Sharks welcome Teichmann back to Kings Park

Teichmann, 49, will join the Sharks at the beginning of August and will start acquainting himself with his new post. Current CEO John Smit will lend a hand during the transition before he leaves in September.

According to chairman of the Sharks board Stephen Saad, more than 20 applicants lined up for the position. However with his successes both on and off the field, Teichmann was the pick of the bunch.

“It’s very hard to talk about someone like Gary, because you all know as much if not more than I do about him. Suffice to say Gary is a person who has been on the Sharks board and has the respect of the entire community,” Saad said.

“On the field, he has captained the Sharks and Springboks and was part of a very successful era for the Sharks in the 1990s. It’s also important to note that Gary has been very successful afterwards.

“He’s started a business with R30 000 in turnover, and now has a business that does over 150 million dollars. He has a good track record financially as well.”

“What struck me the most was when I said ‘Gary I’d like to talk to you about the contract and salary’. He said: ‘Steven I’m not doing this for the salary, this is a passion and love and I want to do this to put the Sharks up where I think they belong.’

Teichmann was more reflective during the announcement. Following a similar path to his predecessor Smit, Teichmann returns to the Sharks on a business front after many successful years on the pitch.

“For me it’s a huge honour to be back in rugby and back at the Sharks. I must say being on the outside, you are always looking in on something that has been a huge part of your life,” Teichmann said.

“When this opportunity came up I was in the right space at work, I’ve got the right guys to run that business. Having chatted to Steven, Graham Mackenzie, Terry Rosenberg and the guys at Supersport, I believe there is a vision and I want to be part of it and see if we can make this rugby environment work.

“We’ve got to do whatever we can to keep the players here, make sure they want to play for South Africa. It’s difficult to comment on what you want to do until you’ve been in the position and understand what has been done.

“I know John has been through tough times, he took over and there were some issues he had to sort out. I’m certainly going to draw on the support of John and all the ex-players, because I believe rugby belongs to everyone, those guys have had a huge part to getting it to where it is and they need to be a part of the process,” Teichmann said.

Supersport recapitalise the Sharks

Teichmann’s appointment was coupled with the announcement that Supersport, the joint shareholders in the Sharks Pty Ltd, have injected R40 million into the business – according to Saad.

Saad went on to mention that the Sharks have been accumulating losses from 2008 and Supersport’s recapitalisation was crucial in stemming that tide.

 

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