Brisbane Broncos bosses sacrifice millions to keep club afloat
Broncos boss Paul White is confident Brisbane’s multimillion-dollar cost cutting will not hinder the club’s pursuit of a seventh premiership and first since 2006.
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Broncos boss Paul White is confident Brisbane’s multimillion-dollar cost cutting will not hinder the club’s success after coach Anthony Seibold’s football department was slashed.
Seibold farewelled five immediate staff among the 22 Broncos workers made redundant as part of a huge cut to the club's $22 million payroll.
Assistant coach Ben Cross departed Red Hill last month along with fitness, data analyst, media and recruitment staff in what has been the biggest employee shake-up in Broncos history.
White has taken a 50 per cent pay cut, worth $200-300,000 depending on bonuses, for the rest of his contract while Seibold and his coaching staff have copped 20 per cent salary blows.
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The Broncos have long been the NRL’s powerhouse club, with more than 100 employees amassing $52 million in revenue and operating out of a $27 million headquarters.
The club has steadily increased its size in the pursuit of a seventh premiership and first since 2006.
White would not comment on the specifics of Brisbane’s restructure or his personal pay cut, but told The Sunday Mail the Broncos were well-placed to succeed.
“I’m very comfortable with the resources we still have in place,” he said.
“We have our club very well positioned for this year and beyond. I’m very comfortable with the staff and people we still have available within our club.”
The Broncos are one of the NRL’s best-resourced clubs, with Seibold boasting staff and facilities that would envy many rivals.
In his second season at the club, the Broncos made a hot start to the year with back-to-back wins before the competition was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While the crisis has caused the Broncos to make dramatic changes to their operation, Seibold said he had the support to ensure the Broncos remained a successful club.
“We’re still very well resourced, you won’t hear any whingeing from me,” he said.
“The challenge with the five guys who were made redundant in the football program was that it wasn’t performance related.
“If someone is not performing their role or not doing their job and you move them on, it’s never nice, but that’s the reality of sport or business.
“It’s never nice to see good people lose their jobs, but look at the unemployment around Australia. That’s the reality of where we’re at.”
Broncos legend Corey Parker has taken on more duties, with Seibold to cover the departure of Cross.
Seibold said the financial shake-up in the sporting world following the pandemic would result in staff having to cover more roles.
“Ben Cross is a very good young coach. He’s improved enormously over the last 12-15 months at our organisation," he said.
“Between myself and Cozza, we will take on the responsibilities that Ben had.”
Originally published as Brisbane Broncos bosses sacrifice millions to keep club afloat