In part two of this interview with CRAIG LEWIS, MVM consortium member Michael Yormark discusses the talk of Siya Kolisi joining the Sharks, the reasons for investing and the commercial elements of the partnership.
READ PART 1: ‘We want the Sharks to have the best players’
Siya Kolisi has been heavily linked to the Sharks, where does that stand?
‘Listen, we haven’t spoken to Siya Kolisi about anything related to the Sharks. This was a business decision that [head of the consortium] Marco [Masotti] along with the consortium made and whatever decisions Siya have in the future, those are his decisions …
‘Ultimately it will be up to [Sharks CEO] Eduard [Coetzee] and his team on the rugby side to identify players who are available and to go out and recruit them. We want the best team in the world. We want the best players in the world. A team that the Durban community can be incredibly proud of. That’s our goal.’
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How would you define your role in the consortium?
‘My role in the consortium is to support Marco and all the partners, to help them achieve all the goals and objectives that we have.
‘I’ll be working closely with Eduard, not on player issues, but really on issues related to the brand and issues related to the commercial side of the business, like how do we drive revenues and how do we really make this club financially viable moving forward.
‘And there’s a lot of work to be done, and not just because the club needs to take a step forward in difference areas. We’ve all been challenged by Covid-19, we’ve been operating in unusual circumstances and so as things begin to get back to normal there’s work to be done.
‘I’m gonna be there to support Eduard, to help him on the commercial side, to help him on the fan engagement side, to help him from a social and digital and PR perspective, to do everything I possibly can to help him build this brand.
‘We want to make it iconic in South Africa but also to expand its reach around the world because I truly believe that the Sharks can be a global brand and be the envy of the rugby world as we move forward over the next couple of years.’
ALSO READ: Kolisi coup a sign of things to come for Sharks
The previously proposed deal with WP Rugby was said to be around the mark of $6-million, what is the investment with the Sharks?
‘I can’t comment on that, the terms of the deal are confidential. But what’s more important than the investment is what our goals and objectives are now that we are involved. We just want to create something special, at the end of the day that’s everything we’ve talked about.
‘How do we leverage our experience in sports and entertainment to create something unique and different and very, very special in South Africa and something that will resonate around the world?
‘That’s really what our goals and objectives are and with the group that Marco has put together, combined with Eduard and his team and now the ownership partners that we have, there’s no question, that again, we can become the premier club in all of rugby around the world and we could settle for nothing less than that.’
MASOTTI: Sharks open-minded, hungry to embrace change
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
