RUGBY UNION
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ROBIN Hood built a legacy on stealing from the rich to feed the poor but the Australian Rugby Union has reversed the trend and Riverina clubs just have to "live with it".
Rugby union's peak body will charge its lifeblood - grass roots participants - in an attempt to boost its coffers which have suddenly dried up.
CEO Bill Pulver has become the Sheriff of Nottingham charging each team in the country a $200 levy.
Southern Inland Rugby community manager Mick McTaggart said the final cost per team is yet to be determined with discussions the levy could be reduced to only $100 per team with an insurance rebate.
With the levy per team rather than per player McTaggart thought the extra cost wouldn't be too much of a burden for clubs.
"It's still to be determined but if it is $100 a team my attitude is quite simple - you live with it," McTaggart said.
"I don't think most people would mind a hit out of a team with an average of 20 players is only five bucks and I don't see that as a major issue."
Senior teams, women's team and junior teams are all affected with Wagga Junior Rugby Union (WJRU) facing an extra $3100 at a minimum in fees ahead of the season.
WJRU has five teams entered in the Southern Inland competition on Sunday with a possibility of more joining this season depending on numbers.
They also run their own competition on Friday nights with 26 teams ranging from under 7s to under 15s.
"Any increase in team levys with ARU raising funds is disappointing," WJRU president Tim Sides said.
"We will just have to be a bit more innovative in the way we do our own fund-raising in how we meet those costs."
Registration fees were already set to rise by $10 dollars to $90 this season and Sides had been expecting the association to cover the costs.
With the new ARU levy even more funds will need to be sourced.
"Initially we will be covering that internally and depending on what sort of impact it was on our bottom line," Sides said.
"We will have to look at whether or not we continue to increase our registration fees or more than likely try to improve our sponsorship base and get a lot of local businesses on board to support our local competition."
It seems kids and grassroots rugby players will now help pay the way for the Israel Folaus and Quade Coopers.
NSW and Queensland clubs have angrily reacted to the new levy with their season fees and budgets already set for this season.
Some clubs have come out saying they won't pay to prop up the Australian rugby stars and their franchises but McTaggart doesn't see that as a realistic option.
Southern Inland Rugby Union are yet to set their affiliation fees for the upcoming season with McTaggart hopeful the new levy amount has been decided before the next board meeting on March 3.
McTaggart said the propping up of national teams isn't a new thing in Australian sport with soccer utilising a similar system.
But with AFL pouring thousands into sport in the city and the NRL funding supporting grassroots league it doesn't bode well to increasing the profile and support of the code in regional areas.
SIRU's under 16 representative tour to Tasmania has already been cancelled after four successful years, with all viability of all representative rugby to be further examined.