The Rabbitohs, a once penniless club have the platform to become a financial heavyweight
The mouth-watering South Sydney and Brisbane encounter that opens the NRL season tonight was once not so much a match as a power point presentation.
A battle of haves and have nuts, Rabbitohs v Broncos was the prime example of the vast and seemingly permanent gulf on and off the field between the Sydney strugglers and the wealthy northern juggernaut.
In those days the Rabbitohs’ books were covered in more red than the set of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Now, on the back of the premiership that completed the club’s incredible resurrection, you won’t find more impressive figures in a Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.
To emphasise 2014 was a feel-good story for the club’s accountants as well as their fans, the Rabbitohs can supply a long list of key indicators emphasising the added revenue and exposure inspired by their savvy administration and passionately celebrated premiership.
Membership is already up 2000 on last year’s 30,000. There have been significant boosts in sponsorship and merchandise sales. Rabbitohs’ fans had far more eyeballs on TV screens and websites as well as the twitchiest Twitter fingers in the NRL — handy figures when current sponsorship contracts expire. Most significantly the club recorded a net profit of $2 million.
These numbers are inevitably skewed by the unusual nature of last year’s success. As Russell Crowe’s greatest epic unfolded anyone who had ever been through Redfern station wanted to be on board the Bunnies.
Now as Souths take the field with a new part-owner (James Packer), a new chief executive (John Lee) and a new captain (Greg Inglis), the question is whether they can take the next step from well-loved battler to national giant.
To that end the Rabbitohs require the sustained period of success that is far more difficult to accomplish in a competition where the salary cap and offshore bidders can quickly alter the landscape. The kind Wayne Bennett achieved with the Broncos when the table was tilted inBrisbane’s favour. No coincidence it is still Brisbane’s 1992-93 back-to-back titles Souths are attempting to emulate and that the Broncos are trying to recreate their fabled past with Bennett.
The Rabbitohs are also now acutely aware how rapidly yesterday’s heroes can become today’s villains. The $20,000 they were fined for failing to accurately report the misbehaviour of players at an Arizona training camp might be loose change given their premiership riches. But it brought an abrupt end to the feel-good story of 2014.
That was one of two distractions in the lead-up to the season opener. More recently Inglis’ management claimed the superstar full-back was ‘’mentally weary’’ and might consider moving overseas. A none too subtle raid on Dave Smith’s player retention war chest.
With hard-headed coach Michael Maguire at the helm, however, the Rabbitohs have already proven they can withstand constant speculation surrounding a high-profile player after Sam Burgess’s heavily publicised defection. Whether they can withstand the actual loss of that star is another thing.
Maguire said recently he would use Burgess’s legacy as an inspiration rather than lamenting his absence. While playing 80 minutes with a fractured eye socket and cheekbone the Englishman set the bar astronomically high.
But Maguire has proven a master of turning apparent misfortune to his advantage. The 32 year title drought seemed to create a crushing burden as the Rabbitohs’ crashed out of successive play-offs. Maguire claims it was a ‘’wonderful challenge’’ that inevitably inspired the heroics of last October.
Either way, financially and competitive the Rabbitohs have moved out of the shadow of their past. In Brisbane the once pitied pauper starts a new life as a potential powerhouse.
SOUTHS RISING
· Club membership base grew to more than 30,000 Members in 2014, generating revenues of more than $3.7 million annually; up 11.5% (Membership is about to top 32,000 for 2015)
· Corporate sponsorship lifted to more than $7.4 million annually; up 8%
· Merchandise revenues were in excess of $3.5 million in 2014; up 15%
· Jersey worth $16m in media value, No. 1 in Australian sport, via Repucom
· Social media growth up 111% across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in 2014; combined following of more than 500,000 now
· No. 1 in NRL in website page impressions with 10.5m in season; up 128%
· No. 1 in NRL in website video views with over 1m views in season; up 50%
· Total revenues of more than $27 million and net profits of almost $2 million in 2014
· Cumulative TV viewing audience of approximately 23m in 2014; up 9.5%
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- by: RICHARD HINDS
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- March 05, 2015 12:00AM
The mouth-watering South Sydney and Brisbane encounter that opens the NRL season tonight was once not so much a match as a power point presentation.
A battle of haves and have nuts, Rabbitohs v Broncos was the prime example of the vast and seemingly permanent gulf on and off the field between the Sydney strugglers and the wealthy northern juggernaut.
In those days the Rabbitohs’ books were covered in more red than the set of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Now, on the back of the premiership that completed the club’s incredible resurrection, you won’t find more impressive figures in a Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.
To emphasise 2014 was a feel-good story for the club’s accountants as well as their fans, the Rabbitohs can supply a long list of key indicators emphasising the added revenue and exposure inspired by their savvy administration and passionately celebrated premiership.
Membership is already up 2000 on last year’s 30,000. There have been significant boosts in sponsorship and merchandise sales. Rabbitohs’ fans had far more eyeballs on TV screens and websites as well as the twitchiest Twitter fingers in the NRL — handy figures when current sponsorship contracts expire. Most significantly the club recorded a net profit of $2 million.
These numbers are inevitably skewed by the unusual nature of last year’s success. As Russell Crowe’s greatest epic unfolded anyone who had ever been through Redfern station wanted to be on board the Bunnies.
Now as Souths take the field with a new part-owner (James Packer), a new chief executive (John Lee) and a new captain (Greg Inglis), the question is whether they can take the next step from well-loved battler to national giant.
To that end the Rabbitohs require the sustained period of success that is far more difficult to accomplish in a competition where the salary cap and offshore bidders can quickly alter the landscape. The kind Wayne Bennett achieved with the Broncos when the table was tilted inBrisbane’s favour. No coincidence it is still Brisbane’s 1992-93 back-to-back titles Souths are attempting to emulate and that the Broncos are trying to recreate their fabled past with Bennett.
The Rabbitohs are also now acutely aware how rapidly yesterday’s heroes can become today’s villains. The $20,000 they were fined for failing to accurately report the misbehaviour of players at an Arizona training camp might be loose change given their premiership riches. But it brought an abrupt end to the feel-good story of 2014.
That was one of two distractions in the lead-up to the season opener. More recently Inglis’ management claimed the superstar full-back was ‘’mentally weary’’ and might consider moving overseas. A none too subtle raid on Dave Smith’s player retention war chest.
With hard-headed coach Michael Maguire at the helm, however, the Rabbitohs have already proven they can withstand constant speculation surrounding a high-profile player after Sam Burgess’s heavily publicised defection. Whether they can withstand the actual loss of that star is another thing.
Maguire said recently he would use Burgess’s legacy as an inspiration rather than lamenting his absence. While playing 80 minutes with a fractured eye socket and cheekbone the Englishman set the bar astronomically high.
But Maguire has proven a master of turning apparent misfortune to his advantage. The 32 year title drought seemed to create a crushing burden as the Rabbitohs’ crashed out of successive play-offs. Maguire claims it was a ‘’wonderful challenge’’ that inevitably inspired the heroics of last October.
Either way, financially and competitive the Rabbitohs have moved out of the shadow of their past. In Brisbane the once pitied pauper starts a new life as a potential powerhouse.
SOUTHS RISING
· Club membership base grew to more than 30,000 Members in 2014, generating revenues of more than $3.7 million annually; up 11.5% (Membership is about to top 32,000 for 2015)
· Corporate sponsorship lifted to more than $7.4 million annually; up 8%
· Merchandise revenues were in excess of $3.5 million in 2014; up 15%
· Jersey worth $16m in media value, No. 1 in Australian sport, via Repucom
· Social media growth up 111% across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in 2014; combined following of more than 500,000 now
· No. 1 in NRL in website page impressions with 10.5m in season; up 128%
· No. 1 in NRL in website video views with over 1m views in season; up 50%
· Total revenues of more than $27 million and net profits of almost $2 million in 2014
· Cumulative TV viewing audience of approximately 23m in 2014; up 9.5%
http://ift.tt/1osQR1J
The Rabbitohs, a once penniless club have the platform to become a financial heavywei
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