Race for new home
THE Titans are chasing a $40,000 stadium discount in the hope of avoiding homelessness beyond tomorrow night.
The Gold Coast’s contract to rent Cbus Super Stadium expires after tomorrow’s NRL clash against Cronulla.
The Queensland Government announced a review into its stadium operations on Sunday but that is not expected to be completed until late in the year.
The Titans currently fork out about $1.3 million a year, at about $110,000 a game, to rent the 27,500-seat stadium at Robina.
The deal is worth nearly $500,000 a year more than the Newcastle Knights’ contract to hire McDonald Jones Stadium.
The Titans privately believe Newcastle is a similar comparison and are hopeful of securing a long-term deal that will reduce hiring costs by about $40,000 a game.
Speaking publicly for the first time about the stadium drama, Titans co-owner Rebecca Frizelle said the club needed certainty.
“We are working with the Queensland Government to resolve the stadium issues,” she said. “We are confident we will reach a resolution.
“We welcome the review for a long-term solution, however we still require an immediate short-term solution.”
After the Cronulla clash, the Titans have three weeks to sort a short-term deal with Stadiums Queensland before their next home game against Newcastle on May 19. Given the review, a long-term deal is unlikely to be struck before season’s end.
The Titans have been signing two and three-game deals as they continue to push for a better deal. The Gold Coast had a home attendance average of 13,688 last year, the NRL’s ninth best figure.
However their stadium hiring fees are among the NRL’s highest, although they have dropped from $220,000 a game the club paid in 2015.