What can be done about rugby union crisis in Yorkshire?

Ex-Yorkshire Carnegie player and coach Richard Beck believes that a significant financial injection would be required to kickstart a revival at his old club.
Richard Beck playing for Yorkshire Carnegie.Richard Beck playing for Yorkshire Carnegie.
Richard Beck playing for Yorkshire Carnegie.

“I think that you would need an initial investment to make sure that the team can be competitive in the division it is playing in, and then look to try and grow a fan-base from there,” he said.

“Growing the support is essential to long-term success, but nobody wants to come and watch a side that struggles every week.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“If you want people to give up their Saturdays and Sundays and pay to watch you, they need to be able to see a team win some games.

“Even if you can get that investment, it’s still going to be hard for the likes of Carnegie and Rotherham to get back to the levels they were once playing at because of the budgets other teams have.”

Speaking in more general terms, Sheffield Tigers head coach Jamie Broadley is of the opinion that a lowering of the salary cap across the divisions would benefit the whole game.

“I think that would make it a more level playing field and prevent teams being able to effectively buy success,” he added.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I also believe that more clubs need to start operating as if they are a business.

“Look at the blueprint of Exeter, one of the few big clubs in this country who are doing well financially. They’ve diversified and offer conferencing facilities and a gym. More clubs need to be looking at using what they’ve got at their disposal to generate extra revenue.

“The problem with rugby is that it is too insular. People often don’t look outside their own four walls and at how they can work with the local community or businesses.

“More clubs need to become self-sufficient if they want to be able to progress on and off the field.”