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ARU unveil on-line future

ARU unveil on-line future


September 6, 2001

The Australian Rugby Union have unveiled ambitious plans to bring together every club and player within an on-line community.

Details revealed on the ARU’s official website hope to have more than 740 clubs linked through the RugbyNet project which provides a range of tools to help them run their operation. Whether it`s a tiny junior club in the bush or a first division premiership club, each receives at no cost:

E-mail services Free website Administrative software for registration, memberships, competition tables & results etc Access to the latest information from governing bodies including coaching & refereeing information News services

Wallaby George Smith launched RugbyNet by sending an email to 20,000 Rugby players now online, using the resources provided by the ARU.

General Manager of Community Rugby at the ARU Matt Carroll says with 120,000 players and 50,000 volunteers across Australia, Rugby needed the most efficient communications tool available.

“In reality, the Australian Rugby Union is a communications organisation which runs a couple of rugby teams. While many sports were concentrating on the sexy end of the internet revolution, we took the view that here was a communications tool that allows us to talk to the clubs, the clubs to talk to us and to talk to each other.”

“To fulfil this strategy we needed partners and we found them through the Australian Sports Commission with its Sportnet project, Telstra, who build the platform for us and web development company Interfuse.”

“More than 460 clubs have already come on-line, taking advantage of the tools available to them. Simple things like changing players` registration details can now be done on line, instead of sending off lots of letters.”

RugbyNet can be found at http://www.rugbynet.com.au

Mr Carroll said the ARU was also conscious that Rugby needed to control its on-line future, not commercial organisations outside the code.

“There have been plenty of sharks circling sporting organisations looking for a way in to make a dollar. It is important that clubs control their own destiny and aren`t exploited for other reasons. RugbyNet ensures that the Rugby community is in charge.”

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