Australian Rugby Union Agrees To Keep Western Force In Perth

The Australian Rugby Union has "brokered a deal with Western Force to help keep the Super Rugby franchise in Perth," according to Jefferson Lake of SKY SPORTS. Under the terms of the "alliance," the club's players and professional staff will become employees of the ARU as the governing body "integrates Western Force's professional rugby programme into its high performance unit." The agreement "comes after financial problems arose from the team's poor results, and following calls for them to be moved from the western city to Australian rugby's east coast heartland" (SKY SPORTS, 6/3). ABC reported the deal "comes after several weeks of planning between the ARU and RugbyWA to address financial concerns at the Force." The ARU was "concerned about the changing economic climate in WA and its impact on the Western Force's bottom line." ARU CEO Bill Pulver said, "RugbyWA and the Western Force are not alone in their challenges to remain viable as a professional sports entity in Australia" (ABC, 6/2).