ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
Qantas has pulled their sponsorship of the Wallabies this week as the airline looks to cut costs wherever they can.
The deal was said to be worth close to $20m to Rugby Australia, which is already in a desperate state after a generation of mismanagement and jobs-for-the-boys.
With only a handful of international fixtures between now and the end of the year, Rugby Australia has been forced to launch its own Patreon – a service in which an audience can subscribe to their favourite content creators to make sure they’re able to keep the lights on.
The interim COO of Rugby Australia, Gideon Christ-Doright, spoke to The Advocate this morning where he, for the first time, spelled out just how bad things have gotten at the nation’s once-popular rugby code.
“We went to war with Foxtel knowing that we could always count on Qantas to keep our Land Rovers full of 95 RON,” said Gideon.
“But now they’re gone, it looks like we have no choice. No choice but to turn to the only people we haven’t offended or pissed off,”
“Our fans.”
From this morning, rugby fans will have the opportunity to contribute to Rugby Australia’s Patreon.
For just $5 a month, fans will enjoy early access to the Kayo Minis of Super Rugby games – a whopping two hours before the rest of the general public.
And for a collar-popping $20 a month, the venerable rugby boy will enjoy exclusive access to the Marketing Pigeon’s newsletter. In it will be interviews with Rugby Australia staff members such as Gideon to tell-all sit downs with Wallabies heros of yesterday. The first interview is with 2003 World Cup hero David Lyons, who tells the Marketing Pigeon that he shouldn’t be scared of Magpies, unless they’re from the Bell River Capital, Molong,
The offers go all the way up to $40 000 per month, which will allow the right person to sit on the board and do fuck all except collect a cheque and bring their fellow red-faced, frog-throated fat fuck mates with them into the corporate box.
To find the Rugby Australia Patreon, click the links on their website that may or may not be dead already.
More to come.
