7th Tackle: Manly's $300k reason to move to Christchurch
The Sea Eagles are set to move home games to Christchurch in a bid to boost their balance sheet.
We’ve been told the club is close to signing off on an agreement to play one game at AMI Stadium – most probably against the Warriors – in 2018.
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Should that experiment be successful, their commitment could be extended to two fixtures in the coming seasons.
The key is guaranteed revenue – regardless of the crowd.
New Zealand venues offer a much more handsome deal than their counterparts in cities like Perth and Adelaide.
The Sea Eagles have played the Warriors in Perth for the past two seasons, but poor weather rendered the venture financially unsound because there was no guaranteed appearance fee.
Clubs who move home games to New Zealand can be guaranteed up to $300,000 per game – an attractive lure for Manly, whose private owners are staring down the barrel of a multi-million deficit this year.