Ex-Qantas and Rio Tinto boss behind Melbourne Rebels radical lifeline

A consortium of high-profile business people, including former Qantas chairman Leigh Clifford, have come up with a radical new plan to save the broke Melbourne Rebels.

Former Qantas chairman Leigh Clifford is part of a consortium proposing a radical new plan to save the Melbourne Rebels.

A former Qantas chairman is behind a radical plan to move the Melbourne Rebels to the city’s western suburbs, as the Super Rugby franchise fights for survival.

The ex-chair of Qantas and former CEO of Rio Tinto Leigh Clifford is leading a private equity-backed consortium to revive the team and is in the final stages of high-level talks to move the Rebels.

The Super Rugby club, which is in voluntary administration having amassed more than $20 million in debt, plans to move the club Melbourne’s western suburbs to share a facility with the Western United A-Leagues teams.

Under the “innovative” masterplan, the Melbourne Rebels would negotiate a deal with Western Melbourne Group that would have them sharing the Wyndham Regional Football Facility in Tarneit with the Western United Women’s and Men’s A-League teams.

Clifford has assembled a high profile consortium – all of them passionate about rugby – but also “equally see the benefit of their first of its kind business model for Super Rugby, based out in the West of Melbourne”.

It’s understood the Melbourne Rebels consortium is well on the way to raising $20-$30 million from private equity to invest in the Rebels over a number of years. Rugby Australia is currently weighing up what to do with the embattled franchise.

A new deal would see the Rebels playing games in the recently opened 5000-capacity Wyndham stadium. A 15,000-capacity stadium is anticipated to be ready for the 2026/27 A-League Season and the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Rebels Director Georgia Widdup supports the plan.

Over recent months the Federal Government and Wyndham City Council have been briefed on the plan. Wyndham is home to one of the largest Pasifika communities and already has a healthy rugby union fan base in Melbourne’s west.

Consortium spokesman and Melbourne Rebels director Georgia Widdup – Clifford’s daughter – said the move to Tarneit would be a “game changer”.

“We have an exciting vision and a detailed, common sense plan to grow the sport of rugby in the fastest growing municipality in Australia,’’ Widdup said.

“The Rebels are committed to the women’s game, the Pasifika community and important programs for the western region’s youth and this move will enable us to significantly expand these critical areas.’’

Western Melbourne is considered one of the fastest-growing rugby corridors in the country.

“The Tarneit Masterplan is a new financial model for our club, teams, our players and our fans that is sustainable and embraces our future, not our past,’’ Widdup said.

“This is an opportunity to grow rugby’s grassroots supporter base and attract significant new private investment to make the game sustainable into the future.”

“We are passionate about keeping rugby in Victoria but we realise for the Rebels and the sport generally to thrive we need to innovate and be smarter.’’

“We are also impressed by the vision of the facility and future of the precinct in respect to a core focus on the women’s game. As the first Super Rugby club to pay its professional women players in Australia, we are focused on continuing to develop the women’s game and we believe this provides us that opportunity to once again lead the sport”.

The Melbourne Rebels and Rugby Victoria have long prided themselves on their connection to the Pasifika communities, particularly through state school curriculum programs; and through its community Clubs that have embraced diversity and the women’s game in a leadership capacity.

The group believe the plan will tap into the emerging western Melbourne market and secure the Rebel’s longterm future.

“Rugby’s investment through the state government in the north at our state centre of excellence at La Trobe, where women will be based for training and high performance, our investment in clubs in the south east, and now our groundbreaking professional model in the west of the city, make rugby a game for all,’’ Widdup said.

“Combined with the greatest sporting facilities in Australia in AAMI Park, Marvel Stadium and the MCG, we intend to continue to bring rugby to all of the Victorian community.’’

The Rebels owe $11.7 million to the Australian Taxation Office and almost $2 million to the Victorian government - it has not been disclosed if and when these might be cleared with the new consortium now involved. The Rebels directors have been issued penalty notices for the tax debt - which is yet to be paid.

However, right now they hope the new consortium will revive their club.

The group believe there are “synergies and cost efficiencies” between the two sporting codes that would see both Western United and the Melbourne Rebels share a community-based facility and growth strategy.

The broader precinct, owned by Western Melbourne Group in partnership with Wyndham City Council, features a residential estate and an expanse of commercial land earmarked to be the centrepiece of Wyndham’s Riverdale town centre and proposed Oakbank PSP.

Jason Sourasis, the chairman of Western Melbourne Group, the parent company of the Western United Football Club, welcomed the proposal.

“The Western Melbourne Group’s vision has always been to host multi sports and create a vibrant city underpinned by sports, education, health and wellness,” Sourasis said.

“We are proud to have created only the second rectangular stadium in Victoria that is built for both men and women and is already A-League and rugby union compliant. There are obvious synergies hosting both Western United and the Melbourne Rebels and, naturally, we are keen to explore those opportunities.”