Following the 2010 season, the Cougars ran into financial issues. In January 2011, the team was kicked out of Cowles Stadium due to unpaid debt to the city council. The Gardiners intended to move their team to a new stadium just being finished in Lincoln on the outskirts of the city. However, following the Christchurch earthquake, the Cougars were forced to withdraw from the NBL in March 2011. Last-gasp meetings by Amy and Andrew Gardiner attempted to stitch together a rescue package to save the Cougars, but ultimately the level of financial risk was too great.