“These outlays, combined with the smaller market inbound tours from Georgia and Wales in 2024, resulted in a deficit of $36.8m.”
RA experienced a decline in sponsorship revenue in 2024, despite an overall increase in total revenue to $126.3 million.
Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh and chairman Dan Herbert. Credit: Getty
“Rugby Australia’s commercial program had a challenging year in 2024 coming off the back of a disappointing 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign for the Wallabies and Super Rugby Pacific uncertainty,” RA’s annual report reads.
“These challenges created headwinds for the commercial program, particularly in the first half of the year where the degree of uncertainty around Super Rugby Pacific and the positive strides the Wallabies made in 2024 under Joe Schmidt had not yet commenced.”
Last week, RA announced a new broadcast deal with Nine Entertainment, worth $215 million over five years. Incentives could lead to that figure jumping to $240 million if the Wallabies and other Australian teams win a higher percentage of matches.
Total player participation across clubs, events and schools increased by almost 15 per cent.
In late 2023, RA secured an $80 million credit facility from Pacific Equity Partners [PEP] to cover forecasted deficits.
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“RA is forecasting a record surplus in 2025 which should provide us the option of exiting the credit facility with PEP,” Waugh said in a statement.
“Australian rugby then enters a new, substantially up-weighted five-year broadcast cycle from 2026. And in 2027 and 2029, Australia will welcome the world to our shores for the men’s and women’s editions of our sport’s grandest tournament, the Rugby World Cup.”
RA chairman Dan Herbert added: “Australian rugby united in 2024 to deliver a year of transformation on and off the field. The game in Australia has made significant progress over the last 12 months and, while that is no doubt pleasing, we are acutely aware that there is still plenty of work ahead of us for Australian rugby to realise its full potential.”
Meanwhile, former Wallaby Nathan Sharpe has been elected president, while Kathleen Bozanic and Louise Higgins have been added as non-executive board directors. Pip Marlow finished her term at the end of 2024.
More to come
Watch all the action from the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season on Stan Sport, the only place to watch every match ad-free, live and on demand.
