Aironi gone - bad news for PRO12

Monty Burnz

From RTE:

Italian side Aironi will not take part in next season's RaboDirect PRO12 competition.
The Italian Rugby Federation has announced that it has revoked Aironi's participation licence due to financial pressure.
Aironi are currently bottom of the PRO12, while they also propped up a Heineken Cup group this season that included Ulster, Clermont Auvergne and Leicester.
Fixtures in place until the end of this term will be honoured.
Italian rugby chiefs have already started the procedure to form a new franchise for next season.

Apologies if I've missed discussion of this elsewhere but I think it deserves a thread...where next for Italian participation in the league? They need high-level rugby, and the league needs the diversity and the market the Italians bring...

CIARAN_BOYLE

Well the FIR is going to form a new franchise to take Aironi's place in the RDPro12 and the HEC. It may be a Rome based team funded by private invesment

Tigerandahalf

I saw this earlier. Hard to know what will happen. It would be hard to see how they would cobble together another team from nowhere. Have to wait for more info.

Hagz

I wonder how they'll play in their last 3 games. Connacht have them in the Sportsground.

bleg

Viadana?

[Jackass]

Pretty sure the next team will be Aironi in different jerseys playing from a different stadium.

The franchise hasn't taken off like Treviso (long established) and the local support base is tiny (like us having a pro team from Roscommon and hoping the immediate locality will support the team)

I am surprised, but I think this is more a correction of bad planning than anything. (Treviso almost denied a pro shot, despite being the "Tolouse" of Italian rugby).

It'll be the Rome team that was axed at the last moment as the next side, with 75% of the Aironi playing panel. Probably a good thing tbf.

irishbucsfan

Could be Cavalieri, Viadana or Lazio. Who knows. Prato didn't get in originally because of poor finances though so they may not take the risk on them.

wp_rathead

Hagz wrote: »

I wonder how they'll play in their last 3 games. Connacht have them in the Sportsground.

Aye, will be a strange one alright

They never seemed to take of in the way Treviso did, a Rome based team might be better alright for building the game- better chance of the casual fan turning up

..plus would make for great away trips :cool:

thomond2006

If they create a team in Rome they'll surely get a fanbase given the enormous potential market. The national team had no problem getting a big crowd into Stadio Olimpico this season.

PhatPiggins

You've got to say fair play to the FIR for recognising a lame duck early and cutting their losses.

thomond2006

PhatPiggins wrote: »

You've got to say fair play to the FIR for recognising a lame duck early and cutting their losses.

€4 million in debt after 2 years in existence, fuppin' hell!

PhatPiggins

thomond2006 wrote: »

€4 million in debt after 2 years in existence, fuppin' hell!

Well they have an awful lot of internationals in their squad and about 4 people at every game. Not exactly self sufficient.

thomond2006

PhatPiggins wrote: »

Well they have an awful lot of internationals in their squad and about 4 people at every game. Not exactly self sufficient.

As I said somewhere else, if Treviso can jump in and raid their best players (Geldenhuys, Bergamasco, Williams, Masi et al), they would have a serious team.

CIARAN_BOYLE

thomond2006 wrote: »

€4 million in debt after 2 years in existence, fuppin' hell!

That includes the loan from the FIR for the money to be given to the league to make up for extra expenses faced by other teams (3 million wasn't it?)

CatFromHue

The below is from the Rabo site from Feb. The archive isn't working so I can't link it but I posted it here and this is copied from that post.

---

Aironi admit financial difficulties

RaboDirect PRO12 side Aironi's owner has confirmed that they are struggling financially amid reports they are keen on bringing in a new coaching set-up ahead of next season.

Aironi are bottom of the PRO12 and and are said to be struggling to pay their playing budget of €6.5million. The Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) are rumoured to be open to the idea of bailing out the franchise by paying some of their running costs, but on the condition that they would introduce their own coaching staff.

The two men in the pipeline are Italy duo Alessandro Troncon and Carlo Orlandi - but with the Azzurri experiencing mixed results in recent times, supporters of Aironi may not be buoyed by those rumours. One other said stipulation is that Carlo Checchinato would step in as general manager of the Italian side.

But with Aironi's owner claiming that "Yes, we have an economic difficulty", one man who may pacify the FIR's demands and Aironi supporters as a replacement for Rowland Phillips is current Italy U20 boss Craig Green. He knows the club scene well having taken the Italian championship with Benetton Treviso and his professional nature could satisfy both parties.

tolosenc

A big money team in Rome that has a shot at the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup would revolutionise Italian rugby. I hope they go for Rome.

Coriolanus

Was it just politics that didn't give Rome a team in the first place? Seems like an obvious choice, capital city, multi million population, just a bigger base to work up to.

civis_liberalis

Fairly likely the Aironi attendance figures released are fibs too. All round numbers like 2,500.

KenSwee

It's got be a Rome based team. They have nothing to lose by pitching their tent in the capital city. As some here have already said, you can't build something out of nothing. There was no fan base and it was very awkward to get there so away support was poor. Rome would be a much better option for both fan bases at each game.

I think this will be for the better in the long run.
Is the Praetorians franchise out of the picture altogether now?

justsomebloke

just wondering has anyone heard anything further in relation to a replacement team also if there is no replacement team for next year who will get their HEC spot?

CIARAN_BOYLE

I heard that Aironi might get a new license under strict control from the union, on a probationary period.

tolosenc

justsomebloke wrote: »

just wondering has anyone heard anything further in relation to a replacement team also if there is no replacement team for next year who will get their HEC spot?

Most importantly, if there is no replacement, what will the Pro12 be called?

Robbo

tolosenc wrote: »

Most importantly, if there is no replacement, what will the Pro12 be called?

Start buying up all your Pro11 domain names here, ching ching bitta cash.

WeeBushy

Robbo wrote: »

Start buying up all your Pro11 domain names here, ching ching bitta cash.

I wonder has the term Pro11 been copyrighted...?

phog

I thought I heard Roma were getting the spot????????

tolosenc

phog wrote: »

I thought I heard Roma were getting the spot????????

As in the Gypsies?

Digifriendly

Could the Vatican with all its wealth not back a Rome based side?

Monty Burnz

Digifriendly wrote: »

Could the Vatican with all its wealth not back a Rome based side?

The Swiss Guards are all strapping men. And they already wear shorts.

Digifriendly

Monty Burnz wrote: »

The Swiss Guards are all strapping men. And they already wear shorts.

And that's just the front row!:)