Victoria Park cricket proposal could help rejuvenate Auckland - Editorial

The Victoria Park cricket proposal.

EDITORIAL

The proposal that would see international cricket played at Victoria Park has a great deal in its favour.

Fans of test cricket turned their back on Eden Park many seasons ago, and Auckland Cricket recently followed suit, announcing plans to move its base to Colin Maiden Park in Glen Innes. The patch of grass out east would be unlikely to feature on test schedules, while Victoria Park, crested by the city’s skyline on television screens around the world, could be a fine advertisement for our nation.

Eden Park, little loved in cricketing circles, hasn’t hosted a test match since 2018.

An afternoon of cricket near the central city, with a walk-up crowd of office workers readily on hand has obvious appeal.

But the real value to Auckland would be in the regeneration the venue could bring to the area. Victoria Park Market has struggled for relevance since the craft, souvenir and clothing stalls that were its mainstay fell out of favour with shoppers. Its present restaurant-and-bar complex would be a fine companion piece to a cricket venue.

Efforts to rejuvenate the central city have been going on for decades, with flawed and stalled decision-making about sports venues a mainstay of the discussions.

If Mayor Wayne Brown wants a legacy, then being the leader who starts the process which ultimately delivers meaningful sporting venues would be a fine one. None of his predecessors can claim such a legacy.

The council-owned Victoria Park could be just the boost that cricket needs in our biggest city and that Auckland needs within itself.