ARU reveals Force 'rescue plan'
Friday's announcement follows weeks of speculation about the fate of the Super Rugby franchise.
Under the deal, the franchise's players and professional staff will become employees of the ARU as the governing body integrates Western Force's professional programme into its high performance unit.
The agreement comes after weeks of talks between the ARU and the Western Australia Rugby Union (RugbyWA) over financial problems stemming from poor results, and follows calls for the team to be moved from the western city to Australia's east coast heartland.
"RugbyWA and the Western Force are not alone in their challenges to remain viable as a professional sports entity in Australia," ARU Chief Executive Bill Pulver said.
"Numerous teams across several codes are facing the same economic environment across professional sport and the ARU has been looking at ways to create a more efficient and effective way to run our Super Rugby businesses."
He added: "The other really important outcome is that the Western Force will continue to be deeply entrenched in the Perth community."
Under the alliance, the RugbyWA board will continue to be responsible for the community game in Western Australia.
Western Force have struggled in recent Super Rugby seasons and have won just two of their 12 games during the current campaign to lie only above tournament newcomers the Sunwolves and Southern Kings.
Current RugbyWA CEO, Mark Sinderberry, will remain in his position and will have dual reporting lines to the ARU and the RugbyWA board.
"The RugbyWA Board is excited to have developed this alliance with the ARU," Tony Howarth, RugbyWA Chairman, said.
"We are confident that through this partnership we can provide a more attractive rugby program here in Perth by the Force being integrated into the ARU's high performance unit.
"This will enable the Force to continue the journey we started over 10 years ago to bring outstanding rugby talent to Perth, develop Wallabies and play a style of rugby that attracts members, sponsors and connects with the large Rugby community we have in the West. It also assures the financial viability of the team for the future."
Pulver added: "From an Australian Rugby point of view, it's not only essential that we continue to support RugbyWA and the Western Force but to ensure the game remains strong at the community level in Western Australia and that the Super Rugby team is given the best opportunity to succeed.
"It is our absolute priority at all times to act with the best interests of Australian Rugby as a whole and to protect the long term health and prosperity of the game in Australia.
"It has been well documented that Australian Rugby has faced financial challenges in recent years and a range of measures were taken to ensure it remained sustainable. A significant new broadcast agreement has relieved pressure on the game but it must remain vigilant in the face of a challenging sporting landscape in Australia."
