The trust's plan contains four separate projects at Wembley Park. Photo / Bevan Conley
Upgrades to Wembley Park could bring the Wellington Phoenix to Whanganui, but Whanganui District Council will need to help with the $300,000 cost.
The Wanganui Football Charitable Trust presented its plans at a council aspirations and projects committee meeting this week.
Trustee Peter Czerwonka said for the last couple of decades, the trust’s main work had been maintaining the park’s assets.
“We’re in a real growth phase for football in Whanganui, so we would like to be more proactive in improving the assets and providing a better product for our football community,” he said.
There are four separate projects in the trust’s plan: developing the area around the park’s main pitch and enabling the trust to sell advertising space; developing an administration and toilet block; re-levelling the park’s old rodeo grounds for an additional play and training space; and upgrading and resealing roading around the park and developing new parking areas.
Trust chairman Russell Eades said the objectives were to provide a top-class facility for players and spectators and host “X-factor events” like Wellington Pheonix games.
Czerwonka said there had already been an expression of interest from the Phoenix.
“They would be very interested in opening negotiations if we were to build something like this.”
The trust’s presentation includes a letter of recommendation for the upgrades from the Wellington club.
According to the trust’s submission to the committee, the council would need to fund and manage the roading and re-levelling projects.
Eades said that was estimated to cost $204,000 in 2022.
Czerwonka said the park’s current gravel roads and parking were prone to flooding, which was embarrassing when out-of-town teams came for tournaments.
Football membership in Whanganui has grown from around 1200 in 2016 to 1450 this year.
“This season exposed the need for more playing and training services - we’re just chock-a-block,” Eades said.
As Wembley was a public park, the trust thought it should be the responsibility of the council to upgrade and develop these.
Councillor Michael Law said the request for funding made total sense, as people, including himself, stopped coming to late-season games due to the state of the grounds.
He asked if potential Phoenix games would be exhibition matches, or if the A-League would look to hold games in Whanganui.
“No, the A-League would not, but I think perhaps the A-League Women’s would be interested in coming here, and also pre-season games, Eades said.
The Wellington Phoenix Reserves team played Whanganui Athletic at Wembley Park last season as part of football’s Central League.
Councillor Ross Fallon said he understood the need to reseal the roads and parking was crucial, but asked whether the residents in the surrounding area of the park would be consulted on the increased traffic flow it would result in.
Czerwonka said they would consult with the community once a concrete plan was established, but people he’d spoken to were keen for more parking in the park.
“It’s no longer a two-way system on a Saturday morning. You have to wait at the gate for there to be no oncoming [traffic] so you can pass through.
“It’s quite bad, to be honest,” he said.
Committee chairman and councillor Rob Vinsen said in terms of user numbers, Wembley had to be the busiest arena in the city.
Projects submitted to the committee enter a process for consideration in the council’s Long Term Plan (2024-2034).
Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.