Debbie Sorensen: Moana Pasifika CEO on the league exiting Super Rugby at the end of the season

Moana Pasifika boss Debbie Sorensen claims the franchise are a victim of an increasingly difficult economic climate. 

They're set to disband after the Super Rugby season unless another backer is found. 

Sorensen —who is also chief executive of the Pasifika Medical Group which owns the franchise— is withdrawing financial support. 

She told Mike Hosking it's a compounding problem – people don’t have the income to buy memberships or travel to games due to the petrol problem. 

Sorensen's added that Super Rugby is under threat from league's NRL, which she describes as an "aggressive sophisticated machine." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And the other problem floating around this morning is Moana Pacifica,
so that Super Rugby dreams over. They're going to disband
at the end of the season. Ten million dollar hole shortfall,
that's the problem. Debbie Sorenson is the Mwana pacific A
CEO And as with us, Debbie, Morning Morning, Mike. How
tough was yesterday?

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Pretty tough? We've had a very tough verty six ouse.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
They knew it was coming, though, didn't they the people
you had to tell, Yes, I think so.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
But even even knowing that it's coming, I think it's
very shocking when you know it's announced formally and you
realize that this is actually going to be a real thing,
and you know, you'd appreciate that. We've got a group
of young men with young families who, you know, some
of whom will be worrying, you know, a lot about

(00:47):
their future and their next steps and what do they
do now. And so we're very we're very, very lucky
in that we have a fantastic well being program that
supports the players and we all so have a mental
health service as part of our medical association, who are
able to wrap their arms around the team and provide

(01:07):
them with support.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Do you still defend the equation, the equation of the side,
the plan of the side as opposed it was a
sort of specific equation as opposed to necessarily a rugby equation,
if you know what.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
I mean, Yes, I do, and I think that you know,
clearly Milana Pacific as a movement and what we've demonstrated
is that it brings forward talent that you wouldn't otherwise.
See Miracle Fai Lungi is the absolute example of that,
you know, playing from a village and coming through to
be you know, a fantastic leader, playing incredible rugby and

(01:42):
just to be a very special person. And he wouldn't
have had that opportunity without Milana PACIFICA. So you know,
I think there's a real place for a Milwana type
team in the Super Rugby competition, and not less because
we make the competition really interesting. You know, we bring
heart and passion and color needless to say. So, you know,

(02:05):
I think we've demonstrated the model over the last five years.
The fundamental issue is the funding model for Super Rugby.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
Ah So I was going to ask about that, is
is it a rugby issue? Is rugby not firing as
a sport as much as some other sports are.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
I think the sporting landscape is tough for every sport.
You know, everyone is under financial pressure, and I think
it's you know, it's a kind of compounding problem where
you know, we're in a very tough economic environment. People
don't have the income, you know, to actually buy memberships

(02:42):
to travel to games now because of the petrol problem.
And you know, largely it's a broadcasting issue. And if
I give the example just in terms of broadcasting over
the Easter weekend, if you watched in our role, there
were eight games been played.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
There were three for you guys indeed, And so.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
I think, you know, the competition from a very aggressive
NRL machine which is very big and very sophisticated as
a real threat.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Good on your derby. Nice to talk to you. I
wish you the best. Wi Sorenson, who's the Minor Pacific
a CEO. We discussed that at the time on the
program Rugby Defender that we talked to the head of
Super Rugby got up early for us in Queensland. He
defended the whole thing. But you know, how many sports
do you want to look at that are booming from
the standpoint of being a sport that isn't necessarily booming.
Before you go, I wonder if there's something more we

(03:32):
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