KNIGHTS chief executive Matt Gidley says there is nothing sinister behind a decision by the 16 NRL clubs to project a united voice in communications with the newly formed Australian Rugby League Commission.
Gidley and representatives of the 15 other NRL clubs will meet in Sydney today to seal a constitution to form the Australian Professional Rugby League Clubs Association.
It is understood the clubs’ intention to form their own association was flagged last October, when chief executives and chairmen from each club began meeting to lobby the NRL and the soon-to-be ARL commissioners for an increase in their annual grant.
Gidley was one of several chief executives who dismissed speculation then that the clubs were plotting a Super League-style breakaway competition if the annual club grants were not increased from $3.85million to $6million.
He and Knights executive chairman Ken Edwards have represented the club at regular meetings with the other 15 clubs and the NRL since last October in the lead-up to the formal announcement 12 days ago of the ARL Commission.
Edwards declined to comment yesterday but Gidley said the clubs had never discussed the concept of a breakaway competition, and that the association was formed as a forum to share revenue-raising ideas and to present a united front in dealings with the ARL Commission.
‘‘My personal view is there’s nothing untoward happening, and for us here at the Knights, we’re absolutely 100per cent behind the ARL Commission and the commissioners,’’ Gidley said.
‘‘We’re really confident that they’re going to do a fantastic job for the game. We’ve personally met with them a couple of times before Christmas at CEOs conferences, and we’re really impressed and excited about these guys coming in and steering our game into the future.
‘‘My last dealings with the commissioners and the CEOs of the other clubs was that we’re all 100 per cent united and behind the commission.’’
Gidley said clubs were eagerly anticipating the outcome of negotiations between the ARL Commission and television networks for the new broadcast rights deal, which is reported to be worth about $1billion over the next five years.
‘‘We came together a number of times at the back end of last season, purely to make the commissioners aware that financially, most clubs are doing it pretty tough,’’ he said.
‘‘The commissioners are absolutely aware of that now ... One of the positives to come out of those meetings was that for the first time in a long time, all 16 clubs were sitting in a room together and were all on the same page, which is really healthy for our game.
‘‘I think every club wants to see all the clubs under the NRL banner with their heads above water and operating successfully without losing large amounts of money every year.
● About 8000 tickets are still available for Newcastle’s season opener against the Dragons at Hunter Stadium.
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