EPRU cash crisis deepens
19 Jun 2006
The pathetic turnout for the Test in Port Elizabeth has cost the EPRU more than R1 million.
This brings to more than R3 million the amount owed by the EPRU to SA Rugby for hosting the last two Tests in the city. EPRU still owe R2 million for the French Test last year.
The EPRU executive committee will hold crisis talks today in a bid to find a solution to their deepening financial problems after they sold only 17,000 tickets for the weekend’s match, The Herald newspaper reported.
Although in the end, a fairly sizable crowd witnessed the Springboks scrappy 29-15 win over Scotland, it is understood many of those tickets were given away at the 11th hour in a desperate bid to fill the stadium.
As a result, the EPRU fell short by R1 million in terms of its financial obligations to SA Rugby for the match fee of R4,65 million.
According to The Herald, the EPRU was “left with about 10,000 unsold tickets for Saturdays game, and about 3,000 were given as complimentary tickets to clubs and schools.”
EPRU chief executive, Philip Joseph said only two-thirds of the 30,000 stadium was filled, but was baffled as to why. “We do not know why this game was not as well supported as we would have liked,” he told the newspaper.
“Maybe it has something to do with ticket prices or maybe the opposition team does not have much support in South Africa because a disappointing number of people also turned up at the first Test match with Scotland in Durban the weekend before.”
SA Rugby will need to accept some blame for allowing a union still in debt from the previous years’ Test to host another and such is the situation they may have to write it off along with the R6,3 millon owed by the Spears, who are also based in Port Elizabeth.
“On Friday we asked SA Rugby to reconsider lowering the match guarantee fee but we have not yet received a response from them,” Joseph added.
19 Comments
19 Jun 2006, 08:14 am
I could but I won’t
19 Jun 2006, 08:33 am
Well, next time the foolish half of the people that paid for their tickets to sit next to all the freebies won’t…
Don’t cough up early, just wait another couple of days and you get them given to you
19 Jun 2006, 08:39 am
I repeat : people are not going to pay R 300 to watch Jake White ‘experiment’ with different players and try out new combos.
I repeat : people will not pay R 300 to watch the Bokke ‘practise’.
Is this attitude of sacrifice all for RWC 2007 still loved by the masses like the administration thinks ?
19 Jun 2006, 09:01 am
Yeah – and if we say “we told u say” it will probably be seen as a racist remark…
We all know that Bloem should had a test this year…
The stadion in PE is a dump and the service has deteriorated even worse than last year – it is almost impossible to get a cooldrink or something to eat, with “previously disadvantaged salespeople” trying to run kiosks without proper change, not being able to channel drink sales away from food q’s etc!! Major shambles!!
And the toilets…DIE SIF LOOP DAAR MET GUMBOOTS ROND!!!
19 Jun 2006, 09:02 am
O yes, and last year there was still a big screen for replays..not so this year..and this for R350???
If ever there was a rip-off…
19 Jun 2006, 09:54 am
It simply proves that all the claims that EP is a hotbed of rugby are based in fantasy. Ticket prices are not the issue they were giving tickets away and still couldn’t fill the ground.
If EP were given one test match a year the average EP rugby supporter can surely find R300 to attend. The simple fact is despite all the Hoo Haa that the Spears have a huge fan base and massive pool of player talent the interest is simply not there. I expect that a few idiots will now argue the toss, but at the end of the day you had your chance at the expense of Bloemfontein and you didn’t come to the party. Test rugby should be awarded to stadiums that can guarantee money in SA rugbys coffers, that plain and simply should be the only criteria. If EP want to host another test they have to prove themselves capable of turning a profit otherwise we are simply cutting off our noses to spite our face. Is it the wisest policy to bow down to a minor union on the presumed basis that they have more players of colour on average than any other and in so doing simply crippling them with debt? Don’t wish for something EP you might just get it.
19 Jun 2006, 10:03 am
They should of given the test to Bloem.
19 Jun 2006, 10:09 am
pe is the armpit of the country alongside east london
19 Jun 2006, 10:24 am
A few comments to ponder……..
Last years test at EPRFU against France was a sell out. The administrators didn’t resolve their financial deficit.
There was electronic screens at the game – this year the only score board was a 19:60 manual option with a font size of about 8.
The train ran our of beers before kick off. All beers had to be sold in plastic cups, which had to be poured one at a time from a can while the queue stretched 10 times around the stadium.
The toilets were blocked before kick off so gum boots were a pre-requisite.
The morning dew had not dried on the concrete open stand so you had to sit on wet concrete throughout the game.
The PA system was a non-event so no sound filtered through to the open satnd.
The boks played like tosers but thankfully we still won.
DESPITE the above I will always support our team. Next time they are in PE (2008+ ?)I will moan about EP Rugby/ SARFU etc, complain about poor admin, but will always pitch up to support the okes in green
Go Bokke!
19 Jun 2006, 10:42 am
I agree, the tickets are to expensive. I, myself am a high flyer. ‘Ek het geld wat nog nie eers gemaak is nie’, but even I find it hard to pay 300 smakcers to watch clowns play. Boswell’s is a lot cheaper… By the way, I still have those season tickets for Newlands. The price is now 2 grand if you take them from me. Just send me your account details and postal address…
19 Jun 2006, 11:25 am
Flogging a dead blood drained horse. Burn the stadium down and throw in the idiots trying to ‘run’ the administration.
19 Jun 2006, 13:29 pm
First question: Could somebody explain why PE rugby staduim is called Nelson Mandela Bay?
Second question: Is this the staduim with its hard concrete slabs instead of seats, the place that the Spears wanted to use for their Super 14 campaigne?
Third question: If there are not enought people to fill a staduim for a test how do they hope to find any supporters for Super 14?
EP is a liability for SA rugby administrators.
19 Jun 2006, 13:29 pm
The EP Administration, they don’t eat the chicken !!!
19 Jun 2006, 13:40 pm
Hey Jason.. wots East London got to do with this conversation?
19 Jun 2006, 13:53 pm
Yeah, and it’s going to coast the EP rugby union even more, after I sue them for the costs of my pile removal operation, after sitting on those cold concrete seats.
19 Jun 2006, 13:56 pm
coast meant to be cost
19 Jun 2006, 14:42 pm
If i had to give the world an *****, i’d stick the hose in PE.
19 Jun 2006, 15:43 pm
Hot-wired in PE, AGAIN?
Get real EP, you add absolutely no value to SA rugby.
20 Jun 2006, 03:34 am
lol, PE is ‘n gat, nes Oos-London.
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