the game tens of millions of dollars. We can't afford to waste any more time - because the longer we maintain our current structures, the easier it is for AFL to continue its march across western Sydney. Make no mistake; the NRL is directly responsible for the ease with which AFL has infiltrated the sporting fields of western Sydney. If you don't believe me, take a drive around the western areas to see for yourself.
Any rubbish you hear about the AFL not being a threat to rugby league in western Sydney or that the AFL is struggling to make inroads into this one-time rugby league stronghold is wishful thinking, naivety, or deliberate misinformation. Quite simply, the AFL is a monster. You have no idea how powerful, how well resourced, how well connected and how determined this code is in its aim to not only be the No.1 sport in Australia, but to totally obliterate rugby league in the process. The AFL has parked itself at Blacktown, the fastest growing area in the country. In doing so, they have strategically cut Penrith off from the rest of the Sydney NRL Clubs. They are advancing through the growth areas of western Sydney at an alarming rate. They have wooed councils, schools, licensed clubs and many of the major corporate businesses in the area. They have local councils and community-based clubs, many of which used to have a strong link to rugby league, now advertising the AFL and GWS brands, their memberships, their sponsorship options and their merchandise. There are AFL goalposts sprouting up like mushrooms. And this, my friends, is only the beginning.
The AFL has a 20-year strategy to achieve generational change in people's sporting preferences and habits. In the meantime, though, the AFL can't believe the ease with which it has been able to get such a strong foothold in what rugby league calls its own heartland. The AFL is all about ripping the heart out of rugby league. Now, the NRL and ARL's response to this column will be to highlight all the things they are supposedly doing for western Sydney rugby league. They will point to the schools programs, ARL Development and the NSWRL Western Sydney Academy. Mind you, all these bodies operate out of Centrebet Stadium at Penrith, so I have a pretty good handle on what they can and can't achieve in this battle. They are good people. However, these bodies are merely rowboats fighting the AFL warships. Quite simply, rugby league does not have an over-riding strategy for western Sydney. The AFL does.
I guess the final straw for me came a few weeks ago when I learned the AFL was proposing to build a $32 million centre of excellence at Blacktown as the hub of its western Sydney operations. I understand this precinct in Blacktown was years ago offered to the NRL to build itself a showpiece academy in its western heartland. The NRL, for reasons best known to itself, chose to build its new administration block (not a rugby league academy), at Moore Park on SCG Trust land. This is not only a terrible commercial decision, it is the worst strategic decision any sporting body in the country has ever made. End of story. Meanwhile, western Sydney could soon be host to an AFL centre of excellence and community centre the envy of every sporting code in the country. Anyway, all is not lost. I have great hopes for rugby league's new independent commission and the people entrusted with developing rugby league's future.
What I want to do today is bring people's attention to the real situation out west, highlight the need for urgent action - and, hopefully, instigate more open and honest discussion on the matter. This is vitally important to the future of our code. It is not too late for rugby league to show western Sydney some love. I have been inundated with calls and emails from passionate league people offering assistance. Even though I have said it is not my job, together with some good friends and like-minded rugby league supporters, we have formulated a strategic plan for western Sydney that I believe will put rugby league back on the front foot. But to whom do we take the plan? Who will run it? Where will we get the funding? Who will drive the promotion and development of rugby league in the western areas of Sydney to the heights our game deserves? Who will help us engage the communities and the hearts and minds of Western Sydney families? We need to have them choose rugby league as part of their lifestyles, for life. There are a lot of good rugby league people out west working hard for the game. But they need more support.
