Prospect of Eagle 7s contracts, sponsor

Eagle 7s players will likely be under contract this upcoming season, chief executive Nigel Melville said in an interview.

USARFU is hoping to sell commercial rights to the national 7s team to a third party, Melville said in an interview with American Rugby News. One of the benefits of such an agreement would be the contracting of players and providing them with insurance.

The initiative is straightforward enough: find a sponsor to underwrite the team's operating costs. I haven't had time to listen to American Rugby News' podcast interview with Melville or Eagle 15s coach Eddie O'Sullivan, or to make any followups.

One obvious question is how Eagle 7s player agreements would relate to USARFU's pacts with Bill Tatham, who has exclusive rights to operate professional 7s tournaments and leagues in America. A 2008 extension provided Tatham with exclusive licensing and broadcasting rights to union competitions such as the club and all-star championships.

It also stands out that the reported plan is nowhere to be found in the 'draft' edition of the union's 2009-12 strategic plan. Such a landmark might well figure into a document dated September 12.

The entire description of the 7s program reads:

3.6 Elite Rugby Sevens – Build an elite rugby sevens program for men and women that creates winning teams for the IRB World Sevens series annually, Pan American Games and RWC 7’s (2013)/2016 Olympic Games.

By the by, increased US Olympic Committee resources is not the same as commercial dollars, and the draft plan itself has reduced USARFU's revenue target by 40 percent, to $12 million from the previously stated $20 million. The latter is meaningful in the context of the massive shift of dues and certain sponsorship monies from youth segment that drives them to senior representative programs.

A year ago, USARFU set out to contract 15s players, inking a notable deal with England-based Chris Wyles, but had to abandon the program for lack of cash.

Related:
    Melville: USARFU pro strategy scaled back
    Wyles contract highlights changing Eagle pathway

Comments

[Old Boy]

I suppose the expression "put up or shut up" would be appropriate in this case. but I'm sure that's been said hundreds of times before already...

[sell sell sell]

When do the foreign boys put college rugby up for sale? Just after the office furniture I suppose.

[FOR SALE]

Let me see. Because USAR can't operate, manage or fund its assets, they sell them. So much for being the National Governing Body.

Our premier rugby event, the IRB's Seven stop, sold to a private party.

All other sanction Sevens events and competitions sold to a different private party.

Now the Sevens Eagles.

Soon IRANZ can take over player development, leaving USAR running the Under-12 girls national team, which is taking a month long trip to Kenya.

[wtf]

This is a very bad idea. The USAR sevens team won't get that much better as professionals. How will a slightly better finish provide an investment opportunity?

More to the point, why would USAR sell the rights to Sevens just as the sport gets an Olympic shot in the arm?

This is what happens when a recently fired rugby coach (Melville), applies for the Eagles vacant coaching position and the USAR Board hires him as a first time CEO.

With every decision USAR makes, our sport is further damaged.

[Rookie Rugby]

Rookie Rugby, is partly owned by Play Rugby USA, which is owned by Mark Griffin.

What does USA Rugby in Boulder do?

[final offer]

I would like to buy college rugby and the All American program.

The asset provides over a million dollars in dues income, plus millions in sponsorships.

The colleges are too dumb to realize they're being ripped off, so they keep sending the money in and paying their own way to competitions where USAR has sold and pocketed the sponsorships funds.

What the colleges get in return is third party insurance which 90% of the college don't need. The college subscription to the insurance program keeps the fees low for the adult clubs which do need third party insurance to rent the local park on Saturday.

The funny thing is Nigel Melville and this BOD are so dumb they just might sell college rugby.

Does anybody else feel USAR is about to come completely undone? They've been greedy, arrogant and plain stupid and its all coming home to roost.

[tick tick tick]

When the Kooga lawsuit is settled, they will own US rugby.

[whats the plan man]

When the USOC realizes USAR sold the commercial rights to domestic Sevens events to Tatham, the best national team players are contracted to a private party and the biggest event is owned by a private party I think USARs gunna have some splainin to do.

[Sounds familar]

For Sale,
the under 12's are scheduled to play another Kenyan Clubs U12's 4th side and twice against a 6th grade Kenyan U12's XV.

[Real chance at news]

No one cares about sevens. If they cared, USA Rugby wouldn't have to sell the rights.

[DaTruth]

Nobody but the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who attend international 7's events around the world.

[racing backwards]

What happens to the USA RUGBY revenue target when high schools go to a different dues system of only paying state association dues, and the colleges breakaway and form their own organization?

The revenue target adjusted from $20m, down to $12m, we need to readjusted to $8M.

[here's an idea]

The best college teams should just start a premier college competition, there is nothing keeping them from doing so.

If the best 32 college teams started a regional and national competition who would/could stop them? Nobody. USAr and the TUs would be upset to lose the dues, and USAr would lose some sponsorship money which they can't afford to lose. But nobody could stop the best colleges from moving forward on their own.

The respective colleges own these teams not USAr or the TUs. The college teams already pay for everything they have and need, with no assistance from Boulder. At the extreme these colleges pay the expenses for the post season which USAr sells to the National Guard pocketing the money to be used for Nigel Melville and Eddie O'Sullivan's combined $525,000 in salary.

USAr could still hold their national championship. The 33rd and 34th next best teams could play for all the marbles. Before long all the college teams could move over to the new college rugby organization, leaving the blood sucking USAr to continue their commonwealth welfare lifestyle.

[tick tock]

The current USAR administration is on borrowed time. This will happen at some point.

Kevin Roberts, Bob Latham and all their little friends who have shoved the current bi-laws down the gullets of American rugby will have the last cry when the organization is busted into its parts. This is how people deal with greed and power.

Nigel we be hosting the Golden Oldies and running to under-14 Eagles.

The IRB will be fully running the Eagles, distributing snappy blazers to all the Board members to make them feel important.

Meanwhile, US rugby will be growing stronger everyday with outstanding organizations running high school, college and RSL. RSL will wake up any day now and realize USAR is worthless to growing their product, just like the college already done.