Melville: USARFU pro strategy scaled back

The game clock appears to be running out on USA Rugby's professionalization strategy.

Reduced 2009 International Rugby Board funding is undermining slow-moving plans to fuel growth by commercializing Eagle and all-star play, calling into question the viability of a stalled agenda and possibly even marking the shelving of the 2006 strategic plan.

In a wide-ranging blog post, chief executive Nigel Melville yesterday signaled that despite 2009 being a World Cup qualification year, the union can't afford to prioritize the national team, which had been positioned as its primary commercial engine; that plans for revenue-generating competitions remain on hold; and that the oft-delayed four-region high performance (HP) plan will continue in limbo.

'The focus will be on the Under-17, U-18, U-20, All-Americans, and the Eagles 7s, player talent identification and tracking, a select number of all-star events, and an elite player development camp this summer. Regional high performance centers staffed by full-time specialist staff will have to wait,' Melville wrote.

The admission comes against the backdrop of the Eagles falling to 19th from 13th in the IRB standings since 2005, when IRB HP monies began to arrive. As the US has received as much as any other so-called tier 2 union, as then chairman (and current vice chair) Bob Latham noted at the time, logically that suggests America's rivals have done more with the same amount or less.

The North American 4 has been no more successful. Touted as a Super 14-style property that would be commercialized by selling franchises to private investors, the IRB-funded competition has been treated more like Eagle training camps, won little public attention, and reportedly been reduced from a round-robin to a knockout quadrangular.

Meanwhile the HP ideal is shifting away from regional to nationalized management. After three years, just one local HP manager is on the job while the size of Boulder's staff has grown to record levels. In combination with the unannounced 'suspension' of the Inter-Territorial Tournament, the combined trajectory of the NA4 and HP programs suggests professionalization has crowded out a long-established feature of the US game and replaced it with uncertain prospects.

As the light of a leading contributor to Boulder's revenue flickers, the 2006 strategic plan looks to be following in the footsteps of the disastrous 'big events' approach pursued by then-chair Neal Brendel and then-chief executive Doug Arnot at the start of the decade, when the capital-intensive launch of the USA 7s and the simultaneous failure to raise sponsor dollars drove the union to insolvency and set the stage for America's 'amateur' board to be replaced by a reduced group led by Kevin Roberts.

While the loss of IRB dollars is not likely to cause the same kind of disruptions as in 2005 (i.e., massive dues hikes or the firesale of assets such as the USA 7s), it's seems likely that broader union activities or staffing could be in jeopardy. Meanwhile, USARFU's poor record in the three primary metrics that underpin its professionalization strategy -- '1) position of US men’s team in world rankings, 2) development of the North American [Four] Series, 3) win rate in our international match program' -- could begin prompt hard questions from the recently dormant Congress.

Melville was to communicate his new plans in a conference call with territorial presidents and other high-ranking officials, according to people familiar with the matter. The Board was expected to meet next month.

Related:
    On the high performance era: The vision
    On the high performance era: Execution
    On the high performance era: Commerce

Comments

[Lesile S.]

Oh my bloody God! It is beyond comprehension that state of affairs. Kurt doesn't even specifically mention the dollar amounts wasted in the failure of these HP initiatives. It is as if the leadership of the Union has taken a page from funny pages, except it is not funny.

Is there any reports available from Boulder to examine ? Where can we, as dues paying members in the Southeast, locate some factual information on the state of the Union.

I don't want to read Melville's blog, nor do I want to learn about these missteps by "people familiar with the matter". I need some real information

[The Wiz, pants down]

Absolutely no foresight. Nothing new in rugby. After all, rugby is mostly comprised of recycled waste product. Same old, different name.

[Biggie in Texas]

You gotta be jackin' me man ! Melville is leading us as if he has spent way too long in the pub ! We are wandering, lerching, from one ill conceived plan to the next.

What will this crack executive staff do next to further run in place, change the union logo ? Oh right, that last CEO blew that decision.

We don't play cricket in Texas, but I think Roberts, Melville and Johnson all do, and they are on a duck. Maybe even a Golden duck or whatever you fellas call it.

We Texas Ruggers prefer Friday nights under the lights if this is all the better you got !

You fellas have blown through enough money to make our little mishap at Enron look like small potatoes.

[excuses]

What a crock of an excuse. Yes, the recession has hit. But Nigel Melville and his Board did nothing to prepare US rugby for this valley accept spend millions of dollar for not, trying to win meaningless test matches.

We could have built a much stronger rugby union with those millions, instead we wasted them on projects like the NA4 and big salaries.

To accept now that this is all the fault of a poor economy is an insulting laugh.

Melville and is cronies have wasted millions while paying themselves big salaries.

[Flynn Hagerty]

So we're not prioritizing the Eagles at a time when the Eagles need to win Tests to qualify for the World Cup?

[lundberg]grrrrreaaaat.[/lundberg]

You're an idiot, Nigel. Hate to say it, but you really have no idea what you're doing.

[lame]

Flynn,

How about them (Melville & Roberts) having it exactly backwards.

After a poor season and having been defeated by Canada in the RWC 2007 qualification by 30-40pts. Our brain center elects to allow Peter Thornburn to take the oldest Eagle team ever to the RWC. Thornburn also turned the NA4 development comp into an old guys selection romp. Resulting in an 0-3 RWC, with near zero development value in two seasons of NA4. This is when the youth moment should have started. All these, smart as they claim to be, business types using good judgment to focus on 2011.

Then they hire Johnson, who straight out of the box takes more old guys to the Churchill, before deciding we have nothing but "participate" players and the fly-in Eagles program gets underway at full steam.

It is also worth nothing that upwards of $5,000,000 was also wasted during this poorly, knee-jerked planned three seasons.

Now after no real development plan other than whatever winless Salty comes up with, and 7 months out from RWC 2011 qualification, we going to cut Eagles funding and focus on age-grade rugby. Priceless!

This is all exactly and perfectly backwards.

How can these pretenders have any supporters whatsoever? The supporters of Melville must be as lame as he and his decisions have been.

Try to blame this three year planning (lack-of) on the current economy with anybody paying the slightest bit of attention.

[Thank the Academy]

Flynn, easy now, no name calling, just relax, close your eyes, it will only last a few more years.

I am considering producing an animated movie about USA Rugby.

In one early scene, across the big pond at the small pool, Tarzan is wearing a tight black tshirt and dry-humping his reflection. The King of the jungle (the Lion) is on holiday somewhere and can't be bothered. The animals are restless and a call is required, Tarzan and the Lion are too busy to be bothered.

The elephant is called upon to trumpet the news and call to arms in times of distress. The problem is that he has a pruritic anus (from so many apple polishers and hangers on) and is constantly scratching with his snout.

So when a call is needed, more than likely the sound gets piped through his innerds first. A once vibrant echo becomes a muffled, browned distortion thanks to his "buddies".

I don't want to ruin it for everyone, but the last scene has gruesome ending.

[Our Reality.]

I think USA Rugby CIPP paying members, young and old alike, should demand better.

We can all complain on this and other websites, but we must organize and vote with not only our feet, but our dues.

Boulder is almost broke, the national team coach is looking for a way out, the CEO is vectoring from one bad decision to the next while being paid $275,000 dollars (with the largest administrative staff and salary burden in our history).

Enough is enough.

[enough!]

We could start by complaining less and doing more.

To start, we should get rid of most of the congress members and re-seat these positions with people with some fight in them. Individuals with some guts and passion for US rugby, not just the politics of rugby.

Even congress has been taken over by the jerks. The old board had its problems, but their heart was always in the right place. Guys like Frank Merrill and Bill Sexton are now the leaders of congress and they are as thick as thieves with Nigel and the new board. Bob Latham's job is to keep the old board, now congress, happy and out of the way. Merrill and Sexton do this for Latham. They act they like are fighting some important fight, when all they are doing is great damage to US rugby.

The old board performed far better than this crew. Similar to the Arnot days when the same Merrill, Latham and Sexton protected Arnot while he drove US rugby off a cliff, they are protecting this administration. US rugby history will judge these individuals very harshly.

Just like the Arnot years, the lying and cover-up is underway. Keep the damaging information from getting out is objective number one. Objective number two is use the poor economy as cover. The tactics are clear as well, use Nigel Melville's personal blog as the message center for the unions objectives.

In this forum, Nigel can talk about whatever he wants and only allow positive responses. This keeps all the real questions from being raised, but has the appearance of open communication.

It is unclear what information congress has, but its clear they lack the guts to publicly ask questions of Roberts and Melville. They are more interested in their positions than they are serving the interest of the members.

Why doesn't USAR release financial informations to its dues paying members? Because they don't have to, isn't an acceptable answer.

[Free at last.]

Count me in as a new member of the coalition to reform the way USAR do business.

I got plenty of energy left after helping Barrack become president and am ready to make sure Merrill, Latham, Sexton and Melville's crew get the same treatment as the Bush Administration got.

[4 more years!]

Same treatment as the Bush admin? Where do I sign up?
I'd like to have an annuity like that.

[Pete M]

Seems investing in the U-17, U-18 U-20 and All Americans (or U-19/
All Americans at the time) like this should have been the logical course of action in 1994 after failing to make the 1995 RWC. It could have lead to better results in 1999, 2003, 2007, etc, etc. Oh well, better late then never I suppose.

[spend on youth]

I agree, it better late than never.

We should have started in 1987 and 1991, the two RWC's we didn't need to qualify for.

In 1995 there were only two teams for the Americas invited to the WC, Canada with no qualification because of their 1991 quarter-final appearance and Argentina who beat the Eagles.

The only thing to note is we didn't have an official age-grade program them. There was far less high school rugby and young people playing rugby than today.

I only wish we hadn't just wasted $5m in free IRB funds and would have instead spent this money on a younger sub-set of players. But as you say, better late than never.

[they are not elite]

Spending on youth is great, but maybe we are getting ahead of ourselves. If any of you have seen the under program and are familiar with the current level of athleticism in High School football, maybe the money is better spent on organization of a varsity model to reach the elite athlete instead?

The elite athlete is not going to assemble in some sandlot somewhere or travel to the next town to play rugby.

I didn't see more than three or four athletes in the whole lot of the u-18 a couple years ago. I would find it hard to believe that any of those kids would be missed by their basketball or football coach. Maybe one of them would be considered scholarship athletes from my experience (a possible project D2 cornerback).

Maybe money should be spent in legitimizing the sport rather than pipelining these flounders through the system.

Some of those kids would be pushed through and cost the union thousands of dollars before we realize they run 5.0 40, can't catch and can only do 5 pull ups.

[Stephen Jones, Sunday Times, London]

Hi Gainline Guys

I am speaking with very little experience of rugby in the USA, and 30 years as a professional observer in rugby in general, worldwide, and in particular the transition from old-style amateurism and fat boy rugby and the celebration of under-achievement, towards a proper professional rugby game (by which I mean not huge salaries, but professionalism in attitudes and in not being satisfied with the same old rubbish. )

The worst opinion I have seen on this estimable website is that Kevin Roberts and Nigel Melville are trying to preserve their jobs. Nigel could have any job he wanted in rugby in the UK and Kevin any job he wanted, anywhere, full stop. Neither would be on their uppers, as we say in the UK, if they left USA Rugby.

Guys, we all love our local and cosy club scene. No doubt some of you love Sevens. But in terms of worldwide fame and acknowledgment, in terms of momentum, TV and sponsor profile and the future, and in terms of maintaining IRB grants, the only thing that matters a damn is elite rugby and the Eagles. You have no idea how desperate the world is for American to punch its weight. Tonga, with no facilities, with players scattered amongst 12 countries, with no class domestic game to speak of, was one score behind South Africa at the last World Cup, with 9m mninutes remainng. Fiji, impoverished, would have beaten SA but for one tackle.

It is my guess that with far less resources that USA Rugby, Tonga and Fijin made the leap because there were fewer smug fuddy duddies back at home to whom progress was a dirty word. Just a guess.

What about getting behind your national team? When the Eagles win, you will all feel better when you sink a beer at your local club.

Stephen Jones, chief rugby writer, Sunday Times, London

[generic viagra]

The worst opinion I have seen on this estimable website is that Kevin Roberts and Nigel Melville are trying to preserve their jobs. Nigel could have any job he wanted in rugby in the UK and Kevin any job he wanted, anywhere, full stop. Neither would be on their uppers, as we say in the UK, if they left USA Rugby.