Rugby: Roberts' online plan to beat money blues

Photo / Mark Mitchell

Former board member Kevin Roberts has offered a clutch of suggestions to the New Zealand Rugby Union to help ease the financial pressures inflicted by global broadcasting rights and foreign exchange rates.

Roberts, who now chairs American rugby, believes the NZRU needs to create new income paths if it is to keep pace with the rest of the world and detailed his ideas on the Roar website.

His 15-point plan included ideas the NZRU has pursued already, such as revenue sharing on Northern Hemisphere tours.

He also urged New Zealand to invest in an 80,000-seat stadium in Auckland for all the major tests with many high-priced boxes for corporates and special low-cost seating for families.

Roberts suggested the NZRU sell 15 lifelong debentures at one million dollars each, giving access to team events, hotels, training and occasional trips to the dressing room.

Among Roberts' other proposals were to broaden the geographical fan base, develop a global All Blacks community, promote online fitness, training and leadership programmes, play more sevens, bring more women into the game from board to playing level, and offer corporations the chance to sponsor players.

He also wanted the All Blacks and their ideas to be promoted on film.

Roberts thought that could become compulsory viewing for NFL, NBA and premiership football sides.

"This is the serious business of being the best team in the history of world sports," Roberts said, "... for other elite sports, coaches and teams to learn from."