Fans show signs of returning to fold
GOOD news and bad for Wellington rugby as the Hurricanes finally play a match in front of their home crowd at Westpac Stadium.
While ticket sales for tonight’s match against the Highlanders are strong, with 12,000 sold at midday yesterday, season pass numbers have dropped by about 1500 during the turbulent off-season.
Wellington Rugby Union yesterday announced a major financial turnaround with news of the first profit since 2007, albeit a small one at just $12,000.
The union, which holds the current licence to manage the Hurricanes, lost approximately $800,000 over the past two years making the latest result a major coup for chief executive James Te Puni, who took control last April.
‘‘We have been realistic around managing our operating costs and are now focusing on ensuring we meet the needs of sponsors and fans,’’ Te Puni said. ‘‘We have moved to a more realistic model of player contracting.’’
Tough targets had been set and met around commercial, match and gaming revenue while costs had been down, with expenses falling by $600,000 compared to the previous financial year.
A continuation of healthy balance sheets will, of course, be helped by crowds returning to Westpac Stadium during the current Super Rugby season and into the ITM Cup.
It is understood the union finished last season with 4300 season pass holders.
That figure began to fall away at the end of last season when coach Mark Hammett controversially released franchise stars Ma’a Nonu and captain Andrew Hore, sparking an exodus of talent including All Blacks Hosea Gear, Aaron Cruden and Piri Weepu.
Recent results including wins against the Lions and Western Force have stemmed the bleeding and fans have been slowly climbing back on board with sales approaching 3000 and continuing for another week.
And there are signs of a decent turnout tonight. Sales for the match were double what they were the day before last year’s match, also against the Highlanders. There were 14,900 ticket sales for the 2011 home opener though only 11,091 actually took their seats on game day.