Team NZ to fend off poaching raids

By HELEN TUNNAH

Team New Zealand already have confidential plans under way to fend off poaching raids from foreign syndicates after the America's Cup ends.

The move follows the bitter split in the team three years ago when key crew, including Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth, signed lucrative overseas deals just weeks after defending the cup.

Chief executive Ross Blackman was yesterday reluctant to discuss any details about contracts, or how he would keep the team intact if they won the cup again next month.

However, he confirmed that management would not sit by and watch their talent disappear.

"The strength of Team New Zealand has always come from continuity, in both our funding and obviously the 'team' concept.

"Most definitely the management of Team New Zealand will be doing everything they possibly can to ensure that continuity is in place for next time."

Just weeks after Team New Zealand defended the America's Cup in 2000 the team began to splinter as key members signed highly paid contracts with wealthy American and European teams.

Coutts and Butterworth shocked New Zealanders when they left for the Swiss team Alinghi, only days after urging Team New Zealand crew to stay loyal in the face of the lucrative overseas offers.

Coutts and Butterworth left after a split with the previous management, led by the late Sir Peter Blake, and amid concerns over sponsor obligations and the complex financial arrangements with that team.

They were joined at Alinghi by other sailors, and two other America's Cup challengers, San Francisco's Oracle BMW Racing and OneWorld Challenge of Seattle, also swooped to sign designers, shore crew and sailors.

That trio of teams have filled the top three places in the challengers regatta, with Alinghi now 4-1 ahead of Oracle in the Louis Vuitton Cup and favoured to race Team New Zealand in next month's America's Cup.

Mr Blackman yesterday declined to comment on when team members' contracts expired or if the team were talking to sponsors about ensuring funding was in place to offer contracts.

"The short answer is we are not talking about it.

"As has always been the case with Team New Zealand, any sponsor arrangements and discussions are confidential.

"There have been a lot of lessons learned from the transition of the last event. We have to learn from those lessons."

nzherald.co.nz/americascup

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