James Godfrey might just be the most important recruit NSW Rugby sign this year but you won’t find him playing on a rugby field anytime soon.

The former Waratahs squad member is now head of the organisation’s new Positive Rugby Foundation, which aims to raise funds to grow rugby in NSW, invest in grassroots programs and influence the health and wellbeing of the wider rugby community.

“Essentially NSW Rugby is looking at different ways to secure its own financial future so that the organisation is less reliant on traditional funding like ticket sales, sponsorship and broadcast,” Godfrey told Rugby News.

“We’re looking to diversify our income and that’s something other sports have done really well in recent years. Particularly the AFL who have used government relations and foundations to help fund development programs to support the grassroots.”

The foundation will initially look to raise funds through private tax deductible donations and then approach corporate and government bodies to match each dollar raised to invest into specific grassroots rugby initiatives.

It’s a model that has been extremely successful and lucrative for AFL clubs in Melbourne.

“The AFL clubs use a membership structure known as coterie groups. In Melbourne, they mostly align with an industry so you’ve got the Collin St Coterie for example. People make a donation to be a part of the group and then they get a say on how the coterie funds are spent,” Godfrey explained.

“We looked into different models that the AFL clubs were using then looked at NSW Rugby and decided that there were six key causes that people were passionate about in our game – schools and juniors; elite youth development; country rugby; women’s rugby, western Sydney and Indigenous rugby.

“Rather than have coterie groups based on industry, we decided to create coteries that are membership groups based on causes.”

After announcing the foundation earlier this month, Godfrey launched the Schools & Juniors Coterie and already 35 of roughly 50 available memberships have been sold.

“That group alone will raise roughly $250,000 per year and the coterie members will have a say in how that money is spent within the schools and juniors space,” he said.

Godfrey admitted he’d never heard the work coterie before midway through last year but said it was difficult to ignore the success of the model being used south of the border.

“Our annual target in year one is $500,000, next year it’s $1 million and by year five we want to be raising $7 million per annum. Based on what we’ve seen in the AFL space, we believe it is extremely achievable and we’re going to give it our best,” he said.

“The year five figures we’re talking about have been achieved within individual AFL clubs. We’ve got an entire state wide organisation with an affluent supporter base looking for a vehicle that channels funds directly into grassroots programs.

“This foundation is that vehicle and it gives those passionate rugby fans a voice.”

While growing rugby in NSW is the main goal of the foundation, Godfrey said programs that improve the health and wellbeing of the wider rugby community will also be prioritised and should assist in building long term partnerships with corporate and government bodies.

“One area we’re already looking at is mental health in country rugby clubs,” he said.

“NSW Rugby are already aligned with (mental health charity) Batyr so we’d like to start with an awareness campaign and then train one person in every rugby club in NSW to be the mental health first aid officer at their club.”

“From a more rugby specific perspective, we’ve started working on a coach development program that looks more at how you coach rather than what you coach to run alongside other existing development programs.”

While no one at NSW Rugby is trying to hide from what can only be described as a disastrous period for Australian rugby, Godfrey said the foundation was one of several new initiatives that the organisation is working on to help rebuild the game.

“I think the first message would be to have faith. Things have been tough over the last few years but there are people involved that are looking to shift the landscape at the moment and that’s exciting,” Godfrey said.

“A lot of people have been looking for a way to help the game get back to where it needs to be and this foundation is one example of how people can do that.”

Head online to get involved or for more information.