NEW INTERVIEW with TOMI FINAU (GM, Fiji National Rugby League), 17/6/2013.

Our interview with General Manager, Fiji National Rugby League @ FNRL Headquarters, Suva, Fiji Islands, 17 June 2013.

By Dr Kieran James and Mr Emmanuel Iyabora (University of Fiji, Saweni campus.)

Dr. Kieran James (University of Fiji): Please tell us the history of rugby league in Fiji.

Mr. Tomi Finua (General Manager, Fiji National Rugby League): We started in 1992; the Australian Rugby League came here. In 1994 we had Super League come into the country. There was a court case by Australian Rugby League versus Super League. We began with FNRL, first set-up in the west. We had 12 clubs. Around 2000 we lost all our funding and that office closed down until 2006 [when] we secured sponsorship and we started rebuilding again. In 2009 we set up this office and started rebuilding again. In 06 we had around 12 clubs, now we have around 35 clubs, junior and senior. 

KJ: I see the clubs have names such as Dragons and Bulldogs which are also used in Australia’s NRL competition...

GM: We try to encourage our clubs to have names similar to clubs in Australia. At the moment the relationship is just in the names; some of the clubs get support from their sister clubs. One club Nasura Cowboys gets support from North Queensland Cowboys, others get balls, jerseys, etc.

KJ: Do you see yourselves as competing with rugby?

GM: Now we don’t see ourselves competing with rugby that much, there is demand for people wanting to play our sport. We complement their game; we have been inundated [with requests] to expand to other areas around Fiji. The next five years will be most interesting for us. There is interest in clubs preparing for next year’s competition. We have set up a tentative draw for next season and grounds. We are just waiting for the names of the teams; we are doing it back to front. We are limiting it to six clubs per grade. A club may come in with just one team or a range of teams [such as] Premier, Reserves, Under 18, Under 16, [and] Under 14. Our secondary school is from Under 15s to Under 19s. We have a lot of areas where there is a spill-over of youth [from rugby]; rugby can’t absorb them all. We are formalizing our relationship with Nadroga Rugby Union, Sigatoka. We have so many youths, they all want to make it big; we are limiting ourselves; we look for quality rather than numbers.  We don’t want a large number of teams. We don’t have a large number of grounds, we have clubs. Here Nasinu is the worst. There are grounds [available] but they are not safe for our players. 

KJ2: Why did you decide to get your annual accounts independently audited - cure or prevention?

GM2: We want to take our organization in a different way; “sport is an industry” we tell our members. Before this we took things lightly. We need to go professional – semi-professional then professional – aspire to it, not like a business but business-like, we instil [or “install”] confidence in our sponsors. 

KJ: Was there any outside pressure or requirement to do it?

GM: We chose to do it, it was unanimous; we receive money each year from sponsors, we need to instil confidence in our organization. We have one sponsor financial, Vodafone, and we receive money from government – usually for development, this year for rugby-league World Cup. Others contribute in kind – you put a value-in-place for the other sponsors. Auditors look at how we track the in-kind, sometimes we exceed the amount we should receive; businesses prefer in-kind rather than giving money, [and] then they are more accommodative when we have to go over. The auditors know how we are managing our records. We have a board now of eleven people, we have co-opted a couple of board members to address some of the areas we need.  The board was involved in deciding to get the accounts audited. We have co-opted one person specializing in accounts and finance from civil service office, one practising lawyer and [one] entrepreneur, and someone from the media. We bring in someone from that field who can tell us how to strengthen those areas. 

KJ: Who do you expect to be the main users of the audited accounts?

GM: We provide it to sponsors, all members, [and] clubs (rugby has provincial unions; here clubs are the members) all around Fiji, to government, and the International Federation of Rugby League [i.e. Rugby League International Federation]. FNRL is a democratic organization. Every day we get questioned about our values. It’s only proper we get audited; we are an NGO regulated by government, it’s only right we need to be transparent on what we are doing here although we do have trade secrets; that’s another matter [laughs].

Emmanuel Iyabora.

Mr. Emmanuel Iyabora (University of Fiji): How do you see it from a stakeholder perspective? Has their confidence improved?

GM: Firstly I joined last year, there is a change of management; our former management was relieved; this is part of what we needed to do. There are still things we need to do for the auditors – software, we are installing MYOB [accounting software package], there are other things we need to do. Our staff were volunteers for a long time, we got money and we employed them; we are rugby-league people, I’m a former player. We co-opt experts to help us in areas where we need this.

EI: How did you get audited previously?

GM: We got honorary auditor, 2007-08, we didn’t have enough money; this year we contracted a person. We made request for PW [PricewaterhouseCoopers] and EY [Ernst & Young]. We knew they will put up a lot of things [for correction]. I knew it’s a good place to start. Unfortunately they had a busy calendar; our year is January to December; they could take it in June. We want to improve to international standard.

KJ: What are some other issues raised by the auditor?

GM: Record-keeping, length of time needed to keep our records; that is one area. Recent books: our previous management was using off-the-counter books. Invoice books, purchase order, financial memo – we have contracted it out, our asset register; these are the basics we have to address before our auditor comes in again. We want the audit done three to four times per year but we don’t have the money [laughs]. The set-up is MYOB is contracted out; the supplier is installing and training and the company will guide our girls here to use the system. The other record-keeping is done by the staff. Before we did not have a person focusing on this; [now] one girl [is] looking after payable [and] one [is looking after] receivables. I joined June last year. The two girls are full-time with salary. The bottom-line is money. We want to do many things to improve our organization. We want to improve things as we go along...

EI: When was the first audit report?

GM: 2007-08. We lost everything when we were out of money – one person was doing the full office in lieu of his pay. We lost everything, [this was] 1999-2000.

KJ: What is your revenue per year?

GM: This year $250,000 Fiji dollars; it varies, that is from our sponsorship plus subscriptions from clubs and players. This is the first time [both] clubs and players will be members. Clubs pay affiliation fee and players play membership fees.

KJ: What are some of your future plans?

GM: Firstly our HR, strengthen our HR. Our staff are former players; [my] contract ends 31/12/2013. We want to change the structure on the wall [points to organizational chart on wall] to Area Managers in north-west and south-east [and then] their co-ordinators below them.

KJ: Why is it important for FNRL as a sporting body to have its accounts independently audited [by A.M. Narsey & Co.]?

GM: I’ve been to Australia; the way Australian Rugby League looks at sport is totally different to how the Pacific looks at sport. The only way for us to benefit from sport is change the way you look at it. Other sports need to re-look at it not just as sport but as economic and social tool for development. Governments need to change the way they look at it too; it’s a good way for Pacific Islands to improve business too. A good example is Pacific Games, but it is becoming too big and too expensive for the Pacific region. But it’s news to me we are the only sporting body. Our report was not good but I told the board “it’s a good start”. “If problems recur”, I said, “I’m going”; it’s the only way for us to grow. 

KJ: I saw the Christian content on the FNRL website; can you tell us more about the Christian issues?

GM: We went through a very difficult time [in] our sport. We went through our Christian values; we attended church services; [and] we believed there is something at the end of the tunnel. The boys attended church service, 2008, one year before the World Cup, we unanimously decided to drop this Fiji bati [note: equivalent to Kiwi haka war-dance] and sing a hymn. We sang it before the match, it just changed everybody. The mentality; that is what guided us. For all events we start it will be a prayer. The Christian values motivate our work and drive us. We have a team pastor who travels with the team, senior and junior. He provides spiritual guidance. We have a monthly church service; we have a Thanksgiving Service and [a] church service to begin each year. We have two pastors on our board. I asked them to put a scriptural section on the website. We are a living testament to how good God has been to us. 

EI: Fiji has strong cultural values. Was there any criticism for dispensing with the Bati and starting the prayers?

GM: No, we still maintain our cultural identity, we fear the Lord, respect the chief. When we dropped it a lot of people were [previously] more focused on [the] aggressiveness of the boys. There was a lot of opposition [about] why we did this because of branding. After 2008 World Cup that [opposition] was all finished. We finished fourth, we lost to Australia. This World Cup we want to do better; what is driving us are our Christian values. 

We involve our pastor with the boys, etc. We have someone focusing on rugby-league skills; other on spiritual skills. We paid his airfare [to Australia] for him to go and just meet and encourage the boys. We asked him to go and visit there; he visited the boys contracted to country clubs; the Christian values are really installed into each one of us. The board sacked the whole international team officials two years ago for drinking in the hotel. The boys can drink but this was overdone; the decision came just like that; I was still a volunteer then; I was involved from secondary school. The Christian values has been a proven thing, proven and tried, tried and proven [laughs].     

EI: Does it impact on the office culture?

KJ: In terms of honesty...

GM: Yes, it is in our values. In the Bible of that time you still had politics. When there is deep feeling around we call people together and have church service, say a prayer over it.

EI: We have three cultures: our culture, church culture, and politics...

GM: The Chair calls everybody [to] sit down, mix, have a church service, we bring a pastor in, we all openly hare, then [the issue is] finished.

EI: So that is another form of accountability.

KJ: How is it possible to have such a Christian focus when you might have non-Christian players such as members of the Indian community?

GM: We have Indian players and [players of] other faiths. Our pastor is Christian, he is not Methodist – but we are inter-faith; we respect each other. We have Indian boys with us; one of our pastors is Indian, Emmanuel Rubin, he is in the Methodist Church; he covers the Indian division. Indian boys play for the clubs; I think it’s the respect and tolerance we have for each other. Our sport is multiracial; we have disabled boys with no fingers playing with able athletes. We have two [disabled] boys who are playing. Everyone knows it will start with a church service. When we have awards night, alcohol is still served but it starts with a devotion. When the pastor is there the boys will behave.

KJ: Is the move to have the accounts independently audited because the culture of rugby-league throughout its 100-year history has always been a professional culture since it first broke away from rugby in England and Australia?

GM: Don’t know [laughs]. Our former [general] manager was pushing [for] it to be audited by our board member who is a former accountant. I wanted PWC to audit it; [this is] the only way ... for them [FNRL] to improve. It depends on the person in the position; I would like to see rugby-league do better.

KJ: In Sydney, Newtown Jets and Western Suburbs Magpies could not continue to operate at national league level in Australia due to financial reasons and perhaps mismanagement...

GM: Yes. ... I’m still talking to those two [firms] to do auditing. If they pick up problems it’s good; we tell them: “we want you to do your job and be independent”. The sponsors respect us, that we do this. Our ambition is to go public one day – get listed – we aspire to that one day. 

EI: Listed on the stock-market?

GM: Yes, our biggest problem is grants. We have secured funding from Rugby League International Federation.

KJ: Does money go back to Fiji when a player signs for an overseas club? For example, in soccer, when Mark Viduka went to Glasgow Celtic from Dinamo Zagreb, Celtic paid 20% back to the original club of Mark Viduka, Melbourne Knights...

GM: No money goes back to Fiji for players. We insist we get something; we have not stopped any player signing on; we don’t get any money; we want our players to get a better life from playing the sport; a lot of players have got a better life; the people here can see rugby-league has a [career] pathway. 

KJ: With the pathway going through to the NRL? I think that is where rugby-league has the advantage over rugby: there are more professional and semi-pro job opportunities for rugby-league than rugby at least in Australia...

GM: Yes, and there is a pathway to a better life. Many clubs in Australia give good reports for our players because of their Christian values. Jarryd Hayne [Parramatta Eels player] is a good example – well-groomed, encourages players, and points young players to go to church. He was very taken [i.e. impressed] to see the pastor there. We have a system here to track our players but we get swamped overseas by the powers out there [laughs] but we continue to push for that [player payments filtering back to Fiji], that is what we always look for. 

Laurtoka, Fiji, 1973.

EI: What do you think some of the threats faced by the body are?

GM: Financial, our internal. If I had enough money I would contract one full-time accountant, they [the two ladies working at the office on the day of our visit] are just accounts clerks. Secondly, the specialization and the way we expand. When I took over [at start of 2012] there were three development officers and two staff; now we have around ten people.

Money [is a] problem, the cost of goods and services has really gone up; it’s cheaper to have games in school grounds [than in major stadiums]. Two games on Friday nights cost $3,000. We want to improve our gate. 

KJ: Is the $3,000 for Suva or Lauroka? 

GM: Suva [ANZ Stadium] and Lautoka [Churchill Park]. We don’t hold it in the main stadium. Rugby-league is an intense sport, we don’t have the money to build soft grounds over night, players get injured, and we have done a legal thing on our registration form to cover it. A family’s children may not be fed properly due to poverty. For our elite [squad], for example, we give supplements, it’s a cost; we have to see our players are on a par with those overseas. The lifestyle these days is an issue; the cost of vegetables also. To stay healthy is a big cost. These are the three major threats.

EI: Is bribery involved in the game?

GM: No, those things are far from us.

EI: There is a potential for this?

GM: This is why we are installing the Christian values. Even the clubs will go and tell someone off if they are an illegal merchandiser. When the national team went into camp, 2006, we qualified; we said the clubs had to feed the boys for two weeks; the clubs competed to see who will be the best caterer.  

Naviti St, Lautoka, Fiji.

KJ: Do you think your model of registering clubs directly with you is better than the rugby model of having unions in between the national body and the clubs?

GM: From our side we prefer the club system rather than the union system. At AGM time [we aim to reach] consensus. In [rugby] union, the views of the minority are not considered at the national level.

KJ: When was the first audit conducted?

GM: First audit 2007-08. The next year will start January. The last two times were paid and independent. This report has been released to the stakeholders. The zone co-ordinator does a lot of cash handling at the gate.

KJ: How are the financial and sponsorship situations at present?

GM: You get very emotional when you are taking money out of your [own] pocket to run it.  We are looking for sponsors; we have a big budget [i.e. big spending needs]. One topic that comes up is: “how do you justify your budget?” We have to start spending, now I tell people we have to contract out, that [is] something new for us. We have to justify our expenses; we are used to working with whatever we have. Our national coach is not paid; he gives his time. We have noted when they [players] leave [the country] they get His blessings; Jarryd Hayne was a nobody when he left here. 

Dr Kieran James.

KJ: How do you feel about overseas players coming here to Fiji to play?

GM: We would love overseas players to come here to play in the clubs; it seems [for] the players we need insurance [and] five-star hotels. For players like Hayne, these players have come through us over the years; they have accepted [local conditions]. For foreign players we strive to treat them well; we put them in the right hotels, [they] drink bottled water, our current coach is [an] NRL coach; he is assistant to Wayne Bennett in the NRL [Rick Stone].  They have all offered their services to the Fiji team; it’s a blessing to us; we are looking after them. If you can’t come and play we just take a local guy; that’s always been our philosophy; we are just rugby-league people. The management report includes our weaknesses; we have not altered anything. 

KJ: Do you think there is room for rugby-league to grow in Fiji given that rugby is so strong?

GM: The FRU head invited me to come and speak; I said “no, we don’t comment on your weaknesses”. We have some boys who play both games; we encourage them to pick one, for their safety. There are specific skills you need to master for each game. You will get confused; you need to master technical skills within the one game.  If a league club comes and takes you, you are geared for that market. You have a better chance making the union national team if you are a league player (for example Quade Cooper, Lote Tuqiri).