League of their own
GAME ENTERS NEW ERA AS CLUBS GREEN LIGHT MOVE
IT has been described as the biggest change in the history of Far North Queensland rugby league – and the kind of shot in the arm the game has been crying out for.
A new era has dawned for rugby league in the region after Cairns District Rugby League clubs voted in favour of a historic motion to streamline the game’s governance model.
The Far North’s junior leagues voted to come together under a singular governing body before the season started this year, with the senior league also coming to the party earlier this week.
Under the new model, junior and senior leagues will be run as part of one entity – FNQ Rugby League.
FNQ Rugby League chairman Robert White said it was “a massive change”. “It’s probably the biggest change in 100 years of the senior Cairns District Rugby League,” he said.
“It’s a change of the governance structure that brings it in line with contemporary sports administration.
“No longer do we have the old president, secretary and treasurer, but we’re in a board structure with committees with skillsets underneath that do the work and influence the decision of the board.
“The board has nine directors – five elected directors from the junior and senior leagues, which is something that hasn’t been experienced in excess of 100 years of rugby league in this part of the world, and four independent directors who don’t have any alliances with any clubs.
“Under that, there’s currently three committees – competitions, finance and governance, and stakeholder and development.
“The goal is to grow rugby league and to have that overarching administration so it’s consistent and boys and girls starting out in the under-6s can be part of the same league and progress right through to the cusp of playing for the Northern Pride.”
White said all 11 CDRL clubs, as well as the CDRL Referee’s Association, committed to the new model.
QRL Northern Region director of governance Nigel Tillett said a whole-of-game approach had been in the works for a number of years.
“The structure they’ve had for the best part of 100 years has involved the senior competition looking after itself, the junior competition looking after itself, the referees having their own association, and then you’ve got these little offshoots like masters, carnivals, schools,” he said.
“Because they’re all running around making their own decisions, obviously problems come with that.
“There’s also a lot of benefits in consolidation, not just financial, but in terms of media, marketing, sponsorships, all that type of stuff.”
FNQ Rugby League will be based out of the Moore Family Building at Barlow Park.