Nick Bewley: sports commentator on the outrage over Crusaders season ticket prices going up

Crusaders fans are questioning their loyalty after prices for the next season at the new stadium revealed a 40 percent increase.

The memberships cover three games at the old Apollo Projects Stadium and 4 at the new Te Kaha Stadium - and fans have balked at the new ticket prices.

Sports commentator Nick Bewley says he'd suspected a big price jump was coming, given the stadium costs.

"To be perfectly honest, I've felt that this was always going to be a big jump because the stadium costs at least half a billion dollars."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Some Crusaders fans are really unhappy at next season's membership prices.
Costs are jumping by up to forty percent as the
team moves into the new stadium. Nick Bewley is the
News talksz'd be Crusader's commentator and with us Hello, Nick.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Good day Heather.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Is this value for money or is it a ripoff?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Well, as Colin Man's, which of the Crusader's CEO, puts,
the experience will be akin to driving ferrari as opposed
to a Ford Katina going from the Central City or
going from the Addington Stadium to the Central City Stadium,
which is online in April next year, and I kind
of get where he's coming from. However, the fact of
the matter is the Crusaders have seven home games in

(00:39):
this what makes up your membership ticket next year, three
of which are still out at the old stadium in Addington,
four in the new stadiums. That's probably why some fans
are most upset. But to be perfectly honest, I felt
like it was always going to be a big jump
because the stadium costs well over or almost at least
half a billion dollars.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
Yeah, I'm am I reading this right, The adult reserved seating,
which cost one hundred and forty dollars, is now going
to jump up to about one hundred, four hundred and
fifty dollars.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
The numbers I've got in front of me here there
so they ye have. The silver for this year was
one hundred and forty for the season, so seven games,
twenty bucks a game. Effectively that's now at two seven nine,
so that's effectively double. So these are seats that are
behind the posts for those who are familiar with rugby.
For the gold seating, two hundred ninety bucks this year,
four hundred and fifty five next year. These are all

(01:30):
adult prices, by.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
The way, premium of three.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Eighty five to seven five. Yes, well obviously there's there's
just more capacity for the corporate hospitality and VIP seating,
et cetera. When you go from a fifteen thousand seat
stadium to a thirty thousand seat stadium, you can pay
upwards of three thousand, two hundred dollars for a season pass.
It gets you into what's dubbed the Auto Tahi lounge.
All sorts of perks. Lovely fancy chair I see even

(01:54):
here says luxurious toilets. So look, it's a completely different
experience than the premium offering at Apollo Project Stadium in
Addington was five hundred and seventy five, so it obviously
is more, but I go back to the point that
it is a very different experience. It may price a
few people out, which is unfortunate, but this is the

(02:16):
reality of the new stadium in christ Church and also
the reality of having a substandard stadium for the last
fourteen years.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
Good stuff, Nick, Thanks very much, Nick Beuley News Talks,
he'd be Crusaders commentator five hundred and seventy five dollars
for the premium membership up to three thousand, two hundred
who South Island's doing well if you can afford that.
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drave, listen live to
News Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.