'I'm not an AFL stooge': Barr defends rugby World Cup decision, reveals $10m offer
Andrew Barr has fired back at the idea he is "a stooge for a southern code" after Canberra was overlooked as a host city for the Rugby World Cup, revealing a $10 million offer for four matches was knocked back by tournament organisers, while defending a heavy investment in AFL games to Manuka Oval.
Canberra fans will have to watch from the sidelines during the 2027 tournament after the
ACT government and tournament officials failed to strike a deal despite more than two years' worth of negotiations.
The
result has left rugby fans fuming about being left out of one of the biggest sporting events in the world, with the ACT government now under fire for
a 10-year, $28.5 million investment to bring GWS Giants games to Canberra.
But Barr has shot back at people claiming rugby is not a priority for the Chief Minister, who they say would rather sink millions into a western Sydney-based AFL team.
"I've been to more than 100 Brumbies games over my time. I've been following them since they came into the competition in 1995," Barr said on ABC Radio.
"I was born in northern NSW. I've lived in Canberra for 47 years, so this idea that somehow I am a stooge for a southern code is, is an interesting proposition. People have favourite sports, they don't like other sports. There are 470,000 Canberrans, half of them don't care about sport at all, but the ones that do will follow a variety of different codes and they have a variety of different views.
"In the end, we have AFL, rugby league, rugby union, football, basketball, baseball, netball, we have all the sports covered and we seek in balancing our event budget and our sport and recreation budget to provide opportunities for every sport.
"The package we put to the tournament organisers was between $2 and $3 million per game, so an $8 million to $12 million package for those four games.
"If only half the seats were sold, they'd make $8 million. If they sold three-quarters of the seats, they'd make about $10 million. If all the seats were sold, they stood to make $12 million.
"The estimates and the pitch to us was that we might get about $9 million of value. But we would have been shelled out a considerable amount of money, and the opportunity cost that's lost there is events that return significantly more."
Barr also shut down the idea Canberra Stadium played a factor in the decision despite tournament organisers expressing concern about the ageing facility, declaring the final call was "all about money ... If the money was there, they were taking it."
ACT government officials are adamant their offer for "category C" World Cup fixtures - included provision of a rent free commercially clean match venue, marketing support, support for the provision of a fan zone, integrated ticketing and free public transport - was realistic and financially responsible.
The offer amounted to about $2.5 million for each match, based on 75 per cent capacity attendance at each match including ticket sale and hospitality revenue.
Canberra Stadium boasted an average crowd figure of 20,482 across four fixtures during the 2003 edition which featured Italy, Tonga, Wales and Canada.
Pressed on whether the AFL investment is worth it, Barr's counterargument was the ACT would be the only state or territory missing out on elite level AFL if the deal was ripped off the table.
However now Canberra - home to one of just four Australian Super Rugby teams - will miss out on Rugby World Cup games, despite fixtures being awarded to non-traditional rugby union markets in Newcastle and Adelaide.
"But we do have soccer, and we do have rugby union, and we have obviously local teams that we support. We also secure matches that involve either those local teams or indeed our national team playing in those sports," Barr said.
"An example for this year is of course the Brumbies versus the British and Irish Lions. That's supporting our team playing against a quality international opponent at our venue."
Barr says an investment into the Brumbies - who have walked a financial tightrope in recent years - remains the territory's biggest professional rugby priority, while vowing to continue supporting other Canberra teams such as Canberra United, who face an uncertain future beyond this season after being saved by a $200,000 bailout by the government last year.
"We do provide more money for those local sporting teams and we anticipate given some of the events that are transpiring in some of those sporting codes that we'll need to provide even more money," Barr said.
"We often are the largest financial supporter of those local teams. Without the ACT government, they wouldn't exist."
Andrew Barr has shot back at critics of a Rugby World Cup saga.
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