Boss Dalton reveals: ‘I don’t sleep’

Team New Zealand manager ‘nervous as hell’ as he opens up on America’s Cup pressure going into 2021 event

The America’s Cup may still be two years away but Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton has revealed he’s already “nervous as hell”. Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking, Dalton opened up on where the team was at in preparing to defend the Auld Mug in 2021 in Auckland.

Although pleased with their progress, Dalton said the added pressure had already been felt.

“I’m nervous as hell,” Dalton said. “I don’t get excited, I just get nervous and worried and I don’t sleep. That just goes on year after year.

“It’s more complicated because we’re at home and that’s good and bad depending on how you look at it. The good is that we’re at home and we’re the defenders of the Cup . . . the extra pressure that comes with that of being the defender and the expectations of our own expectations.

“I’m nervous because I know we’ve got a huge responsibility. It’s the oldest sporting trophy in the world. We’ve got the eyes of four-and-a-half million people on us and we need to hold on to it, too.”

Reflecting back on Team New Zealand’s woes in 2015 when the syndicate was on the verge of having to pull the pin on what became a Cupwinning campaign, Dalton said things were in much better shape this time around.

“We’re the opposite than we might have been this time three or four years ago,” he said. “There are good decisions being made.

“This time last time, we were basically about to fold, and this time, we’re certainly not about to fold.

“I use the analogy of the Rugby World Cup back in 2011, when they just held on and then we went into that dynasty period, and now this organisation feels a little bit like that.”

Last month, it was reported half the teams challenging for the America’s Cup would not make it to the start line after failing to get enough financial backing.

It was reported that Malta’s entry was “dead in the water”, DutchSail were resorting to crowdfunding and California’s Stars & Stripes were drafting a media release to announce their withdrawal. However, all six challengers remain in play and have confirmed they have no intention of withdrawing from the event.