A major drop in Waratahs home crowds and a sponsorship slump led to the NSW Rugby Union reporting close to a half-million-dollar loss for last year. Greg Growden writes in the Sydney Morning Herald.
"It is not surprising that match-day proceeds have plummeted considering that Waratahs home crowds have fallen dramatically. In 2008, the average Waratahs home attendance was 27,191, but 12 months later it was only 23,872.
The crowd figure has fallen further this season, with an average of 18,366 attending the four home games of the season so far. The NSWRU hopes the crowd at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night when the Waratahs play the Brumbies will dramatically improve that figure. After that match, the NSWRU has only one more home match - against the Hurricanes at the Sydney Football Stadium on May 14 - to bolster its match-day proceeds.
NSWRU chief Jim L'Estrange said last night that 2009 ''was a very tough year for business, and sporting organisations were not immune''.
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