One of the biggest challenges in sports business is maintaining the pursuit of high performance without killing your culture and disconnecting from your community. 

This is top of mind for Brock Schaefer, Chief Operating Officer at the NRL's South Sydney Rabbitohs.

The Bunnies are 'the pride of the league', established in the foundation year of 1908, born in what was the working class Sydney suburb, Redfern. 

Brock played a key role in the development of the USANA Rabbitohs Centre, a $26 million facility which opened in May, a decade after the initial plans were first announced. 

Over that time, there was turnover of key club people, funding issues, the world changed, there were logistical challenges, but Brock says sticking to the values of 'community, culture and athlete flow and use' ensured that the centre would deliver as much for the players as it would for the local school kids who come by for breakfast each morning. 

In this great chat, Brock takes us behind the scenes in NRL world, talking about:

• What it took to build and launch a state-of-the-art centre
• Why 'the system' is failing NRL coaches, and what needs to happen to better support coaches and key people in sport
• Why the grassroots, the CBA and player power are challenges facing the NRL
• What he learned from NASA and Houston Ballet Company
• The role of a COO at a top sports club

And much more!

Let us know your thoughts.

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