Should jnr rego's be free?

[Perth Red]

Been watching the launch of a new jnr club in mandurah and noticed jnr registrations are around $139. With the arlc setting a goal of more Jnr's playing the game and allegedly spending tens of millions a year on grass roots should they make playing the game for kids free and offer grants to grass roots jnr clubs?

 

[rnb11]

The clubs have to make money somehow. They have to pay for clubhouse maintenance, jerseys and staff attire, presentation days/nights, trophies, canteen equipment and food, all the printing throughout the year, salaries of some full time workers - not everyone are volunteers, signage etc. It should be a bit cheaper agreed but it wouldn't be possible to make it free.

 

[The Engineers Room]

If the NRL could get a grassroots sponsor (like a McDonalds) then they could make the memberships cheaper. I remember as a kid in the 90s my parents paid $30. Now the local club charges $90.

 

[adamkungl]

Souths Juniors comps are free for all ages, right up to A grade.
It's pretty excellent.

 

[Sydney Knight]

Souths Jnrs have the big club behind them which is awesome. Balmain regos can be as low as $50 until 17 or 18. Then ramps up. Some clubs have free u/6s. Soccer is really expensive $200 to $300

 

[innsaneink]

If you want your kids playing RL with the bare minimum you might be lucky to get away with free rego.....its very expensive to run a junior club

 

[AuckMel]

$139 seems like a pretty fair price. The key for most clubs is offering weekly/monthly payments just in case it is hard for some families.

 

[Sydney Knight]

We have toddler's and some of those soca joeys and sport programs are $160 for 10 weeks. That is one hour a week. Rugby league u will get your kid looked after 2 nights of training a game and usually you get shorts socks and jersey. Also trophies preso days after game functions etc

 

[Lambretta]

Souths Juniors comps are free for all ages, right up to A grade.
It's pretty excellent.

This is an excellent program that Souths Juniors offers

But you do have to realise that gambling money pays for the registration fees
As a social price, gambling addiction is a higher one to pay than $139 per kid that plays.

Of course the flip side is that many people who would have to pay simply wouldn't play and lose interest in the game so we're back to it being a good thing. Personally I'm going to sit on the fence here as I'm undecided.

 

[adamkungl]

This is an excellent program that Souths Juniors offers

But you do have to realise that gambling money pays for the registration fees
As a social price, gambling addiction is a higher one to pay than $139 per kid that plays.

Of course the flip side is that many people who would have to pay simply wouldn't play and lose interest in the game so we're back to it being a good thing. Personally I'm going to sit on the fence here as I'm undecided.

That honestly doesn't bother me in the slightest.

 

[newman]

My club Bondi united just put up its rego from $60 to $100. Kids get a jersey, shorts and sox to keep plus a hoodie and a roosters membership. The committee did some research and found that even at $100 RL was markedly cheaper than union ($200) soccer (200 to 300), basketball (180 for half a year) and others.

We do play in the souths comp and "compete" with those clubs who offer free rego, as has been said.

 

[Perth Red]

The clubs have to make money somehow. They have to pay for clubhouse maintenance, jerseys and staff attire, presentation days/nights, trophies, canteen equipment and food, all the printing throughout the year, salaries of some full time workers - not everyone are volunteers, signage etc. It should be a bit cheaper agreed but it wouldn't be possible to make it free.

Yes I realise this but rather than put a cost barrier to families maybe the arlc could use the grass roots funding it has promised to subsidise Jnr's? In a new area trying to get kids who have never played the game before,and may or may not like,it pay out $100+ just seems a barrier to getting new kids to try the game.

Maybe the arlc could organise some national centralised deals to reduce costs ie player insurance, public liability for clubs, kit manufacturing etc?

 

[newman]

What's the cost of a soccer or union rego in the same area PR?

 

[thorson1987]

Would also depend on the sponsorship position of clubs aswell I would say.

I haven't had to pay rego since U/18's (2005) and even then it was only $50

 

[newman]

Or AFL?

 

[Perth Red]

Soccer is ridiculous but it is supply and demand for them, more kids want to play soccer than there are pitches in Perth. Union Jnr's Mandurah pirates RU (bet they were pleased at the warl rebranding the Reds lol) Jnr's are $100. Afl is $50 through auks kick.

Have to say having just checked out the auskick stuff it is very slick and having a national programme, one website etc for registrations etc is something for the arlc to look at in terms of meeting it's trategic goal of getting more kids playing the game.

As a new RL club in a non heartland area it is tough to get kids playing a new game so anything we can do to make it more accessible we should be doing and getting the rego fees down, even if it is just for their first year would be a good investment of the arlc millions IMO.

 

[Pistol_Pete]

$70 for my kids and they get a jersey, socks and shorts that they keep and get refs and (most weeks) 1 touchie

My kids also play soccer and get a pair of socks they keep, a jersey that is returned at year end and parents ref until 11s or 12s. All that for $220.

League is great value and makes it as accessible as possible IMO

 

[kbw]

The joke is the money coming in, who does it go to ? NRL players and administrators thats who.
Nothing goes to the grass roots.
Some clubs are lucky enough to have good NRL club support like the Roosters or a great junior leagues club like Souths.
But so many especially in the country get nothing.
The salary cap should not have increased one bit and the extra money from the TV rights should have been given as grants to junior clubs.

 

[thorson1987]

$70 for my kids and they get a jersey, socks and shorts that they keep and get refs and (most weeks) 1 touchie

My kids also play soccer and get a pair of socks they keep, a jersey that is returned at year end and parents ref until 11s or 12s. All that for $220.

League is great value and makes it as accessible as possible IMO

Yep.

In the wests comp you have parents as touchies until U/16's, except finals when they are qualified refs.

And kids get shorts, socks, jersey (provided that side has a sponsor) and some clubs even give club and training shirts to all players.

 

[Perth Red]

Page 6 of the strategic plan talks about growth at all levels but sets no targets

http://www.nrl.com/portals/nrl/RadEditor/Documents/The_Game_Plan.pdf

The money does not seem to be flowing to grass roots yet despite arlc committing $200mill to it.

http://sawtellgazette.com/html/crl_to_receive_no_funding_in_2.html

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-new...ll-keen-despite-arlc-snub-20121029-28eug.html