VRU assume control of Rebels

The future of the Melbourne Rebels has been secured after Imperium Sports Management, led by Managing Director Andrew Cox, transferred its ownership in the Melbourne Rebels to the Victorian Rugby Union (VRU), effective immediately.

 
 
“Importantly this will strengthen the player pathway for aspiring talented Victorian players. We acknowledge the work of Tim North, President of the VRU and the VRU Board.

“After two rewarding, productive, and at times challenging seasons, Imperium Sports Management is pleased to hand over control of the Melbourne Rebels to ensure their future is in the hands of the Victorian Rugby community. We are pleased that this secures the future of the Melbourne Rebels in Melbourne.
 
“Peter and I would like to take the opportunity to publicly acknowledge and thank the club’s Advisory Board which was chaired by Jonathan Ling, and included Gary Wingrove, Bob Dalziel, Lyndsey Cattermole, Peter Butler, Steve Castledine, Michele Williams, Gavin Coote and Rod Lamplugh, and the Imperium staff for their support, professionalism, hard work over the duration of Imperium’s ownership.
 
“The team at Imperium will remain passionate Rebels fans and we look forward to celebrating much success in the future.”

Imperium Sports Management assumed control of the Melbourne Rebels on 1 July 2015 and immediately brought much-needed stability to the club creating a high-performance environment on and off the field.

 
The foundations for an exciting future were laid when in 2016 the Melbourne Rebels relocated to new world-class administration and training facilities at AAMI Park in the city’s premier sporting precinct.

 
Under the leadership of Imperium, the re-energised Melbourne Rebels, debuted four home-grown players, nearly doubled membership to over 10,000, extended community engagement with the Road to Rebels program and brought on a significant number of new sponsors and commercial partners.
 

The Melbourne Rebels look forward to making some additional exciting announcements regarding 2018 and beyond in due course.