The ACT Brumbies are set to experience one of the biggest shake-ups in their history, with the Canberra-based side set to sign a partnership agreement with Rugby Australia – with the proposed strategy operating in a similar capacity to the agreement reached by the Waratahs.
Reported in The Canberra Times, the Brumbies board is set to brief key stakeholders in the Australian Capital Territory & Southern New South Wales Rugby Union on Monday night on the club’s financial position and the deal put forward by the national body – a deal that will see Rugby Australia take charge of the day to day business operations.
It is believed a formal announcement will be made as early as this week.
As of writing, it is believed the Brumbies board of directors has tentatively agreed to the partnership, originally seeking guarantees in writing of the club’s future in Canberra, and of staying in Super Rugby.
Such details are believed to have been confirmed by the governing body, setting the groundwork for the partnership.
Under the proposed partnership, the Brumbies will continue to operate as a standalone entity, maintaining staff in Canberra and remaining largely autonomous with its rugby program, while Rugby Australia will manage the business.
The news comes after many perilous months around the financial future of the club, after a $1.7 million reduction in broadcast deal distribution.
The financial situation has worsened, despite the fact the Brumbies have continued to deliver strong results on the field, being Australia’s best-performing side in Super Rugby Pacific, and making the semi-finals in the last three years of the competition.
However, with declining revenue from struggling attendances and a sluggish economic market in the region, threats of entering voluntary administration loomed as a likely possibility without further assistance from either private equity investment or a partnership with Rugby Australia.
The Brumbies had been exploring private equity options for much of the past financial year in an attempt to secure economic stability, however, they came back to the table with the governing body when such prospects did not eventuate.
It is a far cry from 2023, with the Brumbies (alongside the Queensland Reds and Melbourne Rebels) rejecting an initial plan for centralisation – with their vote of no confidence in the RA board resulting in chair Hamish McLennan being deposed.
In the eight months since then, however, tensions between the two parties have reportedly eased, with common ground found.
Of particular note was taken on how Rugby Australia has assisted the Waratahs – breaking down barriers between the head office and the Super Rugby club in Daceyville, appointing its own directors to the Waratahs board and helping the club locate a new director of performance in Simon Raiwalui, and a new head coach, former-Brumbies Head Coach Dan McKellar.
The resulting agreement guarantees the Brumbies’ immediate future – putting ease to tumultuous off-field circumstances in the capital. However, it is still to be decided when the partnership will be implemented.
Many parties in Canberra are looking for clarity on the situation, most notably its member clubs, who have enjoyed a strong partnership with the Brumbies through the ACT Rugby Union since the club’s inception in 1996.
The club has been operating as business as usual for the last few weeks, having locked down their squad and plans for the 2025 season with the signing of Rebels forward Tuaina Taii Tualima, with hooker Liam Bowron and winger Ben O’Donnell likely set to re-sign and stay in the capital.
MORE TO COME.
// This is called with the results from from FB.getLoginStatus(). var aslAccessToken = ''; var aslPlatform = ''; function statusChangeCallback(response) { console.log(response); if (response.status === 'connected') { if(response.authResponse && response.authResponse.accessToken && response.authResponse.accessToken != ''){ aslAccessToken = response.authResponse.accessToken; aslPlatform = 'facebook'; tryLoginRegister(aslAccessToken, aslPlatform, ''); }
} else { // The person is not logged into your app or we are unable to tell. console.log('Please log ' + 'into this app.'); } }
function cancelLoginPermissionsPrompt() { document.querySelector("#pm-login-dropdown-options-wrapper__permissions").classList.add('u-d-none'); document.querySelector("#pm-register-dropdown-options-wrapper__permissions").classList.add('u-d-none'); document.querySelector("#pm-login-dropdown-options-wrapper").classList.remove('u-d-none'); document.querySelector("#pm-register-dropdown-options-wrapper").classList.remove('u-d-none'); }
function loginStateSecondChance() { cancelLoginPermissionsPrompt(); FB.login( function(response) {
}, { scope: 'email', auth_type: 'rerequest' } ); }
// This function is called when someone finishes with the Login // Button. See the onlogin handler attached to it in the sample // code below. function checkLoginState() { FB.getLoginStatus(function(response) {
var permissions = null;
FB.api('/me/permissions', { access_token: response.authResponse.accessToken, }, function(response2) { if(response2.data) { permissions = response2.data; } else { permissions = []; }
var emailPermissionGranted = false; for(var x = 0; x < permissions.length; x++) { if(permissions[x].permission === 'email' && permissions[x].status === 'granted') { emailPermissionGranted = true; } } if(emailPermissionGranted) { statusChangeCallback(response); } else { document.querySelector("#pm-login-dropdown-options-wrapper__permissions").classList.remove('u-d-none'); document.querySelector("#pm-register-dropdown-options-wrapper__permissions").classList.remove('u-d-none'); document.querySelector("#pm-login-dropdown-options-wrapper").classList.add('u-d-none'); document.querySelector("#pm-register-dropdown-options-wrapper").classList.add('u-d-none'); } }); }); } window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({ appId : 392528701662435, cookie : true, xfbml : true, version : 'v3.3' }); FB.AppEvents.logPageView(); FB.Event.subscribe('auth.login', function(response) { var permissions = null; FB.api('/me/permissions', { access_token: response.authResponse.accessToken, }, function(response2) { if(response2.data) { permissions = response2.data; } else { permissions = []; } var emailPermissionGranted = false; for(var x = 0; x < permissions.length; x++) { if(permissions[x].permission === 'email' && permissions[x].status === 'granted') { emailPermissionGranted = true; } } if(emailPermissionGranted) { statusChangeCallback(response); } else { document.querySelector("#pm-login-dropdown-options-wrapper__permissions").classList.remove('u-d-none'); document.querySelector("#pm-register-dropdown-options-wrapper__permissions").classList.remove('u-d-none'); document.querySelector("#pm-login-dropdown-options-wrapper").classList.add('u-d-none'); document.querySelector("#pm-register-dropdown-options-wrapper").classList.add('u-d-none'); } }); }); }; (function(d, s, id){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));