Over 100 representatives from the ARU, NSWRU, QRU and grassroots rugby clubs and schools around Australia will attend an Australian Club Rugby Forum in Brisbane on Saturday ahead of the Australian Club Rugby Championships.

Bill Pulver, Cameron Clyne, Andrew Hore and Richard Barker are all expected to attend the forum, to be run by Brothers president Hans Pearson.

Pearson says the forum will run as an open and constructive discussion with representative panels from clubs, schools, sponsors and administrators to support the collective input.

“The panels are truly representative of grassroots and have been chosen pretty much on a ‘first in’ basis from each category. The principal is that no one has more of a right to a say than anyone else and we have not provided anyone an opportunity to deliver a speech in the forum,” he said.

Pearson said the purpose of the forum is to:

• Bring representatives of all grassroots levels together to raise the awareness of what we each provide and to initiate open, constructive and ongoing dialogue for the good of the game.
• To regain control of the conversation and devise a collective agenda – to talk about the good news as well as the challenges.
• To discuss where to focus resources and funding, to identify the most sustainable broadcast and sponsorship opportunities, and to establish a channel for the game’s administrators and media to interact with the grassroots game.

From the forum, Pearson hopes to establish a national representative group for grassroots rugby that meets quarterly (by teleconference) and at least once annually in person and are the agreed point of contact for ARU, State Unions, media, broadcasters and sponsors.

“Representation on such a group would be shared equally on geographic lines and with junior and country representation, and would rotate annually so that all aspects of grassroots have a voice and no one club, association or individual dominates the discussion,” he said.

The forum will also discuss the concept of a National Club Championship series, which “leverages the tribalism that has existed at club level for over 100 years.”

Pearson said the forum will discuss how the concept could co-exist with the NRC but added “club rugby is already at a sufficiently high quality, we are seeing more club players secure overseas contracts and it attracts crowds in excess of the NRC, so the indicators are that the product is good enough already to be a potential third tier.

“There is a lot of talk about such a club-based competition, but of course any alternative competition would, just like the NRC, need to be assessed for financial viability and any discussion will need to take in the views of everyone around the table and any pre-existing commitments. ”

The forum is being run as part of a full day program for the re-launch of the Australian Club Championships. Lower grade matches, junior and girls rugby will be played throughout the day, before the Reds U20s face the Rebels U20s.

2016 grand finalists Sydney Uni will then face UQ and Northern Suburbs will take on Brothers in the Australian Club Championship with the winner taking home the Bernie Power Trophy which was first awarded back in 1982.

Those matches will be televised live on Fox Sports as the lead in to the Waratahs v Force Super Rugby game.