Another New Era...Time for the Pragmatic Era?
"Hallelujah", "Best news we've had in years", "Small time appointment", "his legacy here will not be a good one, poor sponsorship deals etc.", "no-one would be daft enough to take him on". These were the reactions on Everton's Fans Forum "Grand Old Team" to the news that Robert Elstone would be leaving his role at the club to become Super League Executive Chairman in 2018.
With hindsight, these were not the reactions we wanted to see from a Rugby League perspective. A fans forum is, admittedly, not the most balanced place to source opinion from, but the near-universal condemnation of a man who was sourced to steer Super League into a new era did not inspire confidence.
Of course, this was not the first time that Super League was to enter a self-decreed 'new era'. We have as many new eras as hot dinners (pizza, anyone?). Before the 2019 new era was the 2015 new era (when every minute mattered), then the licensing new era. I could go on...
For all that Elstone talked about building a brand which was youthful, exciting and confident, the real reason he was brought in was to negotiate an improved TV deal with SKY for the 2022 season. He did not last in the role long enough to see out that brief. That makes it difficult to assess his legacy.
Pizza-gate
What we can say is that it takes a lot to build your reputation. It does not take much to worsen it. I asked our Twitter followers what they thought Elstone's legacy was. There was a recurring theme.
Free pizza.
— StuSchultzStuđź’™ (@StuSchultzStu) February 9, 2021
You get the picture.The pizza guy....
— Craig Cathcart (@OriginalMrC) February 9, 2021
The Papa Johns deal was an ancillary deal, so was not a debacle comparable with Stobart. Nevertheless, you must question the wisdom of giving away of sponsorship deals in return a few 12 inch deep-pan pepperonis.
Toronto
The most significant decision of Robert Elstone's time in the sport, was the decision of the Super League clubs to refuse Toronto the right to re-enter the competition in 2021. It was long suspected that Elstone was skeptical of the Canadian sides inclusion in the British game. This was confirmed when Elstone described the Wolfpack as bringing 'no value' to the competition.
Elstone's decision to lead the charge against Toronto was based on an independent report, which was poorly written, full of gaping holes and not fit for purpose. He was strong in his views on Toronto, but was backed by a majority of the Super League clubs.
There were reasonable arguments both for admitting and refusing Toronto's application to rejoin Super League. However, the procedure used and reasons to justify the decision were based on pre-conceptions and not evidence.
Despite this, in a perverse way, it was a personal victory for Elstone. He put his neck on the line and if the clubs rejected his views, his position would probably have become quickly untenable.
Private Equity
When you put your neck on the line, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Robert Elstone, reportedly, pushed strongly for Super League clubs to accept private equity investment into the competition. The proposals were rejected by the clubs. His position then appears to have become untenable.
Private equity investment comes with risk. If you accept it, you get a cash boost. But you cede control. A private equity investor may suggest mergers. They may not like teams playing out of ramshackle stadiums. The investors only priority would be money and if that meant steamrolling the status quo, they would not care. Perhaps that spooked some Super League clubs who, understandably, have to look after number 1. This conflict seems to have spelled the end for Elstone.
A Question of Confidence
From the outside, Rugby League is a sport that screams confidence. I mean, which other sport would have the gumption to decree itself 'the greatest game of all'? Dig a little deeper though and it becomes obvious that the confidence is little more than bluster and chest-beating. A sport that changes its entire competition structures every few years is not one that is confident. It is one desperate to be loved, but feels unloved.
Elstone was correct to put confidence at the heart of his vision for Super League (albeit he did rush to get there). And he did make some positive changes, such as a more bold branding.
There was a lot of expense to put into this new vision. A new office in Manchester, a recruitment drive and the development of the TV shows 'Inside Super League' and 'We Play League'. But did they provide value for money? Arguably not. They did not seem to imprint on the public conscience, but instead preached to the converted.
That, in part, is not Elstone's fault. In 2020, the most southern-based English team in Super League was Warrington (and the same applies in 2021). If you live south of Crewe, Derby or Lincoln, then Super League was probably of limited relevance to you.
Perhaps the question is not whether Elstone failed, but rather whether he had the circumstances to succeed. We have had Richard Lewis, Roger Draper and Brian Barwick hold leading roles in the sport this century. All of whom are accomplished and experienced sporting administrators. Yet none have grown the sport in a meaningful way.
Why? Because we are a sport that is built on sand. We are all to quick to cut Development Officers in places like Newcastle and Scotland, but invest money in a magazine TV show to give to Sky Sports to show for free. Have we had a leader brave enough to tackle the underlying issues? No.
We have had failed expansion venture after failed expansion venture yet ignore the fact that the sport's footprint is shrinking in our own back yard. There is a case for expansion and a case to solidify the game in the heartlands. They are not mutually exclusive. Sadly, our haphazard approach has only served to damage both efforts.
Although I am hopeful that clubs like Newcastle, York and Coventry are now showing the benefit of expanding naturally, patiently and working their way up the league structure.
A Need for Pragmatism
In June 2018, Elstone held a press conference flanked by Eamonn McManus, Simon Moran and Ian Lenegan, who all boasted how much improvement they could bring by the clubs taking control of Super League from the RFL. Meanwhile, Gary Hetherington described the move as an 'absurd power grab'.
The departure of Elstone and likely reunion of Super League is an embarrassing failure of leading Super League chairmen who thought they knew better. It brings into question their judgement.
Like most administrators in the sport, they thought that buzzwords and semantic changes to rules and competition structure was the answer. Bring relegation back? Put a shot clock? The crowds will flock back, right? Wrong. This is another example of a sport whose foundations are built on sand. We are purveyors of easy answers, probably because if we were to ask the really tough questions, we would not like the answers.
Whisper it quietly, but we could learn a bit from other sports. Yes, I said it. 'The greatest game of all' can look to others. Maybe it should ask why rugby union and cricket are bigger sports? The answer is obvious. International sport is the most important aspect and everything else is built around that.
Many who watch the Six Nations this weekend would never watch a match from the Gallagher Premiership. Many who tuned in to watch England face India in the cricket recently would never dream of watching the County Championship.
That is because a national identity is something everyone in which we can all invest, in a way that a town or city team can never achieve.
Our sport is not big enough to be divided. We need to look beyond easy answers and look at the fundamentals. If we build on solid foundations, then maybe, just maybe, the latest in the never-ending saga of Rugby League's new eras could be a fruitful one. If we don't, I'll be writing a very similar blog post in three years time.
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