The Rugby Victoria Board of Directors is incredibly disappointed with the decision to discontinue the Melbourne Rebels beyond season 2024.
The decision announced yesterday by Rugby Australia, will impact staff, players, fans, volunteers and elite pathways for the next generation of aspiring Victorian Wallabies and Wallaroos stars.
The Rugby Victoria Board of Directors urged Rugby Australia to work with the consortium seeking to back the long-term future of the Melbourne Rebels, to ensure the continued presence of professional Men’s and Women’s rugby teams in Victoria – yet it appears that this opportunity has not been explored as fully as we hoped it would be.
Rugby Victoria believes that the Consortium, led by internationally respected businessman Leigh Clifford AM, represented a viable option to the continued development of the professional game here in Victoria in Melbourne’s West. We are disappointed that Rugby Australia states that the credentials of the Consortium were unable to be assessed. We consider that if the interests of Victorian Rugby were truly being respected, that genuine engagement with the Rebels and the stakeholders would have yielded information that could have secured a better outcome.
Playing host to professional rugby teams in Victoria not only enriches the game, but also contributes significant social and economic benefits to our community, which now our community will have to look elsewhere to achieve.
In light of this disappointment, Rugby Victoria acknowledges Rugby Australia’s commitment to Victorian Rugby at a grassroots level and aims to continue to achieve positive results both now and into the future.
Rugby Australia has reaffirmed its commitment to work with the Victorian Government on the continued development of the Centre of Excellence at La Trobe University, which promises to become Australia’s premier rugby centre and the home of Rugby pathways in Victoria. We are also interested to see what support will be given to the Women’s Super Rugby team and to Women and Girls rugby generally.
With the conclusion of the Melbourne Rebels beyond season 2024, Rugby Australia will assume strategic and financial responsibility for junior talent development programs, including Super Rugby U16s and U19s.
This is an incredibly difficult time for Rugby in Victoria, with many dedicating countless hours to supporting the Melbourne Rebels over the past 14 years and beyond. Our hearts go out to all the staff and volunteers associated with the Melbourne Rebels for their efforts, week in and week out, to forge a legacy for Victoria’s team.
We encourage the Victorian Rugby community to band together, standing stronger now, more than ever before, to support the continued growth of Victorian Rugby Union.
