Okay, lets do a little maths and thumb sucking here. So if you are looking for reliable, look away.
Each Currie Cup team gets around R26 million a season, a figure that I remember off an article based on the Griquas chairman/ something *****ing (and rightly so) about what would happen to rugby in the regions outside of the major population centres, areas that are covered by unions like the Griquas, Boland the Pumas and such were to be given the hoof. As somone gotta pay for the youth academies and get tournaments off the ground in order to find sponsors.
For the Sharks
An average season ticket at the Shark Tank will set you back R1200. The average crowd of die-hard supporters even at games against smaller opposition is around 16 000. I say this would be a reasonable assumption of season tickets, especially as several thousand more get season tickets just to attend the big derbies and be sure of a semi-final/ final seat well in advance.
That gives us around R17 million, however the biggest income earner for the Sharks are the suites, which generate in excess of R50 million a season from around 350 suites, along with season long renting of the huts on the stadium grounds, parking and the lot.
So with just this in mind, ignoring the additional on the day punters, merchandise sales, beverage sales, major sponsorships AND the amount given to the union for participation in the S15 we have just under R100 million. Add all the extras I left out above and the figure could well stretch beyond R130 million, but prudence comes first of course.
I will try dig up more accurate figures...
