theceomagazine.com | 49provide pathways for girls playing at a
junior level all the way through to the
Jillaroos. That includes finding state- and
club-based competitions for females to
play in. But we have to ensure we
make the right decisions and the right
investments over the next few years
to create that solid foundation for the
next phase of the game.”
Facing ever-increasing competition
for junior participation, with AFL and
soccer skyrocketing in popularity, the
women’s game is an important market
to focus on – as is participation outside
the strongholds of Sydney and Brisbane.
While Todd made the tough call to scrap
the annual City vs Country clash, he
has tabled the prospect of taking more
regular-season NRL games not only to
regional areas but to non-traditional
markets. “I think anyone looking at it
objectively would tell you that the
concept of City–Country was born in
a time that was very different to what’s
happening now, particularly with the
demands on players,” he responds. “So
I don’t want people to think that’s
anything other than the game continuing
to make change where it’s needed.
“It’s not a sign of any disrespect to
regional centres; in fact, we’re looking to
play more games in regional New South
Wales and Queensland than ever before.
We think we can make a real difference in
some of those communities by giving
them premiership games. We’ve also taken
games outside traditional hubs to regional
cities like Cairns, Darwin and Perth.
Even Port Moresby, Wellington and
Christchurch have been named as host
cities for the World Cup, and through our
Pacific Program we’re seeing wonderful
growth both in TV audiences and talent
development in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.
It’s fantastic to see the game being spread
far and wide.”
So too is it fantastic to see a leader
entertain the broader public through
regular fan forums and social media
interaction. After all, it is a business thatrelies on its fan base. As Todd reveals
anecdotally, it’s not just his three younger
brothers who keep him grounded. “My
next-door neighbour is a cardiac surgeon,”
he shares. “He and I were talking after
Christmas about his fascination with my
job. He was amazed about how the
industry works and how sport works, and
he wanted to see what I did on a daily
basis. I agreed that we’d spend time with
each other as we did our jobs, and I was
able to go in and watch him perform
open-heart surgery for half a day. I was
gobsmacked and in awe of his skills and
the pressure he deals with – he literally
has people’s lives in his hands. It really
gave me perspective, and it was great to
be able to show him what I do.”Boasting one of sport’s most savvy
governors, the NRL’s future appears far
more rosy than it did this time two years
ago. “One thing that I’m absolutely
certain of is that large sport – and large
sport that’s as engaging as rugby league- will continue to thrive,” he enthuses.
“People will continue to want to watch
it and be a part of it, whether that’s in
a community sense or an elite sense. So
I have never been more positive about the
future of rugby league than I am at this
point in time. I believe we have more
upside to achieve in this sport than in
any other sport in the country. Our
challenge is whether we can achieve that
collective ambition. I’m highly confident
that we can, but it won’t only rely on me
delivering that promise; it’ll rely on a
number of stakeholders inside the sport
working together. If we do that, we will
achieve our ambition.”
“ Our goal is to get more people
playing the game and more
people watching the game.”
Telstra Broadcast
Services always
respects sporting
authority requirements,
so working closely
with Fox Sports, we
ensured NRL referees
were comfortable
with our innovative
Globecam headset.
The NRL embraced
the benefits of fan
engagement and
Refcam’s unique
insights to their game.- John Graham, Global
OU & Globecam
BDE, Telstra
Broadcast Services
GES0040_CEO_Mag_Press_FPC_280x215_FA.indd 2 9/20/17 10:35 AM
Interview | INSPIRE