Mohed Altrad
Hope Besty tapped up Mohed!!
Hopefully the below will provoke some thought, probably very little action, but some thought. Hopefully.
We are where we are.
Finances, success and performance. They are certainly linked.
The coaches and players are working hard on performance. We simply don’t have the big budget so we must work on what we have locally, one or two NIQ to bolster but that will be it and we must choose the NIQ well.
Currently, Top rugby playing schools are the nursery, NTS and Ulster pathway through academy and into Development and full time, hopefully. There are, of course, many other sources of players but present a small return and to improve that source is a whole other conversation/debate/plan. This area has been discussed at clubs, Ulster, in bars, in chat rooms etc. Ulster appear to now be supporting the top schools to accelerate further the growing, nurturing and harvesting of future professional players. The players, of course, have parents/guardians, who want what is best for their children and if the child shows athletic and rugby ability during mini rugby the parent (and child) would want to send their children to a school that not only offers a good education but a strong rugby program. There are of course exceptions and other factors at play where this may not happen.
Our local rugby clubs work hard to keep the lights on, look after volunteers, players and parents etc. some clubs are better at doing this than others. Within each club there are challenges -financially, a lack of members, a lack of active members. strategically and sometimes politically.
There is no magic bullet here. Getting the best culture to drive us forward is huge, at club and Ulster. what Is the culture? Is it a statement or how we live?
Finances will help back up this culture and help deliver the performance to success. Ulster need more capital to shrewdly deploy. Simple mathmatics here. 10,000 season ticket holders (I know, optimistic) each pay a Levi of £100 a year surely that would help…….
Grow out own and support our own schools, clubs and Ulster. What will be will be. Ulster certainly have work to do but each of us can help too, or simply slag people off from behind a keyboard.
just my thoughts.