Outgoing Sparc boss Nick Hill has issued a pointed warning to rugby league bosses as the sport's major financial backers, including the government funding agency, told the NZRL to stop fighting in public or face funding cuts.
It appears that gaming trusts and Sparc want the NZRL to stop conducting political infighting in newsprint and demonstrate their governance problems are over.
The Star-Times understands new NZRL chairman Ray Haffenden has told his board strongly that media leaks must stop and has reminded them of a board charter preventing them from talking to the press.
Haffenden, who did not return calls for comment before deadline, and general manager Peter Cordtz were in Wellington this week meeting Sparc and gaming trusts, and were told that Sparc want to intervene and help sort out the game's administration: a step normally reserved for sports considered to be in real trouble.
`The key issue for everyone was wanting a sense of our stability going forward, unity," said Cordtz.
"You don't lose four directors without creating some anxiety and it was an opportunity for them to meet Ray and ask those questions of him as chairman."
But Hill, Sparc's chief executive, who steps down in March, worded it more strongly.
"We told them we are concerned about the governance of rugby league, by the events recently and in fact, over time, which do mean we are concerned about where the sport is headed," said Hill.
"The sport has suffered some real credibility loss, with the resignations [of four directors, including former chairman Andrew Chalmers] and also with the fact that the sport seems to be factionalised and washing its dirty linen in public.
"We said to them it is crucial for them to establish credibility at governance level and our support for them really depends on them doing that and we are, as we would be with any sport, prepared to help them and we are having to think about what help we are able to provide them.
"I certainly think they have a challenge in front of them."
Sparc had not already cut league's funding, but Hill confirmed the agency had taken those steps in the past with previous administrators.
Cordtz described the meetings in the capital as "touching base with key partners" but said Sparc gave no indication of funding being under threat.
He said the meetings were not about "rushing off to plead for more money" but were to reassure funders the game was sorting out its issues.
The funding plea may be this week, with meetings with the game's sponsors now scheduled.
The league received $600,000 less from gaming charities this year than expected and are tightening their belts in anticipation that pokie cash will keep shrinking.
Mike Knell, chief executive of one of the league's biggest backers, the New Zealand Community Trust, said he hadn't met Haffenden but had spoken to him.
"It would be fair to say we are monitoring the situation and we are interested to see how it is developed," he said.
Asked if the league's funding was under threat, he declined to comment.
But he said it was "always a concern where there is media attention".
stuff
