Slide 1: NRL Business Plan 2.0 Lessons Learned and Future Goals
Slide 2: Business Plan 1.0 Core Objectives • • • • Increase the competitive opportunities Provide young players with heroes Create marketable properties Provide infrastructure for competitive equity • Assign real value to elite ringette
Slide 3: Business Plan 1.0 Operational Objectives • • • • • • • • • • Establish league and schedule Establish operating agreement Develop league website Franchises awarded Determine governance/structure Determine officiating concepts Sell tickets Develop National Club Championship Hire League Commissioner Develop World Club Championship
Slide 4: Business Plan 1.0 Key Operational Priorities • • • • • Sell Tickets Ensure Competitive Equity Enumerate relationship with RC Expand Develop team revenue streams
Slide 5: Business Plan 1.0 What’s Getting Done • Checklist (Fun) Items – World Club Championships – Develop National Championship – Develop website – National Media Relations
Slide 6: Business Plan 1.0 What’s Not Getting Done • Project Based (Boring) Items – Operational Guidelines – Local Sponsorship – Ticket Sales – Relationship with RC – Governance
Slide 7: Business Plan 1.0 Assessment More Success than failure. Failures that have happened, have moved us forward.
Slide 8: Business Plan 1.0 Unforseen Obstacles • Athlete Buy In – Has not been universal • Team Staff requirements – Too much for too few people to do • Competitive Equity regulation – Requests have been toothless • Ticket Sales Regulations – Outside regulators (gov’t) and internal priorities (time) have impeded implementation
Slide 9: Business Plan 1.0 Structural Obstacles • Governance/RC Relationship – Who’s in charge? • Team Infrastructure – If not the coach/manager….. Who? • Ringette’s Self Esteem – If you think making money is impossible, trying to do so irrational
Slide 10: Business Plan 1.0 Moving On • A New Lexicon is Required – – – – – – – – – – Was: Is: Was: Is: Was: Is: Was: Is: Was: Is: Costs Investments Associations Owners Coach/Manager/Trainer Coach Manager COO Players Product
Slide 11: Business Plan 2.0 Doing that which is easier said than done.
Slide 12: Business Plan 2.0 Operating Principles • The NRL is as strong as its weakest team • Every athlete/coach/trainer/fan is a local athlete/coach/trainer/fan • Team infrastructure is insufficient to deliver required value • We are good at checklists, bad at long term goals • Standards must be known in order to be met
Slide 13: Business Plan 2.0 Core Objectives • • • • Increase the competitive opportunities Provide young players with heroes Create marketable properties Provide infrastructure for competitive equity • Assign real value to elite ringette • Our job has not changed – only our tools
Slide 14: Business Plan 2.0 Key Changes • Culture • Structure • All we want to change is everything we do and every way in which it is done
Slide 15: Business Plan 2.0 Cultural Changes • “A Reasonable Expectation of Profit” • Resetting the scale – a new definition of bad • Top supports bottom, bottom allows top to exist • The NRL, like its teams, makes cuts
Slide 16: Business Plan 2.0 Changing the Culture • Every team must provide a business plan and annual financial statements. – These MUST be shared with the rest of the league – No Secrets • The operations manual must be completed and enforced • The NRL does everything to support its teams. – Even occasionally hurting one of them. • Failure to perform can result in fines, suspensions, point deductions and expulsion.
Slide 17: Business Plan 2.0 Structural Changes • Someone must know the answer • That person must be constrained • Ringette Canada must be able to watch its money • Fewer meetings, more accomplishments
Slide 18: Business Plan 2.0 Structural Changes • Board of Governors and RC decides on directions and limitations. No more. – Did Paul Tagliabue ask the Board of Governors before moving the N.O. Saints post-Katrina home games? • If he did, what would you have thought, and how long would it have taken?
Slide 19: Business Plan 2.0 A New Structure • Who are the NRL’s customers? – Fans – Ringette Canada Board * – Ringette Canada Membership * – Sponsors – Media
Slide 20: Business Plan 2.0 A New Structure • Who are Team Owners? – Associations – Private Individuals – Dedicated to making a profit – Committed to league – Responsible to shareholders for overall performance, to commissioner for execution of league directives
Slide 21: Business Plan 2.0 A New Culture • Who Pays to Watch Ringette? – If you answered ‘no one’, leave the room, and do not come back – Girls want heroes, we provide them – Families want affordable entertainment, we provide it – Media providers want content, we provide it
Slide 22: Business Plan 2.0 Team Level • What Do the Teams Do? – Develop and execute a business plan – Enforce codes of conduct – Secure local sponsorship – Adhere to operations manual – Commit to winning – Report obsessively • Stats, finances, lessons learned, media
Slide 23: Business Plan 2.0 League Level • What Does the League Do? – Develop and execute a business plan – Supervise ringette operations (rules) – Execute League Events (Canada Cup, NRL Championships) – Supervise international transfers – Enforce team code of conduct – Provide reporting tools – Assimilate data reported by teams
Slide 24: Business Plan 2.0 League Level • League = Tim Taylor – The NRL provides the tool box • • • • • • Website development Business plan templates and guides Sponsorship plan templates and guides Media plan template and guides National media Clearing house for good/bad ideas
Slide 25: Business Plan 2.0 Conference Level • What Does the Conference Do? – Makes schedule – Determines playoff format – With approval, uses experimental rules/concepts – Picks an all-star team, when needed
Slide 26: Business Plan 2.0 Buck Stopping Who’s In Charge? National Sponsors Schedule Playing Rules Overall Direction World Club Championships NRL Championships Website – Updating Etc Policies – Enforcement Local Sponsors Travel and Logistics NRL Committee Conferences NRL Committee/Ringette Canada Ringette Canada Board NRL Committee NRL Committee NRL Committee/RC Office NRL Committee/Commissioners Teams Teams
Slide 27: NRL Business Plan 2.0 Lessons Learned and Future Goals