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Home / New Zealand

Auckland stadium reshuffle: Sport fans split on Council's plans to reallocate venues

Bernard Orsman
By Bernard Orsman
Auckland Reporter·NZ Herald·
7 Apr, 2014 04:15 PM4 mins to read

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Eden Park. Photo / Greg Bowker

Eden Park. Photo / Greg Bowker

The future of a number of stadiums around Auckland is being decided.

The Warriors want to play all their home matches in Auckland at one venue, but it is still a toss-up between Mt Smart Stadium and Eden Park.

Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said the rugby league franchise was testing the viability of Eden Park, having played one game there over the past three seasons and with three games scheduled for the 2014 season.

"Ultimately it is our preference to play all of our in-season Auckland games at a single venue," Mr Scurrah said in a submission on this year's council budget.

He was commenting on a stadium strategy by a council body, Regional Facilities Auckland, that has recommended the Warriors move to Eden Park, which would become the home of all big rugby, league and soccer matches.

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One-day and T20 cricket matches would continue to be played at Eden Park, but test cricket would replace speedway at Western Springs.

After 86 years at the Springs, speedway would move to Mt Smart Stadium, which, with North Harbour Stadium, would become a high-performance sports training centre.

A total of 1069 submissions were made on the stadium plan, which drew 21.5 per cent support and 46.9 per cent opposition; 31.6 per cent of respondents were unsure of what they thought. Among the proposals, 76 of 320 comments on the speedway issue did not support the move to Mt Smart Stadium against 31 who did, and 51 of 353 comments did not support moving the Warriors to Eden Park. Forty-four supported the move.

Mr Scurrah said the Warriors supported developing high-performance sports training centres at North Harbour and Mt Smart "as of equal importance to the venues we play in".

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But when it came to deciding on a home venue, he said the Warriors would consider what was in the best long-term interests of supporters and the growth of rugby league.

Other factors included commercial terms, hiring affordability and the standard of facilities.

Speaking to the Herald after yesterday's resignation of coach Matt Elliott, Mr Scurrah said: "We are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We have got a venue [Eden Park] that is largely unused ... and have got one [Mt Smart] here that there is no council support to bring up to the standard the [National Rugby League] demand."

According to the council, moving the Warriors to Eden Park offsets the need to spend up to $60 million upgrading Mt Smart Stadium and helps the "lack of financial sustainability" at Eden Park.

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Warriors patriarch Sir Peter Leitch has previously said the fans were happy with Mt Smart Stadium and a move to Eden Park with the 50,000-seat ground three-quarters or half empty would create a horrible atmosphere.

"When you think of Eden Park you think rugby union. Think Mt Smart Stadium and you think rugby league. That's the reality," Sir Peter said.

Auckland Rugby Union chief executive Andy Dalton said the stadium strategy did not account for the union's historic rights and benefits, including the right to hire Eden Park on concessionary terms and be the sole negotiator for all rugby union games and ticketing at the park.

The Auckland Rugby Union also had rights set out in the park's trust deed to sell advertising signs and grant exclusive supply arrangements, he said.

The Eden Park Trust supports the use of Eden Park as the main stadium for rugby, league and soccer games in a submission.

It supports Western Springs becoming the main Auckland venue for domestic cricket, but with $256 million having been invested in Eden Park for the Rugby World Cup, it wants it to remain a first-class and international cricket venue.

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Trust chief executive David Kennedy said it was not a sensible use of resources to build another international cricket venue.

The Government offered in 2012 to pass control of Eden Park to Auckland Council. Discussions are continuing.

The proposal to move speedway from Western Springs has drawn a lot of flak from fans.

Said Karlene Baker: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it and don't waste ratepayers' money building a new track."

Consultation on the budget also found support for holding an arts festival every year. Of 985 submissions on the issue, there was 51.1 per cent support, 22.9 per cent opposition and 26 per cent were unsure.

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