The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has recently come out in defense of its decision to inflate the prices of Springbok tickets during this year’s international season.
As is the case every year, Bok fans often find themselves eager to showcase national pride and support our boys in green and gold – but this year, for many, was different.
Many have opted to stay home instead of flocking to stadiums.
This is due to the rise in ticket costs to attend a live game at any one of the local stadiums, as fans would have to pay an arm and a leg to do so. Bok supporters have criticized SA Rugby and its management for making the game inaccessible for the average citizen.
In recent months, this has been a topic much discussed on social media platforms, as well as various podcasts and radio stations. The high prices have ultimately led to several empty seats during the first match of this year’s Rugby Championship competition which took place at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg.
SA Rugby has since heard the concerns of supporters and responded, saying that it has become expensive to manage a team like the Springboks.
In a recent interview with Cape Town-based radio station Cape Talk, Andy Colquhoun, General Manager of Corporate Affairs at the South African Rugby Union (SARU) provided a break down of just how much money the organisation needs to provide for the various divisions of SA Rugby, adding that they did not receive any assistance from government.
“We spend half a billion rand a year on our national teams, R270-million funding the Springboks, another R220-million supporting our juniors, women’s and our sevens team. We don’t get anything from the government. We don’t have shareholders who pay to fund our activities, so it is simple economics,” he explained.
Andy also acknowledged the concern of the general public and added that while they are trying everything they can to make the game more accessible, the continuous rise of inflation has taken things beyond their control.
“The simple fact is that everything in South Africa is more expensive these days. I am afraid we are not immune to the pressures of inflation and costs,” he added.
The Boks are expected to play their second test in Cape Town this weekend and plenty of tickets are still up for grabs. The organisation is, however, still hopeful that the public can understand the pressure they face on their mission to ensure that our national heroes are fully supported to give their best on the big stage.
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