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AUCKLAND Rugby League appear willing to take their battle with New Zealand Rugby League to the High Court after taking out an injunction to force the postponement of yesterday's AGM in Auckland which was due to sign off major restructuring to the sport.
The ARL ended a fortnight of terse negotiations by taking the NZRL to court on Friday and it is understood they are willing to go all the way to a full hearing if mediation talks fail.
Government funding agency Sparc have indicated they are willing to step in to solve the dispute but say they have faith the warring parties can find a compromise.
"We're not losing patience," said Sparc chief executive Peter Miskimmin. "It's all part of the change process. A lot of work needs to be done to reconstruct a sport but I guess it is disappointing to see a pause along the road."
Miskimmin said Sparc's $2m funding package for league was "still secure", although he conceded if there was no resolution that could change. "But I am still very confident this will be resolved, and for the betterment of the game."
The news comes as a setback for the NZRL, who have been upbeat about the game's progress but are worried about the public relations damage of the dispute. It comes at a time they are aggressively pursuing new sponsorship deals and are understood to be close to securing a record jersey sponsorship deal for the Kiwis with three major companies.
Yesterday's AGM was replaced by an informal meeting at NZRL headquarters in Auckland, where NZRL lawyers spoke about the case before Auckland chairman Cameron McGregor pleaded his case from the floor.
Auckland's complaint is that the reorganisation of the sport into seven zone boards takes away all power from the game's 15 districts, including their own. With the backing of 31 of their 32 clubs, Auckland blocked the incorporation of three of the seven zones, leaving the AGM without the required quorum.
A meeting between Auckland and New Zealand two weeks ago brought no resolution and the NZRL allegedly still formed the Northern Zone comprised of Northland and North Harbour clubs last week, despite Auckland claiming that was unconstitutional because a majority of clubs hadn't signed off, prompting a letter from Auckland's lawyer.
It is understood Auckland are refusing to budge from their position and they have the financial resources to pursue a full court action if the NZRL do not change the constitution.
McGregor declined to comment, saying he wanted to study the judge's full decision, which is due early this week. NZRL chief executive Jim Doyle referred calls to his chairman, Scott Carter, who didn't return ours before deadline last night.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-news/sport/3517515/Sparc-offer-to-help-end-ARL-and-NZRL-spat
The ARL ended a fortnight of terse negotiations by taking the NZRL to court on Friday and it is understood they are willing to go all the way to a full hearing if mediation talks fail.
Government funding agency Sparc have indicated they are willing to step in to solve the dispute but say they have faith the warring parties can find a compromise.
"We're not losing patience," said Sparc chief executive Peter Miskimmin. "It's all part of the change process. A lot of work needs to be done to reconstruct a sport but I guess it is disappointing to see a pause along the road."
Miskimmin said Sparc's $2m funding package for league was "still secure", although he conceded if there was no resolution that could change. "But I am still very confident this will be resolved, and for the betterment of the game."
The news comes as a setback for the NZRL, who have been upbeat about the game's progress but are worried about the public relations damage of the dispute. It comes at a time they are aggressively pursuing new sponsorship deals and are understood to be close to securing a record jersey sponsorship deal for the Kiwis with three major companies.
Yesterday's AGM was replaced by an informal meeting at NZRL headquarters in Auckland, where NZRL lawyers spoke about the case before Auckland chairman Cameron McGregor pleaded his case from the floor.
Auckland's complaint is that the reorganisation of the sport into seven zone boards takes away all power from the game's 15 districts, including their own. With the backing of 31 of their 32 clubs, Auckland blocked the incorporation of three of the seven zones, leaving the AGM without the required quorum.
A meeting between Auckland and New Zealand two weeks ago brought no resolution and the NZRL allegedly still formed the Northern Zone comprised of Northland and North Harbour clubs last week, despite Auckland claiming that was unconstitutional because a majority of clubs hadn't signed off, prompting a letter from Auckland's lawyer.
It is understood Auckland are refusing to budge from their position and they have the financial resources to pursue a full court action if the NZRL do not change the constitution.
McGregor declined to comment, saying he wanted to study the judge's full decision, which is due early this week. NZRL chief executive Jim Doyle referred calls to his chairman, Scott Carter, who didn't return ours before deadline last night.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-news/sport/3517515/Sparc-offer-to-help-end-ARL-and-NZRL-spat
