{"id":622794,"date":"2026-04-22T04:16:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T04:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/622794\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T04:16:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T04:16:08","slug":"rugby-australia-resets-finances-restores-pride-after-posting-100m-turnaround-rugby-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/622794\/","title":{"rendered":"Rugby Australia \u2018resets finances, restores pride\u2019 after posting $100m turnaround | Rugby Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Supporters of the British and Irish Lions have given Rugby Australia<\/a> a financial launchpad ahead of the men\u2019s and women\u2019s World Cups, driving a record $70.6m surplus in 2025.<\/p>\n

The result, helped by strong attendance at the three Lions matches and a full calendar of Tests, reverses the pain of the previous period, when RA recorded a $37m deficit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RA chief executive Phil Waugh said his organisation was delivering on its \u201cpromise to reset the game\u2019s finances, restore pride and set a new strategic course\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an historic and energising period for Australian rugby, and a record operating surplus allows us to look ahead to the future with clarity and confidence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

While the Wallabies look forward to the first year of the Nations Championship in 2026 \u2013 including home matches against Ireland, France and Italy \u2013 the 2027 World Cup looms large as an opportunity for the game to re-establish itself in Australia.<\/p>\n

A lack of success and waning interest have marked the two decades since the 2003 tournament, when the Wallabies entranced the nation on their way to the final.<\/p>\n

The men\u2019s tournament is quickly followed by the 2029 Women\u2019s World Cup, and the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, where rugby sevens will be one of the marquee events at the Games.<\/p>\n

RA is cautious about over-investing in the short-term, however, and is in the process of setting up an investment fund grown by compounding interest that can help sustain the game into the future and prepare it for leaner years. RA currently holds $31.4m in cash reserves.<\/p>\n

The fund is likely to be swollen by another strong year in 2027, given the success of the 2003 World Cup. Prior to the 2025 result, the largest surplus recorded by RA was almost $33m in the year of the home tournament.<\/p>\n

International rugby tourism remains the lifeblood of the game in Australia. RA recorded $262m in revenue last year, more than twice the amount from 2024.<\/p>\n

RA\u2019s result in 2025 represented a significant uplift from the previous Lions tour in 2013, thanks to increased take on match days and through non-match events.<\/p>\n

Fans at the MCG \u2013 one of four Wallabies Tests in Australia last year to sell out. Photograph: Josh Chadwick\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The annual report also notes two court matters in relation to the Melbourne Rebels will commence in May, and RA \u201cintends to pursue recovery of its legal costs in the event of a successful defence\u201d.<\/p>\n

RA chair Daniel Herbert said the game was now \u201cunited and aligned\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cFollowing a comprehensive organisational reset in 2024, Australian rugby now has an excellent platform as we prepare for the generational opportunities presented by the home men\u2019s and women\u2019s Rugby World Cups in 2027 and 2029 respectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is still much work ahead as we build a successful and sustainable model for Australian rugby but, given the great strides we have made in recent years, I am more confident than ever in the strategic direction and delivery of our great game at all levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

RA also reported its \u201cGet Into Rugby\u201d program for children aged four to seven saw a 24% year-on-year growth, and senior XVs club participation has now recovered beyond pre-Covid numbers.<\/p>\n

Remuneration for RA\u2019s senior executives rose from $991k to $1.228m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Supporters of the British and Irish Lions have given Rugby Australia a financial launchpad ahead of the men\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":622795,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-622794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=622794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/622795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=622794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=622794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=622794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}