‘Rugby's not done enough’: New Blues CEO on how to fill stadiums again

Fan-centric, fan first - whatever you want to call it, that's the buzzword around rugby ever since people started rightfully noticing that there were more than a few empty seats at Super Rugby Pacific games. With the season set to start next weekend, new Blues CEO Karl Budge is on a mission to change that. Although he says that simply because Eden Park isn't packing out like it did in the 90s, it doesn't mean people aren't interested.

"The reality is more people watch Super Rugby than any other rugby competition or any other sports competition in New Zealand," said Budge, pointing to Sky TV's broadcast figures from last year. They showed overall growth on 2024's Super Rugby Pacific audience, including a 15 percent increase for the final between the Crusaders and Chiefs.

"That is the cold, hard evidence. That's not opinion."

TV audiences are one thing. Eden Park without an All Black test is another.

Budge comes into the task of attempting to fill the country's largest stadium with a fair degree of confidence. For nine years he was the CEO of the ASB Classic, turning it from a tune-up event into one of the most well-regarded tournaments for fan experience on the tennis calendar. His view is, somewhat ironically given the obsession with tinkering with rugby's rules to deliver a faster game, is that whatever happens on the field shouldn't be the main focus.

"The ASB Classic went from 16,000 people through the gates when I started to 105,000 in my final year. I don't think we got any more tennis fans."

Still, Budge admits that there's no magic bullet to fill seats during Super Rugby Pacific.

"I certainly don't have the answers yet. I've got a lot of listening and learning to do. I think our job as administrators, particularly with this young wave of people coming through, is to stop putting barriers up and go back to doing what rugby was about bringing communities together. 58 percent of people in Auckland weren't born here, how do we how do we give this a place for them to see pride in their new home?"

Then there's traditional fans, who Budge says will be part of the balancing act of making sure new fans are catered for.

"We don't want to alienate traditional fans. But what we need to do is do their favourite thing with sprinkles on top."

The last time the Blues filled Eden Park was when they won the 2024 final against the Chiefs. So while it's easy to think that success will solve things, it's worth remembering one other Auckland team that is offering popular game day experiences hasn't won anything in its entire existence. Still, the Warriors and latterly Auckland FC do not pose a threat, according to Budge.

"We had dinner last night, all three of us (Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker and Warriors CEO Cameron George). We get on great guns…we worked together in a lot of other capacities, a real great amount of respect from each other.

"The more people paying to attend live sport, the better it is for all of us. I do not see that we're in competition with them."

It's worth noting though that filling Eden Park is a significantly bigger challenge than Mt Smart. Budge points to the fact that fans will find pretty much all the amenities at one that exist at the other, however rugby's historic position as a cultural monolith makes knocking it the easy discourse in both traditional and social media.

"That's probably where, as an industry, rugby's not done enough to endear itself to fans. We've had a wonderful product. But I think in 2026, product is not enough. You look at the best sporting occasions around the world, the best of indications are very rarely about the core product."

Budge says that there's plenty to be learned outside of sports, too.

"How many people traipse halfway around the world to go to Coachella? It's the experience, it's the connection being part of the community, seeing yourself there. All of those things are what make those really special. The artists and the music is almost the bonus."

"This is the first time I've worked in a job where we've had too much space. (At the ASB Classic) we were always trying to figure out how you manufacture space. We've got plenty of it now and I'm excited by that. I think gives us freedom to dream and look at things differently, there's no question we need a bigger crowd than other stadiums to create an equal atmosphere."

"But again, we can hide behind that, or we can go do something about it. We're a city of 1.9 million people, getting to 30,000 people in a in a stadium shouldn't be a fantasy."

Budge's vision is bold, but with a pragmatic edge.

"I think we have to be really open to failure," he said.

"And frankly, if we haven't failed, we probably haven't gone hard enough."

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