Dean Barker wins place at
Athens Olympics (05/16/04)
(source : NZ
Herald)
Team New Zealand America's Cup skipper Dean Barker
finished fourth in the Finn class European championships
Sunday and earned a berth at the Athens Olympics.
Barker will compete in sailing's single-handed Finn
class after posting the best New Zealand finish in competition
off the French port of La Rochelle.
Barker follows former Team New Zealand skipper Russell
Coutts, who won the Finn class gold medal at the Los
Angeles Games in 1984.
Emirates Sponsors Team New
Zealand ? (04/27/04)
(source : Xtramsn)
Middle
Eastern airline Emirates has signed a multi-million-dollar
sponsorship deal with Team New Zealand, apparently securing
our participation in the 2007 America's Cup regatta
in Spain.
The contract, understood to be for as much as $NZ50
million, was signed in Dubai three-and-a-half weeks
ago.
Team NZ boss Grant Dalton told New Zealand media earlier
this month he was "not far" from signing sponsorship
deals for nearly $100 million of the total $150 million
needed to mount a Cup challenge.
Dalton did not respond yesterday to calls made via his
PR man, Warren Douglas. Nor was Emirates' New Zealand
country manager Chris Lethbridge contactable on Tuesday.
Emirates PR woman Pamela Wong said "as far as New Zealand
is concerned, we have had no contact [from Emirates
headquarters] and we know of nothing that has been signed."
Earlier this month Daily Telegraph sports writer, Tim
Jeffery, tipped a Middle Eastern airline would be Team
NZ's title sponsor. Team NZ failed to respond to this
speculation.
It is understood some high-profile Europeans are also
keen to kick in funds to support Team NZ and Emirates
will make an announcement about the sponsorship deal
within weeks.
The carrier has taken an increasing interest in New
Zealand recently. It started flying out of Auckland
to the Middle East via Sydney last August and yesterday
announced special launch fares to Melbourne, Dubai and
Europe for services out of Christchurch from 1 July.
Emirates was a major sponsor and official carrier for
the 2004 Holden NZ Open Golf Tournament in January and
is a sponsor of the NZ Barbarians rugby team.
Last May the government pledged up to $33.75 million
as a marketing partner for Team NZ's Cup challenge,
but with strings attached. America's Cup Minister Trevor
Mallard said the final level of contribution would depend
on Team NZ's ability to raise substantial funding from
the private sector as well as an assessment of the potential
economic benefits for leveraging off the races. There
were other undisclosed commercially sensitive conditions.
Since launching in 1985, Emirates' sponsorship has expanded
from local events such as the Dubai World Cup (the richest
horse race in the world), the PGA desert golf classic
and the Dubai Shopping Festival to global events and
entities such as international cricket and the Sydney
Symphony Orchestra. It paid $US30 million recently to
be the key sponsor at the next FIFA Soccer World Cup
in 2006..
No second place for Team
New Zealand (03/22/04)
(source : NZ
Herald)
Team
New Zealand have enough money to challenge for the next
America's Cup, but managing director Grant Dalton says
the team will not go unless they have sufficient funds
to bring the cup back.
The syndicate had set a deadline of March 31 to decide
whether a challenge was viable, but nine days out from
that deadline Dalton said they required more time to
ensure they had the best possible chance of winning
the cup.
"With the 31st of March nine days away I am saying basically,
and really, I guess, people will have to trust me, that
we are at a level that we can go but won't go until
we are at a level we can bring the Cup back," said Dalton.
The main stumbling block remains the securing of major
overseas sponsorship, which is still under negotiation.
And Dalton said it was important to show sponsors that
a team already exists - and is taking a challenge seriously.
"I think it's important that we show that we are deadly
serious about this, and that it's not about a bunch
of guys sitting around just trying to raise some money",
Dalton told the news conference. "It's about a
living, breathing, heaving America's Cup team which
is already on the road".
Along with the boat-building programme Dalton confirmed
they have signed on 60 people in both the design and
sailing teams. Thirty-five per cent of them are new,
although names were not mentioned.
Team New Zealand have an extensive programme mapped
out for the next year, funded with money from private
benefactors and past sponsors such as Toyota, Telecom,
ASB, Xerox and Air New Zealand.
If the money is forthcoming Team New Zealand could be
sailing as early as June in preparation for regattas
in europe and by next summer plan to be two-boat testing
in the Hauraki Gulf
As well as strengthening work to NZL81 and NZL82, the
syndicate have acquired the use of GER68, a boat built
by German syndicate Illbruck for the last cup. The yacht
was never raced, because Illbruck were forced to withdraw
through a lack of funding.
It will allow Team New Zealand to train on a boat which,
due to its narrowness, is similar to those of Alinghi
and Oracle.
Team
NZ had given itself until the end of this month to
sign big-money supporters to help pay for a challenge
in Valencia in three years. The syndicate will not
meet this self-imposed deadline.
Organisers
now concede they will not meet their target, but are
downplaying suggestions Team NZ will not have the
finance to challenge for the 2007 America's Cup.
Team NZ managing director Grant Dalton would not comment
on the implications of the missed deadline. A briefing
for media on how the challenge is going is scheduled
for tomorrow.
Team NZ is understood to be needing a major international
company willing to pay about $50m for elite sponsorship
rights, which would include naming rights for the
boat's spinnaker.
It also wants one or two secondary sponsors who would
contribute around $10m each. Talks with unnamed companies
are yet to produce a result. Team NZ has talked to
one company several times.
Team NZ could then return to some members of the "family
of five" original sponsors, including European software
company SAP, Toyota and Lion Breweries.
Lion's sponsorship director Graham Seatter said his
company was waiting to see if Team NZ could put together
a challenge. "Then we will confirm what we may or
may not do."
Team NZ must raise at least NZ$60m privately to trigger
a government cash injection of up to NZ$33.75m (matching
$1 for every $2 Team NZ can get), with the government
using the team to exploit trade and tourism here.
While the mood within the camp remains positive, it
is understood the syndicate's money-men are having
to look long and hard at its finances.
Team NZ is even believed to be considering selling
off the boats that won the 2000 America's Cup, NZL57
and NZL60, to raise more cash. There are a few other
options under consideration, such as leasing the boats
out, or using them to fulfil sponsorship requirements.
Team NZ is also believed to be engaged in talks with
America's Cup organisers, asking for concessions on
the syndicate's entry fee and the cost of renting
a base for the challenge. The combined entry fee and
bond payment is more than $2.5 million.
Teams have till mid-December to enter, with a second
deadline - complete with late entry fee - in April
next year.
Team New Zealand close to
saying yes (03/19/04) (source
: NZ
Herald)
Team
New Zealand are on track to announce a decision soon
on their role in the next America's Cup.
Speculation that the syndicate was preparing to confirm
at a press briefing on Monday it will be in Valencia
to try to win the cup back was quashed yesterday by
spokesman Warren Douglas.
"We fully expect to be there, but there will be no announcement
either way on Monday," he said.
The date floated months ago for an announcement was
March 31. Douglas said it would be wrong to be specific
about that date, but they expect to be making their
intentions clear around that time.
"We're in delicate negotiations with a couple of major
players and we have a massive programme in place for
the next 12 months," said Douglas. "We're very, very
confident we'll be in Valencia."
The
New Zealand's hottest celebrity couple married at Matakauri
Lodge in Queenstown - a location that was kept secret
from the wedding party until the ceremony.
The groom's father Ray Barker said the wedding party
included Team New Zealand members Tom Schnackenberg,
Grant Dalton and Ross Blackman, who was the MC.
Former Team New Zealand tactician Hamish Pepper was
best man.
Team
New Zealand are denying suggestions that they are struggling
to raise the NZ$150 million (€80 million) needed
to challenge for the next America's Cup. Everything
is on track, they say, and plans are being made to ship
one of the black boats to Valencia.
Less than six weeks before the March 31 deadline the
syndicate set themselves to decide whether a challenge
was feasible, the Herald understands they are finding
it difficult to sign sponsors.
In November, managing director Grant Dalton said he
was not far from signing deals for nearly $100 million,
but the syndicate will not say whether those deals have
been completed.
Dalton has said he would not go ahead unless he had
65 to 70 per cent of the money and knew where the rest
was coming from.
After last year's America's Cup loss, SAP and Toyota
indicated they would continue their sponsorship. The
Government has pledged $30 million, provided Team NZ
can raise $60 million.
Dalton, who has been overseas meeting potential sponsors,
was not available for comment yesterday. But Team New
Zealand's operations manager, Kevin Shoebridge, said
the syndicate were happy with progress to date.
But he would not comment on the team's financial position.
"It would be foolish of us to say something and jeopardise
our position with them [potential sponsors]."
German software giant SAP came on board just 18 months
before last year's defence. Shoebridge said there had
been no discussion about extending the March 31 deadline.
"We are in pretty good shape and are where we want to
be at this point."
He said work would begin on NZL82, Team New Zealand's
race boat in last year's defence, on March 1 in preparation
for the first round of America's Cup regattas, which
start in Europe in September.
"We are going to start some structural improvements
to NZL82. We are also in the next couple of weeks going
to start alterations on one of our rigs we will be taking
up there".
"We are pretty much getting everything ready to start
shipping to Valencia from the end of May."
After the regattas in Europe, Shoebridge said, the team
would return to New Zealand to train on the Hauraki
Gulf over the summer.
Team NZ tries to regroup
for 2007 Cup (01/15/04)
(sources : NY
Times
& Stuff.co.nz)
As
the sailing world prepares for the first 2007 America's
Cup preliminary races, scheduled to begin this June
in Newport, R.I., New Zealand hopes just to be able
to be part of it.
But with costs to finance a serious bid spiraling above
$100 million, finding sponsors has been difficult.
As Oracle's Dickson says they are moving ahead according
to plan and Alinghi's Coutts reports that the Swiss
have essentially finished raising the $124 million they
expect to spend on the next Cup, Dalton and Team New
Zealand can only dream of so far.
In between meetings at his office, Dalton hinted at
some large sponsors that were either already on board
or strongly considering it.
Some designers, like Nick Holroyd, have already begun
work, financed by a bridge loan from the New Zealand
government and committed to helping the team make it
to Valencia.
"Unless we're here, Grant's got nothing to sell," Holroyd
said.
For now, the boats are dry-docked in the shed next door
and Dalton has set himself a deadline of March 31 to
collect the necessary funding.
"In a couple of months we could be doing construction
work," Dalton said. Then he caught himself. "Not could,"
he said. "Will."
"Grant has a very good track record in raising big sponsorships
for major campaigns," Russell Coutts said. "Hopefully
he'll get it together. I think it would be a shame if
he didn't.
"New Zealand has had a good team in the event for quite
a while now with a solid history. It would be good to
see Team New Zealand in the competition."
Dean
Barker in visit in Valencia
(01/24/04)
(sources : As.com
& Stuff.co.nz)
Focused now on making the Olympic Games, Dean Barker
is currently in Europe to train with some of Europe's
best Finn class sailors.
He profited from this opportunity and did a short
visit in the theatre of the next America's Cup where
he was received by Rita Barberá, Mayoress of Valencia.
At this occasion, he said that the new Team New Zealand
(around 100 people) will base it's operations in Valencia
in 2006.
After the reception he has an initial
look at the "Dársena Interior" (the future
headquarters of the 32nd America's Cup) and around
Valencia to observe the future race course area.
"Valencia has every prospect of being an excellent
venue for the next Cup", said Dean Barker at the end
of this short visit.
Meanwhile, Hamish Pepper is back in the Gulf battling
21 other sailors in Yachting New Zealand's Olympic
trials which are identifying who will represent New
Zealand in the Laser class in Athens.
"I am keen to do another America's Cup, but at this
stage I am purely been concentrating on my Laser campaign"
said Pepper. "There are a couple of roads ahead of
me and by next week I should no which one I am going
to take".
"Should I be successful in the trials then I will
be working very hard on the Laser. If I miss out then
I will have to have a little rethink what I want to
do."
