QRL CEO Ben Ikin pledges to play big role in cleaning up league

Queensland Rugby League boss Ben Ikin calls for unity from sports bodies and the wider society to eradicate racism, violence and poor behaviour.

Queensland Rugby League has vowed to crack down hard on racist and violent behaviour after being rocked by a number of ugly incidents in recent weeks.

Last week, The Townsville Bulletin published video of an ugly on-field brawl involving players’ fathers at a Townsville under-9 club match.

The Bulletin’s story came the morning after Toowoomba Junior Rugby League finalised its investigation into an alleged case of racial abuse during an U15s match between Gatton and South Burnett on June 10.

In a statement released to its clubs and the media, TJRL said ‘a range of penalties have been implemented to the identified individuals’ following allegations a 15-year-old boy and his Indigenous teammates from South Burnett were the focus of racist abuse during the match.

In an exclusive interview QRL CEO Ben Ikin has taken a firm stance saying there was no place for racist or violent behaviour in sport or in the wider society.

“The QRL rejects this type of behaviour at any level of the sport,” Mr Ikin said.

“It’s frustrating because it’s hard to legislate against the lowest common denominator.”

The effects of bad behaviour are being felt in many sporting organisations across the Sunshine State at grassroots level.

“Recently at a Queensland Government roundtable with all the major sports to talk about patron behaviour I guess the pleasing and disappointing thing to learn is we are all struggling with the same issues,” Mr Ikin said.

“I think it’s beholden on all the major sporting codes not just here in Queensland but across the country to work together to come up with solutions to the problem because we are pretty clear at the QRL when it comes to community sport the environment that all our participants, which includes our volunteers step into should be safe and fun.

Queensland Rugby League CEO Ben Ikin talks with football fans during a visit to Papua New Guinea.

“Anything that we can do as the QRL and with other sports together to make sure that environment is safe ... we will be pushing hard to introduce those policies.

“What we are doing today is so far advanced on what we were doing 20 years ago and we will continue to push hard to ensure that things like we have seen in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League and things we saw happen in Townsville last week when it comes to violence involving not just patrons, but volunteers, will diminish over time.”

Speaking to The Chronicle Mr Ikin said while sporting competitions often reflect elements of the community where they are based QRL will not accept any inappropriate behaviour.

The peak league governing will punish offending individuals to the full extent of its rules.

“Effectively what rugby league does is it draws on people from the local community,” he said.

“They bring their own views and behaviours into those environments, so in terms of changing behaviour and changing views we can play a role in that and we will be very clear on what our expectations are when you step into our environment.

“When you don’t meet those expectations we will be very clear on the sanctions we will hand down and the price you will pay, but overtime what we see in rugby league is effectively a snapshot of the unfortunate behaviour and views of the people that come out of communities and society.”

Enjoying the Western Clydesdales and CQ Capras game are (from left) QRL CEO Ben Ikin, Western Clydesdales CEO Shane Sullivan, Tony Coonan, Toowoomba Regional Council mayor Geoff McDonald and QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher.

The former Brisbane Broncos CEO is also urging society to play its part.

Mr Ikin is urging communities and individuals to stand united against racism and violence.

“This is a whole of society issue and the thing we have in sport is an opportunity with our disproportionate share of voice is to shine a light on those poor behaviours, we don’t ever want to see them but when they do enter our space is to make sure we call them out and send a message to every body about what is unacceptable,” he said.

“There’s an opportunity that because of what is happening in sport ... it will be seen and publicised to make everybody inside and outside sport to stand up and say this is happening and if it’s happening in rugby league then it’s probably happening in other places, so then it becomes a responsibility of not just the particular sport but a whole lot of people at different levels of the society to say this happening and it’s not good enough, what are we going to do about it, let’s find a solution together.”

Originally published as QRL CEO Ben Ikin pledges to play big role in cleaning up league