NZRL in bid to raise transfer fees for young
THE NEW Zealand Rugby League is poised to demand National Rugby League clubs pay increased transfer fees for young Kiwi talent in recognition of the growing stream of players from this side of the Tasman.
More than 17 per cent of the 417 present NRL players come from New Zealand — only slightly less than the entire state of Queensland - but young players attract only paltry transfer fees.
Apart from the Warriors, all NRL clubs pay a fee for New Zealand league players which is shared between the player’s club, district zone and the NZRL.
At present, the fee is weighted according to what level and how much representative league the player has achieved, but the NZRL wants the system overhauled.
It believes players as young as 15 taken out of the New Zealand system and across the Tasman should attract higher fees similar to a more developed player.
The NZRL’s motivation isn’t just financially-driven. Administrators hold genuine concerns for the immediate and long-term welfare of promising Kiwi teenagers lured to Australia by the bright lights of the NRL and supposed league stardom.
It intends to introduce academies this year to rival the Australian youth development system in an attempt to plug the player drain and encourage young players to stay in New Zealand with their families while still in their teen years. The advent of the NRL’s under 20s competition in 2008 has seen players targeted by NRL clubs at a much younger age.
Tony Iro, the NZRL’s highperformance general manager, said a number of NRL clubs had committed to investing in young players here and signalled they would pay for players to go through an academy in New Zealand before moving into the professional system.
The academies — planned for Christchurch, Wellington and two in Auckland — and transfer fees debate come as part of a raft of changes the NZRL intends to seek to become more competitive in the Australian market.
The organisation recently recorded a $1.2 million loss, which left it more than $200,000 in the red for the last financial year.
It had stashed away $950,000 in reserves for the Kiwis’ World Cup campaign last year but spent all of that and then exceeded the budget by a further $200,000 because of higher than expected costs during the tournament in England, a low gate in last year’s Anzac test in Canberra, and $90,000 to prop up the women’s world cup campaign.
The organisation has had to take out a $250,000 bank loan to cover itself for the next six months.
NZRL chief executive Phil Holden was reluctant to talk about the changes the organisation will demand to secure sustained financial health but confirmed the level of transfer fees for young players was one of a number of things it was reviewing.
The organisation was also looking to change its entire calendar to fit in with Australia’s season, providing a greater attraction for young league players wanting to stay here.
Holden said the NZRL had a ‘‘very, very good’’ operational relationship with the NRL and would sit down with the organisation in the next few months to go over a number of points it was looking to review.
‘‘It’s all very embryonic, we don’t have any expectations. The position we have got at this particular point in time is that things are in review," he said.
‘‘A lot relates to the shape of our football calendar, the timing of it and some of the activities we are doing. We are trying to align ourselves [to be] more Australasian. That then creates greater opportunities and clearer pathways [for young players coming through].’’
Changes to the calendar are likely to lead to more players being developed in the New Zealand system, creating a bigger talent pool for the Kiwis to choose from.
Holden said the change would be a big one for the organisation.
‘‘We are conscious of the need to get things right. It could have a significant impact and change on the way things operate now.’’