NRL shutdown: CEO Todd Greenberg fears for struggling Sydney clubs
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg has expressed his concern over the future of Sydney clubs, with their respective leagues clubs forced to closed because of COVID-19.
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Todd Greenberg has admitted for the first time publicly his grave concern for the survival of Sydney’s biggest clubs, including Canterbury, Penrith and Parramatta, due to the shutdown of their respective leagues clubs.
As a result of government regulations, the impact of the coronavirus has forced the closure of Canterbury Leagues club, Parra Leagues and each of the Panthers five leagues clubs, situated across NSW.
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The Bulldogs, Eels and Panthers football club’s rely heavily on millions of dollars worth of financial support each year.
However, the latter is facing a combined $30 million loss across the Panthers five clubs through until September.
In a desperate mission to slash salaries and costs, all three clubs have stood down their entire football departments, including their head coaches, over the past 48-hours.
Manly and the Gold Coast, who are both privately owned, have been identified in recent days, as the leading two clubs under pressure to survive the game’s current state of financial haemorrhaging.
However, as a guest on Fox League’s Morning Show on Thursday, Greenberg went where he rarely goes, offering a personal view of just how worried he is about the long-term survival of all 16 clubs.
Greenberg reaffirmed the code’s mission to do everything possible to see all 16 clubs survive the crippling season suspension.
And while he stopped short of naming the Bulldogs, Panthers and Eels - the NRL boss made it clear, that the clubs who had been left devastated by the loss of their primary financial arm - their leagues clubs - were at greatest risk.
“I actually think the clubs with the licensed clubs attached to them, despite them being some of our biggest clubs, they’re the most vulnerable,’’ Greenberg response to Braith Anasta’s question of which clubs were the most vulnerable.
“Those two (Manly and Gold Coast) have access to private ownership, so ultimately if it gets really dire, private ownership has the ability to help in its own way.
“But some of those licensed clubs, the big ones im talking about, who have been big parts of rugby league since its inception through the NSWRL, they’re in all sorts of financial stress now because they’re physically not open and they cant trade.
“They’ve had to lay-off, on top of their football club staff, hundreds and hundreds of staff that work in their leagues clubs.
“I have great concerns for how quickly we can get that back open and none of us know the answer because we're in the hands of the government and we’re in the hands of a much broader global crisis.’’
Ultimately though, Greenberg reaffirmed the code’s mission to do everything possible to see all 16 clubs survive the crippling season suspension.
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“What we’ve said, is that from start to finish, no one gets left behind and we’ve got to make sure we have an ability to help all 16 stay afloat for the premiership and for the long-term,’’ Greenberg said.
“Some will be doing it harder than others.
“It’s almost a perfect storm for some of our Sydney clubs as their licenced clubs have closed at the same time and a lot of the Sydney-based clubs are so reliant on Leagues club funding.
“So for this moment in time we’re their leagues clubs are closed, a big part of their revenue comes from those, as well as having the gates closed for membership and ticketing and sponsorship as well as the TV money, it is a very difficult time.
“Our goal, as we stand here today is to make sure all 16 come out the other end.
“It’s not going to be easy and there’s a lot of hard decisions being made.’’