SHOW ME THE MONEY
V’landys seeking $500m
ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys will explore a $500 million rescue package to save rugby league as the NRL moves to salvage its season with plans in place for a Christmas grand final.
The Cairns Post can reveal V’landys told the 16 club chief executives at yesterday’s emergency conference that he could seek a redirection of funds from the NSW government’s $1 billion stadia construction in a bid to keep the code alive. The ARLC chairman’s latest plan comes as the NRL provided a ray of hope amid the COVID-19 saga, outlining a number of target dates to resume the 2020 premiership which was suspended two days ago.
ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys will explore a $500 million rescue package to save rugby league as the NRL moves to salvage its season with plans in place for a Christmas grand final.
The Courier-Mail has revealed that V’landys told the 16 club chief executives at yesterday’s emergency conference that he could seek a redirection of funds from the NSW Government’s $1 billion stadia construction in a bid to keep the code alive.
The ARLC chairman’s latest plan came as the NRL provided a ray of hope amid the COVID-19 saga, outlining a number of target dates to resume the 2020 season, which was suspended two days ago.
D-Day for the NRL is September 1, with a recommencement of the premiership in spring giving the competition enough time to stage the grand final five days before Christmas, on Sunday, December 20.
Four return-to-play scenarios were put to the club chief executives, with proposed kick-off dates of June 1, July 1, August 1 and September 1, depending on how quickly Australian society can recover from the COVID-19 crisis.
Should the NRL fail to resume before September 1, the 2020 season will be called off.
Club chief executives believe a June or July resumption is unlikely, but V’landys believes there is time for a 15game season starting in September, which would allow the NRL to host a Christmas grand final.
Lauded as a visionary, V’landys is refusing to give up hope of rescuing rugby league from bankruptcy.
At yesterday’s conference, the club delegation heard the NRL had $104 million in the bank.
With heavy cost-cutting across the game, V’landys told club bosses the NRL could potentially hang on for six months depending on returnto-play forecasts.
But V’landys is armed with another financial strategy.
The ARLC chairman will investigate the NSW government’s $1 billion facelift of ANZ and Allianz Stadiums and whether up to $500 million can be diverted from that deal to give the NRL crucial funds for survival.
V’landys told the NRL 360 program on Monday night he would explore every financial option available – including borrowing funds from the banks – to keep the NRL afloat.
“I want to make sure we have a game when this is all over,” he said.