Latest news with #Oberholzer
IOL News
05-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Rian Oberholzer defends Springbok ticket prices amid public criticism
SA Rugby chief executive Rian Oberholzer has defended the current ticket prices for Springbok matches following recent criticism from the public. Image: Supplied SA Rugby chief executive Rian Oberholzer has defended the current ticket prices for Springbok matches following recent criticism from the public. South Africans have turned to social media in recent months to vent their frustrations, with many hesitant to spend their hard-earned money to watch the double world champion Springboks. The 2025 Test schedule is less glamorous than that of 2024, when Ireland visited for two high-profile Tests. This year, the Springboks hosted the Barbarians in Cape Town last Saturday, and will face Italy in Pretoria and Gqeberha, followed by Georgia in Mbombela in the coming weeks. There were many empty seats, especially behind the poles, during the Barbarians match on a bitterly cold and wet day in Cape Town. Thousands of unsold tickets also remain for tomorrow's fixture against Italy at Loftus Versfeld. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Normally, Springbok Test tickets sell out quickly, but it appears the combination of opposition and pricing is making supporters think twice about attending. During a recent investigation, Independent Media compared ticket prices for some of the Springboks' away matches this year — including the much-anticipated Rugby Championship clash against the All Blacks at Auckland's Eden Park — using the 'Big Mac Index'. According to the data, the most expensive ticket for the Boks vs All Blacks match is, after conversion, around R968 — significantly lower than the top-end R3 000 tickets for Springbok home fixtures. Similarly, the most expensive tickets for the Springboks' Tests against Argentina in London and Wales in Cardiff are also cheaper, calculated at R1 469 and R1 017 respectively. However, Oberholzer maintains that domestic ticket pricing is fair and necessary to keep the sport afloat in South Africa. 'We feel that we are fairly priced,' he said during a media briefing, where Hyundai announced they had expanded their collaboration, which will now also include the Springboks and all other national teams, with SA Rugby. 'We have to look after the whole ecosystem of rugby in South Africa — from the Springboks right down to the youngsters starting out at the age of nine. 'We generate our own funding. We don't receive any funding from elsewhere. We rely on sponsorships and broadcast rights … and a new income stream we have tapped into is events — owning our own events — which benefits more than just the unions hosting the Test matches. There's now a bit more money to go around.' The ticketing model for Springbok matches has changed in recent years, with SA Rugby now managing the events directly, rather than selling them off to host unions. Previously, unions would pay SA Rugby a fixed fee and determine their own ticket prices, while also earning revenue from food and beverage sales at the venue. Now, SA Rugby runs the entire matchday operation and retains full control of the Springbok brand. '[It's about] controlling your own product,' Oberholzer explained. 'The Springbok is our biggest income generator. Test matches were previously our smallest income from that brand. 'If you compare it to England and Ireland, where nearly 50% of their income comes from Test matches, ours was around 20%. So, we had to adjust our models to fund our programmes — and more importantly, our unions. 'Previously, most unions received no income from Tests — only those hosting them. Our new model ensures that every union in South Africa benefits from Springbok matches played in the country.' Nevertheless, Oberholzer admitted that ticket pricing would be reviewed at the end of the year, particularly in relation to seats behind the poles, which were once the cheapest but are now almost as costly as prime seats along the touchline. 'We used, as a base, last year's pricing,' he said. 'We looked at the ticketing system used in Cape Town for the All Blacks Test and at other unions, where we felt prices had been set too low. 'There are now four ticket categories. We have a top category and a fourth category, which are our cheaper tickets, to make matches accessible to people from across the board. 'We'll review the system. Perhaps we made a few mistakes in terms of where the ticket categories were placed. Maybe a category two ticket shouldn't be behind the goalposts. These are things we are actively working on.' He concluded: 'We do believe our pricing is fair. If you look specifically at category one tickets, they're the first to sell out. But we're learning from this year, and hopefully by next season, we'll have the pricing structure exactly right.'
The Citizen
16-06-2025
- The Citizen
Men sought after armed robbers in disguise raid Middelburg filling station
A large group of armed robbers dressed as petrol attendants robbed the Doornkop Sasol Filling Station in a hold-up and made off with two vehicles. Middelburg Observer reports that, according to Mid Alarms operational manager Johan Oberholzer, an undetermined number of suspects descended on Sasol Doornkop yesterday at 01:30, where they held up staff members inside the convenience store. A reaction officer from Mid Alarms arrived at the Sasol, and during his initial scan of the scene, petrol attendants were walking around outside, and everything seemed normal. As the reaction officer approached one petrol attendant to ask whether everything was well, the disguised robber pointed a firearm at him and forced him into the shop, where he was held up with the rest of the hostages. 'The officer could not raise an alarm, and two of the suspects left with his reaction vehicle,' Oberholzer explained. A second reaction officer also responded minutes later. 'The second reaction officer was also held at gunpoint and taken inside.' According to Oberholzer, the armed robbers then stole cigarettes and other items from the convenience store before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash. Once the robbers were gone, the SAPS was dispatched. 'The SAPS responded quickly, and our reaction officers successfully managed to recover our stolen vehicle. A Volkswagen GTI was also stolen, but was recovered by the police later that day at a school in Doornkop.' While another publication reported that two people were shot, Oberholzer refutes those reports, adding that no one was shot or injured during the robbery. 'We have very clear imagery of the two suspects in our reaction vehicle, and we appeal to anyone with information on the suspects to please come forward,' Oberholzer urged. Although the number of suspects is unknown, Oberholzer said it was a large group of between six and nine suspects. Anyone with information that could assist in the suspects' arrest is asked to call 082 802 6399. Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Jabu Ndubane confirmed they are looking for the two people in the photo to assist them in their investigation. If anyone knows their whereabouts, they can contact the investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Osia Banze, on 079 420 0535. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
16-06-2025
- The Citizen
Armed robbers dressed as petrol attendants rob garage during hold-up
According to Johan Oberholzer, the operational manager of Mid Alarms, an undetermined number of suspects descended on Sasol Doornkop on Sunday morning at 01:30, where they held up staff members inside the convenience store. A reaction officer from Mid Alarms arrived at the Sasol, and during his initial scan of the scene, petrol attendants were walking around outside, and everything seemed normal. As the reaction officer approached one petrol attendant to ask whether everything was well, the disguised robber pointed a firearm at him, and forced him into the shop, where he was held up with the rest of the hostages. 'The officer could not raise an alarm, and two of the suspects left with his reaction vehicle,' Oberholzer explained. A second reaction officer also responded minutes later, where things also appeared normal to him, 'The second reaction officer was also held at gunpoint and taken inside.' According to Oberholzer, the armed robbers then stole cigarettes and other items from the convenience store before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash. Once the robbers were gone, the SAPS was dispatched. 'The SAPS responded quickly, and our reaction officers successfully managed to recover our stolen vehicle. A Volkswagen GTI was also stolen, but was recovered by the police later that day at a school in Doornkop.' While another publication reported that two people were shot, Oberholzer refutes those reports, adding that no one was shot or injured during the robbery. 'We have very clear imagery of the two suspects in our reaction vehicle, and we appeal to anyone with information on the suspects to please come forward,' Oberholzer urged. Although the number of suspects is unknown, Oberholzer said that it was a large group of between six to nine suspects. Anyone with information that could identify the suspects or assist in their arrest is asked to please call 082 802 6399. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
IOL News
05-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
SA Rugby in the pound seats as international rivals struggle to make ends meet
Saru CEO Rian Oberholzer was happy to report a R100m profit for the union this week. Photo: Supplied Image: Supplied South African rugby is set to buck the global trend and report a profit of more than R100 million for 2025, clearing 2024's losses and ensuring the 15 member unions receive their full funding, while support for the Springboks and all national teams continues unchecked. This good news emerged from the annual meeting of the South African Rugby Union (SARU) in Cape Town on Thursday. Last year, South African rugby recorded a loss of R93 million due to its investment in northern hemisphere rugby competitions, but SA Rugby has already wiped out that deficit with a strong start to 2025. This is in contrast to many rival countries, who are under severe financial pressure. Other international federations have lost as much as R913 million, with five other Tier One nations reporting losses of between R588 million and R181 million. The next 'best' performance after South Africa's was a loss of R126 million, members at the meeting were told. SA Rugby's continued investment into membership of northern hemisphere competitions led to a group loss in 2024, but the organisation had already wiped out that deficit with a strong start to 2025 - more here: 👍 — Springboks (@Springboks) June 5, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby, said that participation in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) came at a net cost of R124 million in 2024. 'We have been investing in the long-term future of South African rugby to become full members of the URC for the best part of eight years,' said Oberholzer. 'It has come at a significant cost to the sport, but there is no doubt that it has been the right thing to do. 'Once we fulfil certain membership obligations this year, we will begin to reap the on- and off-field rewards of such investment. 'If we had not undertaken this journey, we would have been reduced to playing only domestic competitions, which would have had catastrophic high-performance as well as financial ramifications for rugby in South Africa. 'It has been a tough financial road, but we have annually outperformed our global peers since the pandemic, while taking on the unusual cost of our investment into the URC and EPCR. 'Reporting a loss can never be desirable, but the irony is that we are more than satisfied with our position,' said Oberholzer. 'We had budgeted for a loss in 2024 in the expectation that the members would approve the private equity transaction that they had sought, releasing funds to cover the deficit. 'When that did not happen, we continued with our planned commercial reset and other revenue generation plans, which have borne fruit. We are in the very rare position among our international peers of continuing to be debt-free and confident of posting a surplus in 2025.'
The Citizen
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
SA Rugby's financial future looking rosy
The South African Rugby Union (Saru) is set to buck the global trend and report a profit of more than R100m for 2025. South African rugby's continued investment in membership of northern hemisphere rugby competitions led to a R93m group loss in 2024, but the organisation had already wiped out that deficit with a strong start to 2025, the annual meeting of Saru was told in Cape Town today. Saru's reported profit in 2025 would ensure the 15 member unions receive their full funding, while support of the Springboks and all national teams would continue unchecked. In the last reporting cycle, other international federations had lost as much as R913m, with five other tier-one nations reporting losses of between R588m and R181m. The next 'best' performance after South Africa's was a loss of R126m, members were told. SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer said that the investment in participation in the Vodacom URC and European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) had come at a net cost of R124m in 2024. 'We have been investing in the long-term future of South African rugby to become full members of the URC for the best part of eight years,' said Oberholzer. 'It has come at a significant cost to the sport but there is no doubt that it has been the right thing to do. 'Once we fulfill certain membership obligations this year, we will begin to reap the on and off field rewards of such investment. 'If we had not undertaken this journey, we would have been reduced to playing only domestic competitions, which would have had catastrophic high performance as well as financial ramifications for rugby in South Africa. 'It has been a tough financial road, but we have annually outperformed our global peers since the pandemic, while taking on the unusual cost of our investment into URC and EPCR.' Oberholzer said the turnaround in 2025 was being achieved by a reformatting of SA Rugby's offering to partners, featuring enhanced rights at enhanced values, as well as the creation of a new commercial delivery model. Overall, in 2024, group commercial revenues exceeded R1.5b for the first time (R1.552b), up from R1.440b in 2023. Total income with the addition of grants (principally from World Rugby of R186m) took total income to R1.76b. Revenues for 2025 are forecast to exceed R2b. The 7.8% increase in revenues was attributable to increased broadcast revenues in a non-world cup year, competition sponsorships and a strong performance in merchandising receipts which more than doubled from R30m to R62m. Expenses increased from R1.816b to R1.871b. The 2.9% increase was put down to investment in hosting three World Rugby tournaments (R133m), a R24m increase in player image rights (to R148m) and the costs associated with the mooted private equity transaction (R13m). Total expenditure attributable to the northern hemisphere international franchise competition was R446m while SA Rugby was still able to make a full distribution to member unions. Spending on the No 1-ranked Springboks, and other national teams, was R433m, a reduction of R27m on the world cup winning year of 2023 (R460m). 'Reporting a loss can never be desirable but the irony is that we are more than satisfied with our position,' said Oberholzer. 'We had budgeted for a loss in 2024 in the expectation that the members would approve the private equity transaction that they had sought, releasing funds to cover the deficit. 'When that did not happen, we continued with our planned commercial reset, and other revenue generation plans, which have borne fruit. We are in the very rare position among our international peers of continuing to be debt-free and confident of posting a surplus in 2025.' ALSO: SA Rugby defends Bok ticket prices Oberholzer said the financial outlook beyond next year was equally healthy with strong revenues forecast for 2026 with new competition formats in the pipeline. 'The income that SA Rugby generates all goes back into supporting the growth and promotion of rugby in the country,' he said. 'It allows us to fund Springbok campaigns, expand women's rugby programmes and fuel our other national teams. It pays for our members' activities in their communities, as well as their professional teams. It underwrites our rugby safety programme BokSmart; supports referee and coaching development and our age group competitions, as well as development programmes and allows us turn on sell-out Test match entertainment and our domestic competitions. 'Ultimately, every rand that we earn goes into powering the game in some shape or form and after a challenging 2024 we have a good news story to tell our South African rugby community as we look ahead.' The post SA Rugby's financial future looking rosy appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
