tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/national-rugby-league-12539/articlesNational Rugby League – The Conversation2024-02-29T19:06:59Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2247352024-02-29T19:06:59Z2024-02-29T19:06:59ZOn Sunday the National Rugby League goes to Vegas. It might just hit the jackpot<p>Australia’s National Rugby League will launch its 2024 season in <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2024/02/19/everything-you-need-to-know-about-nrl-las-vegas/">Las Vegas</a> this weekend, in the boldest attempt yet to capture the hearts and wallets of Americans.</p>
<p>It’s been tried before. </p>
<p>In the 1930s, legendary League administrator Harry Sunderland took the game to France and offered to <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2024/02/10/the-great-american-dream-why-vegas-is-boldest-bid-yet-to-conquer-us-market/">take it to the United States</a> as manager of the 1929–30 Kangaroos.</p>
<p>He told the San Francisco Examiner the team was “willing to line up, with eleven men, against a regular American football team, and to see what would happen”.</p>
<p>Later, in 1954, Australia and New Zealand played exhibition matches in Long Beach and Los Angeles on the US west coast. Only 1,000 people turned up at Long Beach and 4,554 at Los Angeles.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Russell Crowe explains the rules and laws of rugby league, 2024.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Australia did better at Long Beach in 1987, putting on a <a href="https://www.ladbrokes.com.au/blog/2024/02/27/the-nrls-fascination-with-the-usa/">State of Origin</a> match between New South Wales and Queensland in front of 12,349 fans.</p>
<p>Film star Russell Crowe tried again in 2008, staging an <a href="https://www.ladbrokes.com.au/blog/2024/02/27/the-nrls-fascination-with-the-usa/">exhibition match</a> between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and UK Super League champions Leeds in Florida, attended by 12,500.</p>
<p>Will Rugby League Commissioner Peter V’landys be able to succeed this time, in a nation where his predecessors have failed to make much headway?</p>
<p>I think the odds are good. This is why.</p>
<h2>No helmets, no pads, no timeouts</h2>
<p>The potential reach of the NRL, promoted as football with “<a href="https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/no-helmets-no-pads-no-timeouts-by-russell-crowe">no helmets, no pads, no timeouts</a>”, is vast, extending to the 309 million Americans who own a smartphone rather than the few thousand who might turn up.</p>
<p>And after the H-shaped posts leave Allegiant Stadium and the NRL’s branding is taken down from New York’s Times Square, the league’s presence will continue.</p>
<p>It has reportedly committed to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/feb/22/nrl-las-vegas-five-year-deal-us-sports-betting-market-2024-season-launch">five years</a> of season openers in Las Vegas.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1760448536003682326"}"></div></p>
<p>During those five years the NRL will attempt to build and sustain familiarity with the US public, as well as scout out US athletes about <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/vegas-talent-quest-nrl-to-fly-club-bosses-to-usa-searching-for-players-20230906-p5e2ix.html">making the switch</a> to rugby league.</p>
<p>There are <a href="https://www.ncaa.org/news/2022/12/5/media-center-ncaa-student-athletes-surpass-520-000-set-new-record.aspx">520,000</a> student-athletes in the US, many of whom are trying to get into the US National Football League. But the NFL can only accommodate 1,696 active players.</p>
<h2>V’landys has turned the game around</h2>
<p>During COVID lockdowns three years ago, the NRL was “<a href="https://www.espn.com.au/nrl/story/_/id/39565591/peter-vlandys-lauds-nrl-recovery-best-financial-position-ever">three to four months</a>” from being insolvent, according to V’landys.</p>
<p>He and chief executive Andrew Abdo say the league is now in the best financial position it has ever been in. </p>
<p>Its 2023 annual report outlines key <a href="https://www.nrl.com/siteassets/2023/annual-report/nrl-gen23_1003-nrl-annual-report-23-fa_digi-spreads.pdf">reasons why</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>9% growth in grassroots participation in schools and clubs</p></li>
<li><p>40% growth in video views on YouTube</p></li>
<li><p>ten clubs vying for the women’s championship in a final watched by more than a million viewers</p></li>
<li><p>expanding representation in the men’s game with the admission of the Dolphins </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Clearly, the NRL do not think their work is done.</p>
<h2>This time it might work</h2>
<p>Sports research has mapped the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1016/S1441-3523(01)70072-1">processes</a> that create fans for a sport. </p>
<p>The first pivotal step is awareness. Potential fans need to know about the sport in order to sign up. That’s the objective of the Las Vegas round and the advertising in Times Square.</p>
<p>The second is something that allows them to like and then identify with it. The advertisements point out rugby league’s similarities to the NFL, saying it’s “football, but not as you know it”, while at the same time emphasising the crucial and hopefully enticing differences.</p>
<p>My own work has pointed to the role <a href="https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/remapping-the-sport-brandscape-a-structured-review-and-future-dir">key individuals</a> play in developing sport fans. And this could be the ace in the hand of the NRL.</p>
<p>“<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16184742.2017.1329331">The Beckham Effect</a>” is a term coined to explain the uplift in support when David Beckham joined Major League Soccer in the US in 2007.</p>
<p>Argentinian footballer <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lionel-Messi">Lionel Messi</a> achieved a similar feat when he joined MLS club Inter Miami in 2023.</p>
<p>Closer to home, the <a href="https://www.goldcoastfc.com.au/">Gold Coast Suns</a> cemented their legitimacy when they signed football legend Gary Ablett Jnr (and rugby league player Karmichael Hunt) to their inaugural AFL squad in 2011.</p>
<h2>Big names build recognition</h2>
<p>It’s not a strategy that can easily be applied to the US, but a raft of Australians familiar to US audiences including actors, fashion designers, media moguls, businesspeople and musicians are doing what they can.</p>
<p>Currently independent from the NRL, plans are also underway to establish a ten-team <a href="https://dnyuz.com/2024/02/25/australias-nrl-in-talks-for-10-team-us-competition-report/">American league</a> with proposed ownership stakes being offered to figures such as wrestling and global movie star <a href="https://www.wwe.com/superstars/the-rock">Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson</a>. </p>
<p>If Las Vegas is a success, other US stars might just grab a franchise of their own.</p>
<p>Las Vegas is certainly a roll of the dice, but if the NRL succeeds in grabbing even a small slice of America’s vast sports market, it will have hit the jackpot.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224735/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jason Doyle is a co-founder of SPRTER.</span></em></p>Australia’s NRL has tried several times before to crack the US market. This time the odds are good.Jason Doyle, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1789922022-03-10T22:23:40Z2022-03-10T22:23:40ZHave the NRL’s rule changes made boring blowouts the norm? The stats say no<p>Throughout the 2021 National Rugby League (NRL) season, <a href="https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/a-17year-first-has-exposed-the-nrls-worrying-gulf-but-vlandys-vows-we-wont-hide-mediocrity/news-story/c131134d9a66b4cdb8b787d3a0ad84af">commentators bemoaned</a> the number of “blowout” results with a wide margin of victory between the sides. </p>
<p>The average margin of victory during the season was 17.89 points, higher than for any season during the preceding decade.</p>
<p>Many critics, including NRL legend Johnathan Thurston, <a href="https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/rule-changes-johnathan-thurston-on-blowout-scores-worrying-trend/7846b3f4-e3ca-4667-a91d-98ee844c415a">blamed recent rule changes</a>, which aimed to speed up the game and reduce defending teams’ ability to regroup and catch a breather by giving away a penalty. The new rule, they argued, allows stronger teams to drive weaker opposition to exhaustion more easily. </p>
<p>But as every amateur statistician on Reddit can tell you, <a href="https://xkcd.com/552/">correlation does not imply causation</a>. And if we take a closer look at the data, it seems the NRL isn’t quite as dull and predictable as feared.</p>
<h2>No blowouts in Blighty</h2>
<p>The rule change was also adopted by the world’s only other top-level rugby league competition, the English-based <a href="https://www.superleague.co.uk/">Super League</a>. And, in contrast to the NRL, it didn’t see an uptick in one-sided games.</p>
<p>In fact, games in the 2021 Super League were closer overall (a 16.26-point average winning margin) than the year before (17.65). These figures are both lower than the 2021 NRL average, despite the widespread acceptance there is a bigger financial disparity between strong and weak teams in the Super League than there is in Australia.</p>
<p>For comparison, since the first <a href="https://www.superleague.co.uk/history-&-heritage/gf-winners">Super League grand final</a> in 1998, just four teams have won the competition and a further five have been defeated in the grand final. Over the same period, every NRL team (except the Gold Coast Titans, which only joined in 2007) has reached a grand final, and <a href="https://www.nrl.com/operations/the-game/premiership-winners/">12 clubs have been premiers</a>.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-nrls-unrivalled-equality-means-back-to-back-premierships-are-very-rare-92666">The NRL’s unrivalled equality means back-to-back premierships are very rare</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>Similarly, looking at the two main state competitions in Australia, neither the Queensland Cup nor the New South Wales Cup saw such margins of victory occurring as in the NRL. So this suggests the rule changes alone are not to blame.</p>
<h2>How do other sports stack up?</h2>
<p>It’s not easy to compare winning margins across sports, because of the many different scoring systems. However, we can look at other measures of predictability.</p>
<p>One method is to compare the score margins for the two halves of the game. A correlation of 1 between these would mean the team leading at half-time will definitely replicate this performance in the second half, thus showing the game is highly predictable. Conversely, a correlation of 0 would mean we can’t predict anything about the second half based solely on the score at half-time, suggesting the final result is excitingly difficult to call. </p>
<p>Based on this reasoning, how did the 2021 NRL season stack up? Well, although it was the most predictable in a decade (with a correlation of 0.303), this figure is far from remarkable when compared with other sporting codes. </p>
<p>In fact, it is almost identical to the ten-year (2012-21) average in the Australian Football League (AFL), and far below the high correlations seen in the mens’ AFL seasons of 2012 (0.478) and 2016 (0.457). It’s also well below that seen in Super Netball in both 2017 and 2018. </p>
<p>Interestingly, all the major Australian leagues are much more predictable than their North American counterparts. Looking at comparable data from the National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA), we routinely see correlations between the two halves’ margins much closer to 0, or even in negative territory, which means the team trailing at half-time is more likely to stage a comeback than slip further behind. The NBA, for example, typically sees correlations around -0.1.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451359/original/file-20220310-19-4ips26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451359/original/file-20220310-19-4ips26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451359/original/file-20220310-19-4ips26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451359/original/file-20220310-19-4ips26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451359/original/file-20220310-19-4ips26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451359/original/file-20220310-19-4ips26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451359/original/file-20220310-19-4ips26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Correlations between first half and second half score margins across various sports leagues. The 2021 NRL season’s predictability is far from remarkable.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Punting predictability</h2>
<p>Across all sports, few factors predict outcomes as accurately as the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-tip-to-win-your-office-footy-tipping-dont-listen-to-the-experts-56208">pregame bookmakers’ odds</a>. For each game the bookies issue a percentage probability of each team winning; obviously the “bookies’ favourite” team in each game has a higher percentage, depending on how close the game is predicted to be.</p>
<p>We can therefore measure the predictability of a league season by taking the average of the percentages assigned to every favourite team in every game.</p>
<p>In the NRL, this figure was 72% in 2020 and 76% in 2021 – the first time in more than a decade it has climbed above 70%. While this drop in competitiveness looks concerning, it should be viewed in the context of recent history. By comparison, the COVID-disrupted 2020 season was the only AFL season in that period <em>not to</em> average above 70%. </p>
<p>While there are <a href="https://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/5534971/new-rules-could-cause-afl-blowouts-scott/">periodic rumblings about AFL blowouts</a>, it is generally seen as an open and entertaining competition each year.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451223/original/file-20220310-20-1emyd4j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451223/original/file-20220310-20-1emyd4j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=294&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451223/original/file-20220310-20-1emyd4j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=294&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451223/original/file-20220310-20-1emyd4j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=294&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451223/original/file-20220310-20-1emyd4j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451223/original/file-20220310-20-1emyd4j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451223/original/file-20220310-20-1emyd4j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Average bookmakers’ probabilities of favourites.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>All to play for in 2022</h2>
<p>Although 2021 NRL scorelines were slightly more lopsided than during the previous decade, there is no real evidence to suggest recent rule tweaks were primarily to blame. </p>
<p>What’s more, looking across various measures of predictability, last year’s results were far from anomalous or concerning. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/afl-and-nrl-grand-final-tv-ratings-show-codes-still-rely-on-their-traditional-heartlands-66485">AFL and NRL grand final TV ratings show codes still rely on their traditional heartlands</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<p>In any sporting league, tactics are inherently cyclical. Innovative coaches find ways to gain an edge, perhaps by exploiting a rule change, before others find ways to counter this innovation.</p>
<p>Indeed, the intensively analysed rule changes of the past couple of years have been <a href="https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-2022-six-again-rule-change-penalties-referees-rugby-league/news-story/510bf3e1a1de3f542a18e251b498b285">slightly tweaked yet again for the 2022 season</a>, to discourage cynical infringements that were seen to benefit the offending team.</p>
<p>So there’s every reason to expect the 2022 NRL season, which kicked off with reigning champions Penrith thrashing Manly 28-6, will be as unpredictable and competitive as any major competition in the Australian sporting landscape.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178992/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Woodcock does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Critics say rule changes have made one-sided games more likely in the NRL. But statistics suggest it’s no more predictable than other major Australian competitions such as the AFL.Stephen Woodcock, Associate Professor of Mathematical Sciences, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1732502021-12-12T19:08:21Z2021-12-12T19:08:21ZRugby player Dennis Tutty went to the High Court and changed Australian sport – but there’s still a tough issue left to tackle<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435810/original/file-20211206-17-pijros.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=176%2C0%2C1067%2C534&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/09/11/dennis-tutty-paved-way-for-modern-day-free-agency/">www.nrl.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Monday 13 December marks the 50th anniversary of a decision by the High Court of Australia that fundamentally altered the playing field for professional athletes in this country. </p>
<p>The case concerned 25-year-old rugby league star Dennis Tutty, who wanted to be freed from playing for the Balmain Tigers, to whom he was tied under the NSW Rugby League’s “retain and transfer” rules. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/HCA/1971/71.html">ruling</a> is “one of the more important human rights decisions of the High Court”, according to noted industrial relations academic <a href="http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/ANZSportsLawJl/2009/7.html">Braham Dabscheck</a>. </p>
<p>He ranked it among a handful of formative legal cases globally to do with economic and employment freedom in professional team sports. It has been cited in hundreds of Australian court cases involving football, cricket, rugby union, Aussie rules and hockey players.</p>
<p>In essence the High Court ruled professional athletes could not be treated as indentured labourers. They had the right, like other workers, to pick their employers and negotiate contracts freely. </p>
<p>However, the modern professional rugby players’ claim to equal human rights still isn’t quite the same as other employees, as more recent events have shown.</p>
<h2>Tutty’s complaint</h2>
<p>Dennis Tutty had made Balmain’s first grade team in 1964, as a 17-year-old. He’d played in his first grand final that season, another in 1966, and had gone on to represent Australia in 1967. He was Balmain’s player of the year in the 1966 and 1967 seasons. </p>
<p>But he was aggrieved by what he considered to be a lack of recognition (and money) at Balmain. At the end of the 1967 season his contract with the club expired, and he was put on its “retain” list. He would have to play for what the club was prepared to pay, or not play at all. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436294/original/file-20211208-23-7s3vmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436294/original/file-20211208-23-7s3vmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=314&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436294/original/file-20211208-23-7s3vmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=314&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436294/original/file-20211208-23-7s3vmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=314&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436294/original/file-20211208-23-7s3vmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436294/original/file-20211208-23-7s3vmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436294/original/file-20211208-23-7s3vmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dennis Tutty playing for the Balmain TIgers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.rlpa.com.au/rlpa-history/">Rugby League Players Association</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Effectively he was bound to the club a bit like a serf to the land. The NSW Rugby League’s rules precluded him from negotiating a new contract with Balmain or with another club.</p>
<p>Tutty thought that was unfair. He decided to sit out the 1969 season and initiated legal action in the Supreme Court of NSW against the Balmain Tigers and the NSW Rugby League to set aside those rules.</p>
<h2>The High Court decides</h2>
<p>The Supreme Court heard the case in May 1970 and handed down its decision in October 1970, in Tutty’s favour. NSW Rugby League, through its then president Bill Buckley, then appealed to the High Court. </p>
<p>This was the first case involving rugby league to come before the High Court. Led by Chief Justice Garfield Barwick, five judges heard the competing arguments over several days in April and May 1971. </p>
<p>Tutty’s lawyers argued the player contracting rules amounted an unreasonable restraint of trade. NSW Rugby League argued it was a voluntary association whose rules had no contractual effect, that its rules did not restrain trade, and if they did it was no more than was reasonable.</p>
<p>The High Court agreed with the lower court. The ruling is close to 10,000 words long but its essential point was that the rules binding Tutty to Balmain were “a restraint of trade which is unreasonable and unjustified”. </p>
<p>In the past 50 years <em>Buckley v Tutty</em> has been cited in more than 200 decisions by Australian courts, including every state and territory supreme court. </p>
<h2>Jack de Belin’s stand-down case</h2>
<p>But one case the ruling hasn’t positively affected is the 2019 Federal Court proceedings brought by St George Illawarra player Jack de Belin against the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC), the governing body of the National Rugby League. (The NRL is the elite competition successor to the NSW Rugby League.)</p>
<p>The NRL had stood down de Belin in February 2019 (with pay from his club) after it introduced a “<a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/02/28/arl-commission-to-announce-new-policy-for-player-misbehaviour/">no-fault stand-down</a>” policy for players charged with serious criminal offences. This followed police charging de Belin (and a friend) with aggravated sexual assault in December 2018. </p>
<p>De Belin maintained the sexual encounter with the woman was consensual. His lawyers argued that the NRL standing him down was an unreasonable restraint of trade, because it went further than was reasonably necessary to protect the legitimate interests of the NRL, was imposed for an indefinite period, was done in retrospective way, and de Belin had no opportunity to make submissions or appeal.</p>
<p>He lost that case, with the Federal Court’s Justice Melissa Perry <a href="http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/FCA/2019/688.html">ruling</a> in May 2019 that the stand-down rule went no further than was reasonably necessary to protect the legitimate interests of the NRL and ARLC.</p>
<p>The first of four reasons Justice Perry gave for why the NRL and ARLC had grounds to regard de Belin’s playing as a “clear and present danger to the legitimate interests” of the ARLC and the NRL was:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“while mindful of the presumption of innocence, an ordinary reasonable member of the public is likely to conclude from the fact that Mr de Belin has been charged with a serious offence that he is a person suspected by the police of having committed the offence and that the police have reasonable cause for laying the charge against him.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You could be forgiven for interpreting this as saying that while the presumption of innocence until proven guilty is enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the fact people might suspect de Belin was guilty was enough grounds for the NRL to stand him down.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/footy-crowds-what-the-afl-and-nrl-need-to-turn-sport-into-show-business-139471">Footy crowds: what the AFL and NRL need to turn sport into show business</a>
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<p>De Belin ultimately had all charges against him dropped <a href="https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-star-jack-de-belins-sexual-assault-charges-dropped/news-story/0b74283758f84e665b6e3c39e2187593">in May 2021</a>.</p>
<p>We may not think of professional athletes as being just like other workers, but should that mean the fundamental right to a presumption of innocence is trumped by the primacy of the commercial rights of a governing body? </p>
<p>To resolve that question we may need another Dennis Tutty to take the matter all the way to the High Court.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173250/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David William Trodden is the chief executive of NSW Rugby League and a past chairman of the Balmain Tigers.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Adams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A 1971 High Court ruling on rugby league contracts set an important Australian precedent on human rights. Fifty years on, we need to decide if players deserve the right to a presumption of innocence.David William Trodden, Chief executive of NSW Rugby League and PhD candidate, University of New EnglandMichael Adams, Professor of Corporate Law & Head UNE Law School, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1678792021-09-15T06:42:47Z2021-09-15T06:42:47ZCan Queensland cash in on the NRL finals? It’s all about ‘event leveraging’<p>Queensland’s love of rugby league, and the fact the state isn’t in lockdown, has won it the right to host the 2021 NRL finals series. </p>
<p>But it was economic gains as much as love of the game that Premier Annastacia Pałaszczuk spruiked when announcing Queensland would host all eight finals games plus the grand final at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium. Six of those games are being played outside Brisbane — two in Townsville, two in Mackay, and one apiece in Rockhampton and Sunshine Coast.</p>
<p>“It’s a tremendous gesture from the NRL and will provide an economic boost spread over our regional cities,” Pałaszczuk <a href="https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/93155">said in a statement</a>. Her minister for sport, Stirling Hinchliffe, was even more effusive. “It will invest millions of dollars into local economies and boost intra-state tourism into regional Queensland cities,” he said.</p>
<p>But will it? </p>
<h2>Uncertain gains</h2>
<p>Research shows that hosting sport and other events rarely delivers the economic and tourism benefits commonly claimed. In fact, studies around large-scale events often fail to show any positive economic impact at all. </p>
<p>The financial hangover from hosting events such as the Olympics is well-documented. It took Montreal 30 years to pay off the debt incurred from hosting the 1976 Olympic Games. The 2004 Athens and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games also failed spectacularly to deliver on their promises of economic benefit. </p>
<p>The Olympics, though, is in a league of its own, due to the scale of competition, sheer number of venues required and being a one-off. </p>
<p>Hosting a seasonal sporting event using existing infrastructure should be of greater economic value. The outlays aren’t anywhere near as much, and local hotels, restaurants and other businesses get a boost from the influx of sport tourists.</p>
<p>The problem is that this year’s NRL finals won’t see thousands of footy fans flying from interstate and injecting money into local economies through transport, accommodation, dining and other touristy activities. </p>
<p>So Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton and Sunshine Coast may benefit from intrastate visitors, but perhaps not to the extent of the promised millions.</p>
<p>Rockhampton Regional Council, for example, has estimated the economic value of the September 12 elimination final between Parramatta Eels and the Newcastle Knights to be $680,000, with about a quarter of the 5,000 spectators from outside the region. That estimate depends on assumptions about those visitors spending money on accommodation, and all spectators spending money on local retail and in hospitality businesses.</p>
<h2>Event leveraging</h2>
<p>So how does an economic return occur from hosting smaller-scale events like the NRL finals? </p>
<p>The answer is “event leveraging”. It is not enough just to hold an event; organisers must implement strategies to achieve the benefits touted — encouraging visitors to spend more, and using the occasion to promote the host area as a tourism destination.</p>
<p>For example, French towns and regions that attract Tour de France fans <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexledsom/2020/09/01/why-this-tour-de-france-is-one-of-the-most-important-ever/?sh=5d307d0c10b7">use event-themed activities</a> to keep visitors around longer. </p>
<p>Spreading the NRL finals games between Brisbane and four regional centres can also be seen as a leveraging strategy — spreading any economic benefits more evenly throughout the state — particularly to areas hit hard by the loss of international and interstate tourism. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/footy-crowds-what-the-afl-and-nrl-need-to-turn-sport-into-show-business-139471">Footy crowds: what the AFL and NRL need to turn sport into show business</a>
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<h2>Media exposure</h2>
<p>This also helps what is, given closed borders, the even more important component for Queensland to leverage the NRL finals: media attention that showcases the host region as a future place to visit.</p>
<p>During the Sydney 2000 Olympics, for example, a program encouraged media organisations to cover tourism destinations such as the Blue Mountains and Uluru, by providing visiting journalists with video <a href="https://library.olympics.com/default/digitalCollection/DigitalCollectionInlineDownloadHandler.ashx?parentDocumentId=176158&documentId=176163&_cb=20201101172943">and other resources</a></p>
<p>Even with the more modest NRL, media attention isn’t just confined to the hours before, during and after the actual games. There is an intensive industry generating content in the days leading up to game, and in the wash-up. </p>
<p>This occurs through general media coverage and the well-developed communications channels of the NRL and its respective clubs. Now players also cultivate their own audiences through social media. Melbourne Storm star Cameron Munster, for example, has <a href="https://www.instagram.com/munster94/?hl=en">158,000 followers on Instagram</a>.</p>
<p>The biggest audiences, though, come from game broadcasts. These typically are replete with aerial shots of the ground and other imagery showcasing the host city. </p>
<p>Queensland’s premier and minister for sport must therefore be relieved the NRL has rescheduled the preliminary final (at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane), originally set to coincide with the AFL grand final on September 25. One of the teams in that preliminary final is Melbourne Storm. The broadcast would have denied the NRL, and Queensland, thousands of television viewers.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-nrls-unrivalled-equality-means-back-to-back-premierships-are-very-rare-92666">The NRL’s unrivalled equality means back-to-back premierships are very rare</a>
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<p>So the NRL finals should provide some immediate economic benefit to the host cities and towns, though perhaps not as much as the Queensland government would like to think. They also provide a great opportunity to promote regional Queensland as a tourist destination to interstate audiences. </p>
<p>But without the time to implement strategies to really leverage these events, the extent of economic benefits that will flow to Queensland in the longer term is hard to estimate.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167879/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research shows that hosting sport and other events rarely deliver the economic and tourism benefits commonly attributed to them.Sheranne Fairley, Associate professor, The University of QueenslandDanny O'Brien, Associate Professor, Sport Management, Bond UniversityVitor Sobral, PhD candidate, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1394712020-06-11T02:55:24Z2020-06-11T02:55:24ZFooty crowds: what the AFL and NRL need to turn sport into show business<p>This week the deputy premier of New South Wales, home to most teams in Australia’s National Rugby League, suggested getting football fans back in the stands might be an issue of fundamental rights.</p>
<p>If 20,000 people could rally in support of Black Lives Matter in central Sydney, John Barilaro <a href="https://www.espn.com.au/nrl/story/_/id/29289371/nsw-deputy-premier-pushing-40000-nrl-crowd">reportedly said</a>, the NRL could handle similar in a stadium: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>So as far as I’m concerned the evidence is clear that we can open up these restrictions.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This narrative should not obscure the more obvious story here: of elite sport as entertainment business.</p>
<p>The accounts of the National Rugby League and the bigger Australian Football League are representative of professional sports leagues around the world. Most of the riches now rest on the audience watching at home. They don’t need fans in the stands for ticket sales. They do need them to make their sports great television.</p>
<p>In the case of the NRL, game receipts accounted for less than 10% of its revenue in 2019. The AFL, with crowd sizes slightly more than double the NRL, may make 15% – not much more in the greater scheme of things. </p>
<p>For both leagues more than 70% of revenue flows from broadcast rights and corporate sponsors. </p>
<p>The business model is simple: attract a broadcast audience, sell that audience to advertisers. So the critical metric is viewing numbers. </p>
<p>But what viewers want is excitement and a sense of occasion. These are hard to evoke without a crowd.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-does-crowd-noise-matter-139662">Why does crowd noise matter?</a>
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<h2>Empty experiences</h2>
<p>The AFL and NRL both played rounds in front of empty stands prior to suspending their seasons in late March. The unaugmented viewing experience was deemed unsatisfactory, as Nine’s NRL head, Simon Fordham, explained:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The players are out there giving 110%. The commentators are reacting to what they are seeing and also delivering emotional, powerful calls. But the crowd is there just to mesh those two things together.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Both Nine and Fox Sport <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/fake-yeews-the-story-behind-the-nrl-s-new-faux-crowd-noise-20200529-p54xsc.html">added canned crowd noises</a> to NRL games when the season resumed a fortnight ago. Viewer reactions were mixed. </p>
<p>The first match of the round, a Thursday night clash between the Parramatta Eels and Brisbane Broncos, was the most watched <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/05/29/1.3-million-reasons-to-smile-nrl-return-most-watched-since-2014/">regular season NRL game since 2014</a>. Channel Nine scored more than 951,000 viewers, and Fox Sports 355,000. </p>
<p>A week later, however, Brisbane’s match against the Sydney Roosters scored Channel Nine just 619,000 viewers, and Fox Sports 216,000. </p>
<p>The AFL has agreed to its broadcast partners, Channel Seven and Foxtel, also using <a href="https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/channel-7-releases-footage-of-afl-game-with-artificial-crowd-noise-c-1002712?utm_campaign=share-icons&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&tid=1589792028676">canned crowd noises</a>. With the AFL season resuming this week, we’ll get to judge its success. </p>
<h2>Direct and indirect values</h2>
<p>The NRL’s annual report shows game receipts were less than 10% of its 2019 revenue of almost <a href="https://www.nrl.com/siteassets/2020/nrl_annualreport_2019_hr.pdf">A$556 million</a>. Broadcast revenue – from Channel Nine and Fox Sports – was about A$324 million, more than 60%. “Sponsorships and wagering” (revenue from poker machines in league clubs) made another 16%. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341054/original/file-20200611-114080-12g1l92.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341054/original/file-20200611-114080-12g1l92.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341054/original/file-20200611-114080-12g1l92.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341054/original/file-20200611-114080-12g1l92.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341054/original/file-20200611-114080-12g1l92.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341054/original/file-20200611-114080-12g1l92.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341054/original/file-20200611-114080-12g1l92.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341054/original/file-20200611-114080-12g1l92.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>The AFL’s annual report does not state game receipt revenue. This is rolled into a wider figure for “commercial operations”, which includes sponsorship and wagering.</p>
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<p>But the AFL report does detail crowd numbers. We can use those to make a ballpark estimate of game revenue based on what we know about the NRL’s receipts and crowd sizes. </p>
<p>An average of 35,105 people attended the 198 games of the AFL’s 2019 premiership season. The NRL annual report does not specify attendance numbers, but most other sources suggest average match attendances of 15,000 to 16,000 at its 201 games in 2019.</p>
<p>This is an admittedly rough calculation because there are many possible variables. But assuming most things being equal, the AFL’s game receipts for more than double the NRL’s numbers would be worth about A$115 million – 14.5% of its total revenue of <a href="https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/document/2020/03/18/925fd047-a9b6-4f7d-8046-138a56ba36f4/2019-AFL-Annual-Report.pdf">A$794 million</a>.</p>
<p>Which is not insignificant. On the other hand, there’s more than A$500 million flowing from television audiences.</p>
<h2>Broadcast pressure</h2>
<p>So the number to focus on over the coming weeks to judge the health of both codes will be the average number TV viewers per game. For the NRL, that figure <a href="http://www.footyindustry.com/?p=4923">was 459,000</a> in 2019. For the AFL, it was a little more than <a href="http://www.footyindustry.com/?p=7730">1 million</a>. </p>
<p>Both leagues are already under pressure to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/we-want-a-new-deal-channel-nine-tells-nrl-it-won-t-make-its-next-payment-20200326-p54ecv.html">renegotiate current deals</a> with their broadcast partners, who have cancelled <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/seven-foxtel-withhold-afl-payment-but-new-contract-nears-20200529-p54xjy.html">quarterly payments</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-spit-to-scrums-how-can-sports-players-minimise-their-coronavirus-risk-139034">From spit to scrums. How can sports players minimise their coronavirus risk?</a>
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<p>They’ll do what they can to make their product a ratings winner. Expect more experiments with crowd augmentation, and for a harder push to bring back real fans if those experiments fail to mesh.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/139471/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Abdel K. Halabi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The business model of the AFL and NRL is simple: attract a television audience, sell that audience to advertisers. To do that they need crowds.Abdel K. Halabi, Senior Lecturer in Accounting , Federation University AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1387222020-05-15T07:50:39Z2020-05-15T07:50:39ZTwo refs are better than one, so why does the NRL want to drop one?<p>Plans to kick-start the sporting season with a <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/04/22/nrl-definitely-restarting-on-may-28-clubs-to-resume-training-soon-pearce/">return to rugby league games</a> later this month could be stalled by a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-14/coronavirus-nrl-referees-union-lodge-complaint-to-fair-work/12248350">row over referees</a>.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/05/13/commission-makes-call-one-ref-plan-finalised-for-2020/">NRL confirmed this week</a> it wants to drop the two-referee system that has been in play for more than a decade.</p>
<p>But referees are not happy about the last-minute decision. They have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-14/coronavirus-nrl-referees-union-lodge-complaint-to-fair-work/12248350">lodged a dispute with the Fair Work Commission</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/split-second-decisions-with-little-praise-so-what-does-it-take-to-ref-a-game-of-nrl-57553">Split-second decisions with little praise: so what does it take to ref a game of NRL</a>
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<p>While they are mindful of the wider interests of all stakeholders in the game, they say reverting to a single referee has enormous implications for the pace of the game.</p>
<h2>Not one but two refs</h2>
<p>Under the two-referee system, a lead and an assist referee make decisions in partnership with their two touch judges.</p>
<p>A matchday referee coach and a senior review official in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/nrl-video-refs-can-still-make-the-call-even-if-theyre-not-at-the-game-51897">centralised video bunker</a> in Sydney provide further support.</p>
<p>During play the lead referee manages roughly 80% of the time, and the assist (or “pocket”) referee 20%. This system was introduced in 2009 to lessen the physical stress on referees and to try to eliminate the grapple and wrestling holds that happen in the ruck when players are tackled.</p>
<p>The two-referee system certainly ticked all the boxes to begin with, as it <a href="https://theconversation.com/split-second-decisions-with-little-praise-so-what-does-it-take-to-ref-a-game-of-nrl-57553">allowed NRL referees</a> to physically manage around 282 rucks per game, 36 kicks in play and 38 restarts.</p>
<p>It provided immediate clarity and confidence at key times for both the lead and assist referee.</p>
<p>The game was <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/06/29/nrl-referees-boss-gerard-sutton-defends-one-ref-system-and-offside-penalties-crackdown/">played faster</a> by having the pocket referee handle the ruck. This meant the lead referee didn’t have to continually glance or run back to control this space.</p>
<p>Furthermore, under the two-referee system, the game became more fluent as it allowed each player’s athleticism to entertain the fans.</p>
<h2>Drop that second ref</h2>
<p>So why does the NRL and Australian Rugby League Commission want to scrap the two-referee model? What evidence has been put forward to judge whether reverting to a one-referee system will work?</p>
<p>ARL Commission chairman <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-14/coronavirus-nrl-referees-union-lodge-complaint-to-fair-work/12248350">Peter V'landys says</a> the overwhelming majority of fans in a 2019 survey wanted the competition to return to using one on-field referee to make the game more <a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-2020-peter-vlandys-vs-referees-onereferee-rule-rugby-league-rule-changes-may-28-restart/news-story/e5c9b47842513309ff5ab1d7bd588783">unpredictable and entertaining</a>.</p>
<p>That’s hardly solid evidence to say the game would be better played with one referee rather than two.</p>
<p>The notion put forward by V'landys that two refs are a luxury is underscored by estimates that reverting to one referee could save the NRL about <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-referees-head-to-court-and-threaten-strike-action-over-rule-change-20200514-p54swo.html">$3 million</a>.</p>
<h2>Not happy refs</h2>
<p>But the Professional Rugby League Match Officials (PRLMO) say they were <a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-2020-peter-vlandys-vs-referees-onereferee-rule-rugby-league-rule-changes-may-28-restart/news-story/e5c9b47842513309ff5ab1d7bd588783">not consulted</a> about replacing the two-referee system.</p>
<p>In defence of this system they also say the assist referee calls more than 80% of illegal tackles and play-the-ball infringements (a method for bringing the ball back into play after a tackle, in which the tackled player is allowed to stand up and heel the ball behind them to their team-mate). </p>
<p>Furthermore, <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/06/29/nrl-referees-boss-gerard-sutton">figures published by the NRL</a> in 2018 show 38% of all play-the-balls in World Cup games, where a one-referee system operates, were classified as very slow and took more than four seconds to complete.</p>
<p>So what’s best for fans and those who love the game? How should the NRL settle the debate about whether the one- or two-referee system should be the way of the future?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/blow-that-whistle-seven-reasons-you-should-respect-the-ref-in-the-nrl-grand-final-103770">Blow that whistle: seven reasons you should respect the ref in the NRL Grand Final</a>
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<p>We need a proper examination that includes the experiences of current and past NRL referees, combined with their physical and technical data, as authentic evidence for the NRL to decide whether a one-referee system will be any better than the two-referee model.</p>
<p>The NRL must be prepared to invest in this research to provide real-world insights into any benefits and limitations of both referee systems. That would allow any future developments to be based on fact.</p>
<p>Without a sound base of knowledge and a complete picture of what constitutes the work of NRL referees, I believe any attempts to select, develop and promote one system over the other will be limited at best and fundamentally flawed at worst.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138722/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Kath O'Brien does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The two-referee system was introduced to improve the flow of the game. So where’s the evidence to say dropping one ref would be any better for the game?Dr Kath O'Brien, Lecturer - QUT - Faculty of Health (School Exercise & Nutrition Sciences), Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1199762019-07-30T20:03:29Z2019-07-30T20:03:29ZAthlete development must better support Indigenous and Pasifika players<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285701/original/file-20190725-136768-1cg0d1r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1070%2C611&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Several Pasifika rugby league players decided to represent the country of their heritage, such as in this match between New Zealand and Tonga. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For the past seven years, 70 of the 75 players who have been selected for New Zealand’s senior men’s rugby league team were of Māori or Pasifika heritage.
About 42% of the National Rugby League’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN0wFRaDGn8&t=9s">player base is Pasifika</a>. </p>
<p>The start of the inaugural Rugby League International Federation (<a href="http://www.rlif.com/">RLIF</a>) <a href="http://rlif.com/article/8582/rlif-oceania-cup-confirmed-for-">Oceania Cup</a> last month further highlights the contribution Indigenous and Pasifika communities make to the game. The Oceania Cup allowed Māori and Pasifika players to showcase their footy skills and represent their cultural heritage on a global stage, outside of the world cup competition. </p>
<p>Given the continued contribution Indigenous and Pasifika communities make to the growth of rugby league in particular, we need to use processes and practices that resonate with the diverse player base.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-time-we-moved-the-goalposts-on-indigenous-policies-so-they-reflect-indigenous-values-112282">It's time we moved the goalposts on Indigenous policies, so they reflect Indigenous values</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Player development ignores culture</h2>
<p>The Oceania Cup is a long overdue move. It reflects the impact of the decision several prominent Pasifika rugby league players made at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup to turn down the opportunity to represent a top-tier nation like New Zealand and Australia. Instead they chose to <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11929578">represent the country of their heritage</a>. Since then, more <a href="https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/sport/league/tongan-star-jason-taumalolo-happy-see-nrl-players-choose-pacific-teams">Pasifika players have followed suit</a>. </p>
<p>The pathway towards a professional sporting career is typically shaped by four key aspects: physical, technical, tactical and psychosocial. Despite the significant contribution of our Indigenous communities, existing talent development research fails to acknowledge cultural nuances that are critical to the preparation and performance of Māori or Pasifika athletes. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260417325_Preparing_Footballers_for_the_Next_Step_An_Intervention_Program_From_an_Ecological_Perspective">Research</a> highlights the critical role the psychosocial aspect plays in facilitating longevity and success for a professional sportsperson. For many teenage Māori and Pasifika athletes, this can be more arduous than the physical aspect.</p>
<p>So far, the psychosocial aspect of talent development has been discussed from a Western perspective, which focuses on the achievements of the individual. In my <a href="http://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/handle/10292/11941">research</a>, I challenge this with an approach that more appropriately reflects the Māori and Pasifika talent of rugby league. </p>
<p>A significant finding was the importance and value of relationships with other people, including family and mentors. My research suggests that key relationships are those that are anchored by trust and create an energy that helps junior players to process mentally trying times they may experience during training. When viewed through a Māori and Pasifika lens, psychosocial training is (re)defined as the inter-connectedness of relationships, trust and energy. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285045/original/file-20190722-116557-1cokvsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285045/original/file-20190722-116557-1cokvsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285045/original/file-20190722-116557-1cokvsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285045/original/file-20190722-116557-1cokvsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285045/original/file-20190722-116557-1cokvsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285045/original/file-20190722-116557-1cokvsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285045/original/file-20190722-116557-1cokvsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This relational foundation is missing when psychosocial development is viewed from a Western perspective. Elite athletes are aware of the fact <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/tsp/28/4/article-p375.xml">failure is part of the process</a> for success and growth. How one learns to cope with setbacks is dependent on an athlete’s psychosocial foundation, which they build as they move to a senior elite level. </p>
<p>A more appropriate approach would integrate practices throughout the talent development process to facilitate reciprocal relationships, based on trust. Relationships also include those of a spiritual nature. Faith or spirituality play a significant role in strengthening the overall health and well-being for <a href="https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/populations/maori-health/maori-health-models/maori-health-models-te-whare-tapa-wha">Māori</a> and <a href="http://healthhb.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Fonofale-model.pdf">Pasifika</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285700/original/file-20190725-136754-19dea6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285700/original/file-20190725-136754-19dea6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285700/original/file-20190725-136754-19dea6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285700/original/file-20190725-136754-19dea6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285700/original/file-20190725-136754-19dea6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285700/original/file-20190725-136754-19dea6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285700/original/file-20190725-136754-19dea6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A prayer circle before a game between Toa Samoa and Mate Ma a Tonga.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Faith and a belief in God were found to give athletes strength and perspective in dealing with adversity. As such, organisations may do well to offer time or space for athletes to meditate, read or listen to scripture, or simply express gratitude. This is a critical element of talent development that tends to be overlooked when supporting the performance of Māori and Pasifika athletes.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/federal-budget-undermines-indigenous-self-determination-in-sport-programs-93711">Federal budget undermines Indigenous self-determination in sport programs</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Value of relationships and trust</h2>
<p>Professional sports, like other mainstream industries, are heavily dominated by a Eurocentric power structure and culture. Māori and Pasifika are expected to integrate into a system that does not typically reflect their cultural structure, values and beliefs. </p>
<p>Specialist support people and resources are typically made available in the professional sporting world to help athletes manage the demands of becoming a professional sportsperson. But we need to consider the value of relationships, trust and energy for Māori and Pasifika athletes to succeed in the high performance sport environment.</p>
<p>From a collective cultural perspective, success is measured by how well one takes care of those around them. Athletes are likely to progress better through the development process when they feel their support team (coaches, trainers, managers) takes care of them. For Māori and Pasifika athletes, this <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/06/19/i-lost-it-the-moment-benji-broke-selection-news-to-family/">includes their family and the wider collective</a> they represent. </p>
<p>The athlete may be the individual training and playing the game, but for Māori and Pasifika, their success is not their success alone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/119976/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sierra Keung is linked to professional sporting organisations by way of research interests in the athlete development.
- New Zealand Rugby: Concussion Management Strategy (member of the research advisory team)
- National Rugby League: Athlete Trajectory project (NZ-based lead researcher)
- New Zealand Rugby: Navigating Two Worlds (mentor)
She received a New Zealand Rugby League scholarship to conduct doctoral studies.
She is also a member of the Professional Association of Athlete Development Specialists (PAADS).</span></em></p>The Oceania Cup allows rugby league players to represent the country of their heritage. Now we need to introduce training processes that better reflect and support cultural diversity.Sierra Keung, Kaiako - Sport & Recreation, Auckland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1198802019-07-08T20:11:20Z2019-07-08T20:11:20ZIs the NRL legally liable for the long-term impacts of concussions?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283014/original/file-20190708-51273-ukutny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=815%2C819%2C1749%2C1209&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Protocols are now in place to treat suspected concussions during NRL matches, but this wasn't always the case in the league. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dan Himbrechts/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the not too distant past, players who suffered head injuries in professional contact sports quickly returned to the field of play, sometimes in the same game, seemingly able to shake off any concussion concerns. </p>
<p>Australian professional sports leagues likewise <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/nrl/league-and-american-football-not-concussion-cousins-says-medic-20120516-1yrbp.html">were unconvinced of</a> the long-term effects of head injuries – and specifically the US-based research suggesting a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/hard-knocks/4011996">connection between head injuries and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE</a> - preferring instead to wait for Australian scientific evidence to lead the way. </p>
<p>Last month, however, a <a href="https://actaneurocomms.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40478-019-0751-1">report</a> was released by researchers from the University of Sydney and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital finding scientific evidence of CTE in the brains of two middle-aged, former National Rugby League (NRL) players who had each played more than 150 games over many years. </p>
<p>The report, published as a “letter to the editor” in a medical journal, is the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-27/rugby-league-players-found-to-have-deadly-brain-disease/11254032">first time</a> CTE has been identified in rugby league players anywhere in the world. </p>
<p><a href="https://concussionfoundation.org/CTE-resources/what-is-CTE">Medical experts have</a> described CTE as </p>
<blockquote>
<p>a degenerative brain disease found in athletes, military veterans, and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Sydney researchers acknowledge that their report is limited by a lack of clinical information collected during the lifetimes of the two NRL players and note that</p>
<blockquote>
<p>it is difficult to assess whether these two CTE cases are serendipitous findings, or emblematic of a more common issue with Rugby League and other Australian football codes. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Nonetheless, in the face of this discovery, a legal question has arisen in the rugby league world: who should be responsible for brain injuries suffered by former players? The answer is likely to be determined in Australian courts if a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jul/03/rugby-league-players-consider-class-action-over-nrls-treatment-of-concussions">threatened class action lawsuit</a> is brought by former NRL players against the league and its clubs. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-does-concussion-do-to-the-brain-53224">What does concussion do to the brain?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The key questions for a class action lawsuit</h2>
<p>According to media reports, several former, but as yet unnamed, NRL players <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/three-law-firms-announce-nrl-concussion-class-actions-within-24-hours-20190703-p523th.html">have expressed interest</a> in joining a proposed class action suit, claiming the league and its clubs failed to provide a safe workplace. </p>
<p>Without full details of the complaints, media reports have suggested the case will revolve around whether the league and clubs did enough to protect players from the long-term effects of repetitive concussive and subconcussive injuries and whether they knew or ought to have known about the risks associated with mismanaging such injuries. </p>
<p>Central to the case will be whether the players can demonstrate they were owed a duty of care by the league and whether that duty was breached. Another critical question will be whether players can prove that any breach of duty caused or contributed to the players’ long-term injuries.</p>
<p>A key challenge in <a href="http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/fcoaa1976249/s33c.html">any class action suit</a> is to first establish that the claims of several parties are against the same person or organisation, and arise from the “same, similar or related circumstances” involving a substantial common issue of law or fact. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/who-should-be-responsible-for-brain-injuries-in-sport-62285">Who should be responsible for brain injuries in sport?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Like most professional sports leagues, the NRL has adopted its own <a href="https://www.nrl.com/operations/the-players/management-of-concussion/">concussion protocols</a> over the years to properly manage how and when players can return to the sport following a head injury. As NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg <a href="https://10daily.com.au/news/sport/a190708hpsbc/nrl-spending-enormous-amount-on-concussion-research-20190708">says</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>We have made huge changes going back to 2014 and I’m very confident those rules are in place for the primary reason for the care of our players.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A key question in the proposed class action, therefore, is how this was handled in the past, before the current protocols were put in place. Were players returning to competition too soon after a head injury? And were the concussion protocols properly implemented and enforced? </p>
<p>These questions rely on first establishing whether the NRL, as the sport’s governing body, owed a legal duty to provide and invest in a safe workplace to prevent or reduce the risk of mismanaging head injuries. </p>
<p>Another important question is the level of scientific understanding of the risks associated with mismanaging concussions at the time the players were injured. Was the sport following best practices based on the scientific understanding at the time? </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1146431347717791745"}"></div></p>
<h2>Who is legally responsible for players’ safety?</h2>
<p>A professional sportsperson can legally be classified as an employee, with the right to expect a safe working environment. In professional team sport, this includes an obligation to remove a player from a game or training when they are believed to have suffered a concussion.</p>
<p>In 2000, the High Court in <a href="https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/HCA/2000/41.html">Agar v Hyde</a> established that the governing body of a sport does not owe a duty to voluntary, amateur participants to amend the rules of the game to make it safer. One of the reasons for this decision was a finding that a sport governing body lacked any real or effective control over recreational or amateur participants. </p>
<p>However, the court left open the possibility of re-examining whether professional athletes who are classified as employees and injured at work fall within a different category. </p>
<p>Since the Agar v Hyde case, this question has not been determined in any Australian case, so it is likely to arise in a rugby league class action suit, should it proceed to trial.</p>
<h2>How cases have been handled elsewhere</h2>
<p>The heightened awareness around CTE in Australia follows the 2011 class action lawsuit filed in the United States by former football players against the National Football League. The case involved allegations the league knew about the dangers associated with repetitive concussive and subconcussive injuries but, among other things, fraudulently concealed this information and failed in its duty of care to ensure the safety of players.</p>
<p>The NFL case <a href="https://www.nflconcussionsettlement.com/">settled for US$1 billion</a> before going to trial, so these allegations were not tested in court. The NFL case did, however, bring into sharp focus the role of a sport’s governing body and who is ultimately responsible for the long-term health of players. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/concussions-and-cte-more-complicated-than-even-the-experts-know-81794">Concussions and CTE: More complicated than even the experts know</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In a culture known for its litigation appetite, <a href="http://nflconcussionlitigation.com/">hundreds of legal cases</a> have since been filed in US courts – against clubs, schools, colleges, doctors, coaches, hospitals and insurers, to name a few. The National Hockey League has also been sued by former players, but the case was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/sports/hockey/hockey-concussion-settlement.html">settled</a> last year. </p>
<p>But the US and Australian sports and court systems are different, and any Australian case will need to be based on Australian law in accordance with the federal or state-based civil procedures. </p>
<p>The long-term impact of such lawsuits also remains to be seen. In the US, there are <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-kids-tackle-football/fewer-u-s-high-school-athletes-play-football-amid-concussion-fears-idUSKCN1GO2LY">fewer high school students playing football</a> due to concerns over the long-term effects of brain injuries. Whether the links between CTE and rugby league players will have the same effect on participation rates in Australia is another issue worth further study.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/119880/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Annette Greenhow does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>After a report found evidence of CTE in the brains of two former NRL players, the league is facing the possibility of a class-action lawsuit. Here’s what former players would need to prove.Annette Greenhow, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, Bond UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1037702018-09-27T01:51:26Z2018-09-27T01:51:26ZBlow that whistle: seven reasons you should respect the ref in the NRL Grand Final<p>This weekend’s rugby league Grand Final sees the <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/09/23/sydney-roosters-v-melbourne-storm-grand-final-preview/">Sydney Roosters face the Melbourne Storm</a> in front of a stadium crowd of thousands – and even more on television. All eyes will be on the referee to make sure the play is fair.</p>
<p>Like elite athletes, the reputation of these full-time professional refs is often summarised by their performance in high-pressure, high-stakes events – watched by people they can never impress.</p>
<p>Over the past three years, I have spent countless hours studying how NRL referees learn their craft. </p>
<p>So, ahead of this year’s NRL grand final, here are some aspects that might help you see the game from a ref’s point of view.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/split-second-decisions-with-little-praise-so-what-does-it-take-to-ref-a-game-of-nrl-57553">Split-second decisions with little praise: so what does it take to ref a game of NRL</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>1. Mt Everest moment</h2>
<p>The Grand Final is the ultimate. It is the pinnacle of a referee’s work over the course of the year. Everyone wants to make it, to earn the right to rule.</p>
<p>But they may never reach that pinnacle again. </p>
<p>So remember that they want the best: they really want to represent the game, the two teams involved, the fans and those referees who didn’t make the final, to the best of their ability. </p>
<h2>2. You only see it once</h2>
<p>Referees make split-second decisions. They only see things once, often only a small movement, and usually at speed.</p>
<p>They have to calculate the right moment to strike. They don’t have the luxury of multiple video replays to get it right.</p>
<p>Even without the involvement of the bunker – a centralised facility that records the game from several angles and to which refs can refer decisions for review – consider how hard this is to maintain faultlessly (and fearlessly) over two 40-minute blocks.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FR7XPA2-vrg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Refs can call on the bunker for help.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. They never fly solo</h2>
<p>During the course of a game, lead referees have to cope with listening to their assistant referee, two line judges, the matchday referee coach, players yelling at them, and occasionally spectators who provide their own helpful advice.</p>
<p>They also have to call for assistance, knowing that this may overrule something on which they have already made a ruling. </p>
<p>Remember, few of us hold jobs where people are simultaneously speaking to us, where we have to demand a second opinion, and where we can be called out for our mistakes on national television. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T-KaLWb6gdE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Everyone’s a critic of the refs.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>4. Reading their mind</h2>
<p>Each referee’s decision-making prowess is strongly predicated on their ability to read the game. They need to “feel” situations as they dynamically unfold with respect to players’ actions, movements and tensions.</p>
<p>Refs need to internally interpret, process and recall important variables and situations and to then blend these into accurate, constructive decisions that affect a given action or outcome both now and into the future of the game.</p>
<h2>5. Collectively attuned</h2>
<p>The lead and assistant refs in a Grand Final know their roles individually and collectively. On match day, they are tightly woven, well-attuned to each others nuances and thoughts.</p>
<p>Their thinking in action also imperceptibly defines and shapes a tone and rhythm for how the game unfolds.</p>
<p>But remember, they constantly formulate these actions in the context of the whole, never as individuals, but rather as part of the overall fabric of the game. </p>
<h2>6. Refereeing is hard work</h2>
<p>NRL referees run about <a href="https://playnrl.com/referee/referee-latest-news/the-science-of-officiating/">8.2km per game</a>. They consistently manage around <a href="https://theconversation.com/split-second-decisions-with-little-praise-so-what-does-it-take-to-ref-a-game-of-nrl-57553">282 rucks and 36 kicks in play</a>.</p>
<p>They also spend a <a href="https://theconversation.com/split-second-decisions-with-little-praise-so-what-does-it-take-to-ref-a-game-of-nrl-57553">staggering 31% of their game time</a> in high anaerobic heart rate sectors of 170 beats per minute (BPM) or above.</p>
<p>At the same time, referees are dynamically adjusting their field positions to continually remain alongside the play, all while making decisions at speed.</p>
<p>When was the last time you ran this far while also completing several intermittent sprint efforts, and making mentally taxing decisions all the while?</p>
<h2>7. They love the game</h2>
<p>Referees are passionate about rugby league. Many played the game as juniors, while others have family members involved. </p>
<p>They also love the challenge and excitement of league and the camaraderie that comes with such a high-profile sport.</p>
<p>But referees are expected to look serious, lack personality and ignore the distractions from both participants and spectators. </p>
<p>Remember, they are not permitted to publicly express their support, or otherwise, for particular teams or results, or provide insights into how they feel about their sport.</p>
<h2>Be gentle</h2>
<p>So, remember that referees are just people – albeit people who are extremely driven, focused, energetic athletes who are strongly anchored to performing the perfect game. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whether-teams-win-or-lose-sporting-events-lead-to-spikes-in-violence-against-women-and-children-99686">Whether teams win or lose, sporting events lead to spikes in violence against women and children</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>They work as hard as elite players, both physically and mentally, to store and retrieve rules, learn new rules, learn every player’s name, stay fit, and make correct decisions at lightning speed.</p>
<p>Remember too that on Grand Final Day, most fans’ satisfactions are often driven by how well their team performs – which means it is often easier (and more acceptable) to ignore the loss if it can be blamed on the referees, rather than your own team’s play.</p>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103770/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Kath O'Brien does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s not easy being a ref. Everyone’s your critic, and you have to run more than 8km each match to keep up with the play.Dr Kath O'Brien, PhD Candidate - School of Human Movement & Nutrition Sciences, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/575532016-04-20T20:08:54Z2016-04-20T20:08:54ZSplit-second decisions with little praise: so what does it take to ref a game of NRL<p>Whomever you support in any National Rugby League (<a href="http://www.nrl.com/">NRL</a>) footy game, it’s important to remember there’s always a third team in play that seldom gets much support: the refereeing crew.</p>
<p>For every knock-on, restart and try scored, this six-person unit deftly coordinates thousands of decisive calls and split-second decisions at match speed.</p>
<p>And all this is done while under intense player and public scrutiny.</p>
<p>NRL referees consistently manage around 282 rucks per game and 36 kicks in play. They adjudicate on approximately 20 player errors, 38 restarts and 14 penalties while covering a total distance of around eight kilometres per game.</p>
<p>Match officials spend a staggering 31% of game time in high anaerobic heart rate sectors of 170 beats per minute (bpm) or above.</p>
<p>How, then, under such demanding physical and mental circumstances, do these high-performance arbitrators effectively administer and communicate their decision-making outcomes?</p>
<h2>Close calls</h2>
<p>After spending eight busy days this month immersed in the business of NRL refereeing, I was extremely impressed with the professionalism and work rate of all involved.</p>
<p>It highlighted to me the lack of public knowledge about how these elite athletes operate. There is an enormous volume of communication taking place during each game, and technology’s had a huge impact on the role and responsibilities of the modern-day official.</p>
<p>The lead and assist referees facilitate match-day decisions in partnership with their two touch judges. Further support is provided each week by both the match-day referee coach and a senior review official located in the video ref’s bunker.</p>
<p>I attended the Eels v Panthers game at Parramatta Stadium in western Sydney. The referees’ coaching box was a small space in which the match-day official was required to effectively operate. It was already half-packed with equipment.</p>
<p>Noise and movement from broadcast boxes either side continually intruded while technical staff repeatedly entered and left as the game progressed.</p>
<p>And yet, the match-day referee’s focus in this small area was unwavering. Concentration was maintained as he astutely watched every play of the game and confirmed decisions and ruck counts.</p>
<p>By judiciously communicating with the other referees and touch judges on field, the match-day referee provided immediate clarity and confidence at key times throughout the match for both the lead and assist referee.</p>
<p>During the course of a typical game, lead referees have to cope with listening to their assist referee, two line judges, the match-day referee coach, players and occasionally spectators who attempt to provide their own “helpful” advice. </p>
<p>Hundreds of communications are taking place each minute. Few of us hold jobs where at least five people are simultaneously speaking at us and where split-second responses are required. Key decisions may also change the mood of a large group of people in their immediate vicinity from friendly to hostile in a short space of time.</p>
<h2>The video ref bunker</h2>
<p>This season has seen the set up of a <a href="https://theconversation.com/nrl-video-refs-can-still-make-the-call-even-if-theyre-not-at-the-game-51897">centralised video referee</a>, based in a bunker at the Australian Technology Park in Eveleigh, Sydney, where a team of officials are required to watch over all NRL games. </p>
<figure>
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</figure>
<p>In contrast to the on-field refereeing, scenes inside the video referee bunker were far more comfortable. With no interruptions and plenty of soundproofed space, match review officials clinically oversaw decisions being made at a distance.</p>
<p>Devoid of match-day emotions and distractions but just as busy as the match-day coaching box with little changeover time between games, an impressive array of touchscreen interfaces, zoom functions and enhanced camera angles were continually accessed in order to provide alternative sources of match-day information to the on-field referee team when required.</p>
<p>At the same time, in another section of the bunker, referee coaching staff were constantly editing key sections of decision-making plays in order to produce coaching segments designed to provide feedback and improve referee performance prior to the next round of games.</p>
<p>Who goes home from their day job to analyse their own performance for the next three hours? Which families get to continually hear about their job security in the <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/opinion/nrls-aim-to-stop-criticism-of-referees-and-bunker-eroding-public-faith-in-games-accountability/news-story/a4b9c7064ac8842b514148e861af3a8a">media</a>? And who gets their work statistically micro-analysed by a personal coach every week?</p>
<h2>When the refs get it right</h2>
<p>NRL refereeing must be one of the most high pressure and publicly scrutinised jobs on the Australian sporting landscape. And yet, data reveals that NRL referees had an 81.4% decision-making success rate for their round five games this season. It was an astounding 94% success rate for the Eels v Panthers game I attended. </p>
<p>Why then do we focus so strongly on referee mistakes rather than player mistakes?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ryan Hoffman of the Warriors speaks with the referee Matt Checchin during the round five NRL match between the Sydney Roosters and the New Zealand Warriors at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Mick Tsikas</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Realistically, they can only officiate the match that comes before them. If players are intent on committing penalties, then referees have no choice but to blow the whistle on them.</p>
<p>And yet, the performances of referees appear to be shaped quickly by strong opinions in the aftermath of games by players, coaches and media alike. This includes the new video referee bunker decisions that have also been <a href="http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-coaches-have-found-a-loophole-to-avoid-getting-fined/news-story/cca1688b5e245dc071eea921d82e52dd">subject to some criticism</a> this season.</p>
<p>If people only see the condensed <a href="http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/vossy-apologises-for-epic-channel-9-replay-rant/news-story/c7f79d8d0bdd9019a84ad95aedd4ecc3">footage currently being broadcast</a>, then it must be difficult to accurately assess and comment on referee mistakes at all. </p>
<p>In future, solutions might be to display the multiple camera angles available to bunker officials instead of the basic vision currently being shown. By combining broadcast vision with real-time lead and assist referee communications, angst currently being directed at referees might be further reduced. </p>
<p>Broncos coach Wayne Bennett believes the <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/nrl/wayne-bennett-doesnt-want-nrl-grand-final-in-brisbane/news-story/481bf03a9c1b86afdfe219f7d676f4c7">bunker system has already shown its worth</a> when he said at the weekend:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The bunker has many plusses to it, but is it the perfect system? No it’s not, because there is human error there.</p>
<p>That’s the bottom line. I don’t know why we keep beating ourselves up about it, because it is better than what we had.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That’s something to consider next time you’re about to criticise the referee in any NRL game.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/57553/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Kath O'Brien does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The data shows NRL referees get it right most of the time. So why do they still cop criticism?Dr Kath O'Brien, PhD Candidate - School of Human Movement & Nutrition Sciences, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/518972015-12-13T19:26:49Z2015-12-13T19:26:49ZNRL video refs can still make the call even if they’re not at the game<p>A new centralised video bunker is set to be introduced to the National Rugby League (NRL) games next season as part of a <a href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-moves-to-introduce-video-bunker-to-eradicate-referee-errors/news-story/deb00ffe546519fff97e8d52558e37c6?memtype=anonymous">A$2 million hi-tech</a> overhaul.</p>
<p>The aim is to reduce dramas surrounding refereeing decisions in the code, with rugby league being the first sport in Australia to have such a command centre.</p>
<p>Up to now the video referees have been based at the venue during a game. The new Sydney-based centre will use Hawk-Eye Innovations video review technology and give the video referees access to multiple camera angles and playback control for all reviewable decisions.</p>
<p>Expectations are high that with this type of advanced technical assistance, referees will get more decisions correct and that significantly less time will be taken to reach those decisions.</p>
<h2>What’s all the fuss?</h2>
<p>But according to recent <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nrl-referees-reach-alltime-high-in-correct-decisions-on-tries-20150502-1myeal.html">NRL data</a>, referees are getting try-scoring decisions right at the highest rate since the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-13/refs-to-make-a-call-before-referring/4516876">directive to rule on tries</a> before referring them upstairs to the video referee.</p>
<p>Referees had an 86% success rate over the opening eight rounds of the 2015 competition, compared with an 83% success rate for the entire 2014 season. <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-coaches-rants-at-refs-are-pure-misdirection-and-distort-the-true-standard-of-match-officials/story-fnp0lyn3-1227272955642">Further data</a> reveals that the overall accuracy of NRL referees decisions (80% accuracy) was only just behind the AFL (84%). It was ahead of both the football (70%) and rugby (50%) codes.</p>
<p>How then will the introduction of a central command system be the ultimate “<a href="http://www.nrl.com/video-bunker-confirmed-for-2016/tabid/10874/newsid/90491/default.aspx">game changer</a>” that NRL head of football Todd Greenburg has predicted? The on-field referee evidence already appears to suggest that officials have the capacity to get decisions right the majority of the time.</p>
<p>How does the effectiveness of the proposed Central Command Centre, to be based at NEP Australia at Australian Technology Park in Eveleigh, compare with the immediacy (and integrity) of the real-time decisions being put forward by their on-field referee teams each week?</p>
<p>According to Greenberg, the aim of the new referral system is to increase the accuracy and consistency of decisions, and to reduce the amount of time taken to come to those decisions.</p>
<h2>Call for ‘zero errors’</h2>
<p>In <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nrl-video-referees-bunker-is-set-to-be-a-game-changer-20150602-ghexbo.html">trials conducted</a> during the Round 12 Warriors v Knights game, the average time taken to make decisions reduced from 58.5 seconds down to just 20.3 seconds.</p>
<p>In testing conducted over 11 games during the 2015 season, it was <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nrl-video-referees-bunker-is-set-to-be-a-game-changer-20150602-ghexbo.html">reported that</a> both accuracy and efficiency levels improved. There was also a more consistent approach to decision-making due to fewer people making the decisions. It also helped not having to rely on vision dictated to by the host broadcaster. </p>
<p>It appears that Greenberg’s <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nrl-confirms-introduction-of-bunker-for-video-referee-reviews-20151009-gk519l.html">bold prediction</a> of video referees within the new bunker making zero errors next year may be a distinct possibility.</p>
<p>One un-named NRL coach, who’s also a fan of the video ref, <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-video-referees-worth-10m-to-sponsors-kfc-for-time-spent-making-decisions/story-fnp0lyn3-1227463767172">is reported saying</a> that players and coaches work too hard and train too hard for matches to be decided by 50-50 calls of getting decisions right.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The video ref is here to stay. It’s not going anywhere. It will be part of the new bunker.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>A close call</h2>
<p>Every try has now got millimetres in it, so we’ve got to make sure we’re using the <a href="http://www.nrl.com/nrl-trials-referee-bunker-system/tabid/10874/newsid/86740/default.aspx">right technology</a> to keep up with how the athletes are performing.</p>
<p>Experienced <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-video-referees-worth-10m-to-sponsors-kfc-for-time-spent-making-decisions/story-fnp0lyn3-1227463767172?memtype=anonymous">commentators report</a> that the frustration of fans dramatically increases when they see the referee rule a try, only to have it taken away from them after sitting through an extended replay process.</p>
<p>So how do you correct the immediate impact of a particular <a href="http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/09/14/refs-got-penalty-call-wrong-says-archer/">referee’s on-field decision</a> when no referral is required, such as the one that enabled St George Illawarra five-eighth Gareth Widdop to send their elimination final this year against the Canterbury Bulldogs into extra time?</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Was Shaun Lane offside? (see 3 mins 30 secs in)</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The abrupt answer is: we won’t. We will still have moments of controversy as there is no perfect system yet designed.</p>
<p>While the use of new technology is geared towards aiding the officials on site, reality suggests that different stadium configurations or breakdowns in communication between referees on-site could still change the outcome of games. </p>
<p>Just because certain systems have made judgements more accurate in one sport, doesn’t necessarily mean it will do the same for the NRL.</p>
<p>But the <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=701676">accumulating evidence</a> from current United States professional sports suggests that one thing a central officiating location does bring is consistency to referred outcomes. The call you get one day is more likely going to be the same as the call the next day, and the next week because it should be the same people adjudicating it.</p>
<p>Seeing an incident as it is occurs in real-time from a wider range of broadcast angles, without distractions and with the same two people processing the information, should theoretically make for a more thorough and effective decision making process.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Video refs don’t always get it right.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So regardless of opinion, the presence of the video referral system now appears to be an entrenched component in the game. </p>
<p>Referees will still be charged with the on-field responsibility for making most of the real-time decisions and deciding when to send these for review. The new off-site centralised video referees will be used to provide immediate support for on-field referee queries.</p>
<p>In that way, the transparency, speed and accuracy of decision-making may be improved next year, while at the same time potentially providing future frameworks of instruction that support even longer on-field and technological advancements for the sport of rugby league.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/51897/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Kath O'Brien does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A centralised video ref for next year’s NRL season aims to reduce the dramas surrounding refereeing decisions in the game. But how often do the on-field refs get it wrong?Dr Kath O'Brien, PhD Candidate - School of Human Movement & Nutrition Sciences, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/466862015-09-03T20:07:57Z2015-09-03T20:07:57ZJarryd Hayne is just one game away from NFL stardom<p>Just one more preseason game for Jarryd Hayne this weekend before we’ll know if the former Australian rugby league player has managed to win final selection to play for the San Francisco 49s in the year’s NFL season.</p>
<p>He’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-secret-behind-jarryd-haynes-success-on-the-us-footy-field-46685">not the first Australian</a> to make it in the United States and the American football league. So what is it about Hayne that’s captured the attention of people both here in Australia and in the US?</p>
<p>I’ve followed Hayne’s career for many years and he is a graduate from the school of hard knocks. As a young boy, raised by a single mother in Sydney’s south-west, Hayne’s instinct was to fight for his family so they would eventually have their own home.</p>
<p>Growing up in a Campbelltown housing commission building would not have been easy for Hayne, who started playing rugby league as a six year old. But the San Francisco 49ers recruit was blessed with the right physical attributes to become a star athlete.</p>
<p>As the son of a Fijian rugby league player and an Australian mother, Hayne’s football pedigree is a bonus. His fast-twitch fibres in his powerful muscles helped him to become one of the fastest schoolboys on the track. He won a national schoolboys title for 100m hurdles, without an ounce of training.</p>
<p>Hayne used his athletic build and speed to his advantage and debuted for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL at just 18. He won the 2006 <a href="http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/awards/dally-m-rookie-of-the-year">Dally M Rookie of the Year</a> award and a coveted spot in the Kangaroos squad.</p>
<h2>On the US footy field</h2>
<p>In recent weeks NFL fans and Australians watched in awe, as <a href="http://www.news.com.au/sport/american-sports/jarryd-haynes-san-francisco-49ers-v-denver-broncos-nfl-preseason/story-fnq2nnu6-1227504642794">Hayne’s superstar qualities</a> were tested during 49ers’ preseason games against Houston, Dallas and Denver.</p>
<p>The 49ers running back and return specialist exceeded expectations with his speed and evasive skills, and set the field alight with some blistering runs. Hayne’s athleticism, strength and speed took his NFL opponents by surprise. Seasoned NFL commentators were stunned.</p>
<p>History has a habit of repeating itself, and in Hayne’s case, this is what has happened, when comparing his form during his youth. When Hayne is fresh, focused and challenged, he is more likely to rev up and produce spectacular football. </p>
<p>In 2006, as a fresh-faced teenager, Hayne starred in his rookie NRL season. Hayne is now reliving the freedom of a new experience – and he’s embracing the challenge.</p>
<p>Hayne’s willingness to work outside his comfort zone reflects his ability to handle pressure-cooker situations. An adrenaline-fuelled Hayne has shown his tolerance to pressure in his three preseason games with the 49ers.</p>
<p>Both the Australian and American press went berserk over the so-called “<a href="http://onlyagame.wbur.org/2015/08/29/jarryd-hayne-rugby-nfl-san-francisco-49ers">Hayne Plane</a>” and he has kept his eye on the ball.</p>
<h2>Will Hayne make the final team?</h2>
<p>Hayne’s initiation to the NFL is something that footballers dream of. But can the 27-year-old megastar sustain his momentum and continue to play a key role for the 49ers? </p>
<p>The NFL, known for its ruthless nickname “Not For Long”, is a seemingly elusive goal for spirited Australians, as they’ve pitted their talents against thousands of American hopefuls.</p>
<p>Former NFL punter and Geelong captain <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Graham-blazing-a-trail-in-the-NFL/2006/10/10/1160246108637.html">Ben Graham</a>, who was the first Australian to play in the Super Bowl, said many hours of preparation was invested in every play, on top of physical and skills training.</p>
<p>Back in 2006 while punting for the New York Jets, Graham said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[…] it’s up to the individual player to put themselves in the best position to win a job because it’s not as easy as a lot of people think it is.</p>
<p>But there’s no doubt that there’s ability in Australia to make that transition.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>While AFL footballers-turned punters have made effective transitions into NFL, Hayne arrives from NRL where there is no history of success. </p>
<p>Hayne has proven he can become a leading return specialist for punts and kick-offs. Some of Hayne’s “catch-me-if-you-can” runs have enthralled sports fans worldwide. These golden moments have been played online repeatedly since his pre-season debut.</p>
<p>Hayne’s training attitude is second to none (we know of his practice of stuffing cheat notes into his shorts), as he learns the intricacies of a game that is likened to “physical chess”.</p>
<p>Hayne is building skills for <a href="http://www.news.com.au/sport/american-sports/jarryd-hayne-not-guaranteed-san-francisco-49ers-roster-spot-yet/story-fnq2nnu6-1227508659312">specialist positions</a>, such as a back-up <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_back">running back</a>. </p>
<p>San Franciso 49ers <a href="http://www.foxsports.com.au/us-sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers-coach-jim-tomsula-gives-best-indication-yet-jarryd-hayne-will-make-the-roster/story-fnp3l4e4-1227506716321">head coach Jim Tomsula</a> has been careful to manage the reaction to Hayne’s sensational form – but his praise has been glowing. He told reporters:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I feel very good about his abilities to field. I feel very good about his abilities to perform with a ball in his hands on special teams.</p>
<p>The coverage parts of it? I’ve seen a lot of improvement there. The guy will fly down the field in those areas.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There has been huge reaction on social media related to Hayne’s on-field feats and the official season hasn’t even began. The 49ers’ final 53-man roster will be decided on September 6.</p>
<p>The odds are swinging in Hayne’s favour. He is fast becoming a brand that has caught the 49ers and his management offguard – typical of the “<a href="http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/top-stories-august-2015/haynetrain-picks-up-steam">Hayne Train</a>”.</p>
<p>NFL fans and Aussie tourists have quickly snapped up Hayne’s number 38 jerseys in official stores and <a href="http://www.foxsports.com.au/us-sports/nfl/jarryd-hayne-jerseys-sold-out-at-official-san-francisco-49ers-stores-as-he-moves-closer-to-53-man-roster/story-fnp3l4e4-1227507389724">now they’ve sold out</a>. </p>
<p>You can’t endorse an athlete more highly than excited fans, who can’t get enough of him.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/46686/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie Tullberg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Three down, just one preseason game to go before Australian Jarryd Hayne will know if he’s made it play for the San Francisco 49ers in the competitive US NFL season.Julie Tullberg, Digital journalism coordinator, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/319842014-09-26T02:32:38Z2014-09-26T02:32:38ZWhy AFL grand final is the most successful event in Australia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60128/original/2wp9bxfc-1411698410.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hawthorn fans watched the players train this week - everyone is a winner when it comes to the AFL grand final.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Julian Smith</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When the Sydney Swans take on Hawthorn at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, it won’t just be AFL fans cheering.</p>
<p>As Australia’s dominant sport competition, the AFL generates more revenue than any other national sporting code. In 2012 it attracted $425 million comprising ticket sales, memberships, television rights, sponsorships, merchandise, gaming, and sundry income. </p>
<p>In contrast Cricket Australia generated $206 million, while Tennis Australia, National Rugby League, and Football Federation Australia <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/data-point/afl-leaves-other-codes-in-the-dust-20130326-2grkp.html">secured $186 million, $136 million and $95 million respectively</a>. </p>
<p>This not surprising in view of the AFL’s spectator numbers. In 2013 it attracted 6.4 million fans to its home and away games, while another 559,000 attended the finals series. In short, the total season attendance exceeded seven million people. </p>
<p>The NRL cobbled together just over 3.1 million admissions, while the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Australian_football_code_crowds">A League</a> assembled 1.8 million ‘fan visits’ for the season. </p>
<p>The AFL has also become the most popular site for sports betting, excluding horse racing. Horse racing turned over $20 billion in 2012, while the AFL and the NRL churned $900 million and $750 million respectively, <a href="http://australianwageringcouncil.com/assets/docs/Deloitte_-_Optimal_Product_Fees_Report.pdf">underpinned by a 13% annual growth rate</a>. </p>
<p>This is not a bad financial outcome for an enterprise that is technically not for profit, has no shareholders, and is not required to pay dividends. Being a company limited by guarantee, the AFL is able to undertake commercial initiatives, but does not have to pay tax on its profits, since, legally speaking, it only makes surpluses. </p>
<p>These surplus funds are reinvested in the business, so to speak, and used to “grow the game” into the future.</p>
<p>The second point to note that as a highlight of the Australian sporting calendar, the grand final receives saturated media exposure - its national television audience usually peaks at around 4.5 million, which makes it the <a href="http://www.sevenwestmedia.com.au/docs/default-source/business-unit-news/2013-afl-grand-final-dominates-on-seven.pdf?sfvrsn=2">highest rating Saturday afternoon television event for the year</a>. </p>
<p>It is additionally the highest rating football competition, with NRL grand final viewership usually peaking at just over 3.9 million.</p>
<p>The AFL grand final is also good for the city of Melbourne. The excitement begins with the Brownlow medal count for the best player of the season, it builds with the parade of players through the city streets on Friday, and culminates in the frenetic playing out of the game on Saturday afternoon. It is an <a href="http://www.afl.com.au/gallery/2013-09-27/grand-final-parade">old ritual</a>, but a good one.</p>
<p>Many fans come from interstate, and, from a commercial perspective the more “out of towners” the better. Saturday’s game is anticipated to draw 30,000 interstate fans. </p>
<p>On the assumption they will have spent $200 on a ticket, paid $600 for two nights of accommodation, and spent another $500 on food, drink, and entertainment, then this average per-person spend of $1,400 will generate additional in-Melbourne expenditure of $42 million. This becomes a <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/sydney-fan-invasion-to-give-victoria-an-extra-10-million-boost/story-fni0fit3-1227067080996">valuable boost the local economy</a>.</p>
<p>But, Melbourne gets more than commercial benefits from hosting the AFL grand Final. The psychological, social, and cultural benefits are less tangible, but are more significant. This is because the AFL grand final is more than a game, and more than an event. It is a sporting festival that brings people together in the most inclusive of ways. Class divisions are forgotten, social bonds are created, friendships are strengthened, civic pride is enhanced, and individuals feel emotionally alive. </p>
<p>There is massive community goodwill, and connectivity and optimism dominate the mood of the city. It celebrates our egalitarianism, and allows us to reflect on our democratic traditions. It also highlights our rich cultural heritage, and especially the magnificent achievements of <a href="http://aflcommunityclub.com.au/index.php?id=790">our aboriginal footballers</a>. It is the perfect springtime experience.</p>
<p>Critics argue that the AFL is a focal point for brutal exhibitions of ugly hyper-masculinity, a site for a barrage of racist and homophobic commentary, a game that <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/society-and-culture/kicking-goals-on-gay-pride-20130205-2dwdp.html">marginalises minorities</a>, and an institution that not only sexualises women, but also accommodates violence against them. In response, the AFL argues it is trying actively to <a href="http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-08-13/rulebreakers-a-short-history-of-conduct-unbecoming">change the culture</a> that enables these problems.</p>
<p>The AFL Grand Final is both good for the economy and good for society. It is Australia’s most socially responsible sporting enterprise, and by any measure, contributes an enormous amount of social utility to the broader community. It is a great indigenous game, a first-order icon, and a national treasure, all wrapped into one.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/31984/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bob Stewart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When the Sydney Swans take on Hawthorn at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, it won’t just be AFL fans cheering. As Australia’s dominant sport competition, the AFL generates more revenue than any…Bob Stewart, Associate Professor in the School of Sport and Exercise Science, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.