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When the TV cameras started rolling on the Te Kaha stadium construction site, Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge talked like a man selling a dream.
With the sound of machinery and hammers clanking in the background he spoke about filling Te Kaha for the Crusaders’ Super Rugby matches in 2026.
It seems a long way off, but the sales pitch was slick.
Mansbridge wants fans to buy season tickets for next season. Yes, those games would be staged at Apollo Projects Stadium in Addington, but that also enables them to go on a priority list to access seats when Te Kaha – which will have 25,000 permanent and 5000 temporary seats – on the proposed entry date of April 2026.
“It’s an opportunity for them to get in first and get first dibs on the seats,” Mansbridge said.
ALDEN WILLIAMS/Stuff
Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge, left, with new Crusaders coach Rob Penny at Te Kaha stadium.
Selling season tickets has been a challenge for the Crusaders franchise since Lancaster Park was demolished after the 2011 earthquakes.
The lack of a permanent stadium has coincided with fan membership declining from an historic average of about 12,000 to between 3500 and 4000.
The biggest Super Rugby crowd in 2023 was 25,000 for the final between the Crusaders and Chiefs in Hamilton.
Construction on the covered Te Kaha began about a year ago. Mansbridge, who was confident the massive project would be completed on deadline, reckoned there would be no lack of interest in fans wanting to attend games once it opened.
“Maybe not all of them [tickets] will need to go to members, but the demand we are already getting – or the inquiries we are getting – would suggest we could get some record numbers back again.”
ALDEN WILLIAMS/Stuff
Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge talks to media at the under-construction Te Kaha stadium in Christchurch.
Although nothing has been decided Mansbridge said there may be scope for add-ons to the stadium layout, such as museums and statues – a nod to the region’s rich sporting history – but that will need to be discussed with the likes of Venues Ōtautahi.
Asked if he felt any anxiety about the project being completed on time, especially when taking into account the issues that have plagued the nearby metro sports building, Mansbridge trusted all parties involved in the construction of Te Kaha to get the job done.
“They have been involved in lots of projects of this scale and size, and they’re not blinking at the moment. So we are really, really confident.”
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