Coutts keen to see two SailGP events in NZ
Foiling F50 catamaran series is looking to expand along the lines of major motorsport,
SThe ultimate aim is to have 16 teams in two parallel leagues with cross events, a little bit like you see in some of the tours like golf.
SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts
ailGP chief executive Sir Russell Coutts has dropped a broad hint New Zealand is likely to host two events on the foiling F50 catamaran series in the future.
Christchurch makes its debut in March as the penultimate leg of series three, an 11-race series, and will alternate with Auckland as part of a four-year deal.
But speaking to the Herald after the conclusion of round four in Copenhagen, Coutts outlined his vision for rapid expansion that will see at least 13 and possibly 15 events held in season four in 2023-24.
SailGP will have a brief hiatus during the America’s Cup and Olympics in 2024 before as many as 20 events and 16 teams are involved by season six in 2026.
Coincidentally the Auckland/ Christchurch deal in its existing form ends in 2026, by which time both cities could potentially host an event in the same season.
Coutts says given the rate of expansion and time frames it would be logical to hold events in Auckland and Christchurch.
“The fact that we have our assets containerised means we can ship pretty quickly either by road or sea. In that case, it would be by road. So, let’s say we have an event in Auckland, and then we have an event in Christchurch, we could do that with a two-week gap,” he said.
“We are seeing demand growing and there are many venues that we are in discussion with, and there are multiple venues and countries that want to host SailGP events. So, we will definitely move to that sort of format in the future. No doubt.”
SailGP has expanded steadily since its debut season in 2019 where there were just five events and six teams. It was postponed a year due to the Covid pandemic but expanded to eight events and eight teams including New Zealand’s debut in season two. This season there are nine teams and 11 venues.
“The ultimate aim is to have 16 teams in two parallel leagues with cross events, a little bit like you see in some of the tours like golf, where they have a US Tour, European Tour but in the big events the top players come together. It’s similar to the Eastern and Western conferences in some of the US sports where they have their playoffs and grand finals,” Coutts said.
A more condensed season is also on the cards to retain fan engagement and create appointment viewing. This season, after the Spanish event in Cadiz on September 24-25, the next event in Dubai is not until the middle of November before a two-month gap before the event in Singapore in mid-January.
There are four-week breaks before the Sydney and Christchurch events and another two months before the season finale in San Francisco. Coutts acknowledges that’s not ideal.
“If we could wave a magic wand today, we’d have an event every two weeks because then your fans that are following SailGP just like the fans that follow motorsport, they might not know where an event is, but they know it’s on every second weekend. So, they search for it and therefore follow it. We have to get to that stage.
“There’s a lot of efficiencies with that as well in terms of moving containers around the world, costs and logistics, being able to pack events into a tighter schedule. So, I could see a time in the future where you have multiple events, in Australia and New Zealand.”