Reduced ticket prices for Crusaders home matches
Some financial administrators might say the Crusaders are living in cloud cuckoo-land.
Despite a modest profit of just $2000 last year, and not receiving a cent for finishing as the beaten finalist against the Chiefs in the Brisbane Global Tens earlier this month, the Crusaders have chopped the price of some tickets in an attempt to fill the 17,300-capacity AMI Stadium for their home games.
Under the new coach-captain axis of Scott Robertson and Sam Whitelock the Crusaders host the Brumbies in Christchurch for their Super Rugby round-one match on Saturday night, and keeping a lid on ticket expenses remains one of the most important weapons in the fight to attract fans says chief executive Hamish Riach.
The business of coaxing supporters away from TV sets remains one of the more difficult tasks in rugby, with a generation of New Zealanders raised in households where they can tune into a live game by punching a button.
A platinum ticket to a Crusaders game starts at $50 for adults, followed by gold ($38) and silver ($32); the latter options are reduced from $41 and $34 respectively. A seat in the less-fancied east and west stands is priced from $16.50.
The Crusaders’ strategy in attempting to fill the stadium is simple enough. The spinoff, they hope, will be that the team performs well in front of a big crowd, wins matches and the fans keep coming back.
‘‘We always review prices, and what we think is good value, and so this year we have tried a slight reduction in that area so that more people will come,’’ Riach said.
Season ticket sales are up slightly to around 3500. Commercial partners and sponsors also snare tickets through a variety of ticket offers, which means there should be 7500 tickets pre-sold for all matches.
Tickets to Crusaders matches, in recent years, have consistently been among the cheapest in the market. For obvious reasons it’s a strategy that isn’t without risk.
‘‘It’s always a judgement call isn’t it?’’ Riach said.
‘‘At the end of the day professional sport is a business and there is always an assessment to be made as to price. But in making that assessment, we want people at the game. And we want them to come back at another time.’’
Crowds averaged just under 15,000 last year before the Crusaders got smacked by the Lions in their quarterfinal in Johannesburg.
This year the Crusaders have seven home games, with lucrative ‘‘derby’’ fixtures against the Highlanders, Hurricanes and Blues.
Around 9000 tickets for the Brumbies match have sold in a week when the fight for Cantabrians’ disposable income couldn’t be tougher; in addition to the Bruce Springsteen at AMI Stadium on Tuesday night, the Black Caps host South Africa in an ODI at Hagley Oval today.
Sanzaar were responsible for drawing-up the schedule, which is already so higgledy-piggeldy that they have had to start the season with a game between the Rebels and Blues in Melbourne on Thursday night.
Maybe if the Springsteen concert had been held later in the week, then some visitors would have stayed in Christchurch to view the rugby. But the Crusaders had no input into the draw, and instead it is likely some fans will attend the cricket before leaving the city.
Although the Crusaders got an appearance fee, as did the other 13 teams that attended the Brisbane Global Tens, they didn’t earn a penny for making the final.
The Chiefs were awarded around $265,000 in prize money. The total prize pool was around $1.7 million.