Build a stadium and they will come

Will Johnston. Photo/George Novak

One thing I was told when I started writing this column a few years ago, when I asked for tips on what makes good writing for the paper, was: do some research on your topic.

Today, ladies and gentlemen, I've done no research - not one little bit. Didn't even Google it. It's not about accurate facts and what happened here in the past, this is about what we need and is part of how our future as a city plays out.

So let's wheel this tired old circus monkey out again, give it some nuts and see what happens . . . Build a freaken stadium in Tauranga. Mic drop. I'm out.

Seriously, though, every time I watch the Rugby World Cup at the moment, I just think of how cool it would've been for Tauranga if we could've remembered back to that time the RWC was in New Zealand and we went to that game in Tauranga.

But, no, that didn't happen because our premier rugby venue is a speedway. Build it and they will come! They did it for cricket and, boy, did they arrive. Well, South Africa did . . . the Black Caps made up the numbers a bit in that one, but that's not the point.

I like the plan that's been pushed in the past few weeks to have it at the Tauranga Domain.

Let's be honest, when the Steamers play there you actually feel like you're part of the action ... not like you're watching a prison team play across the other side of a road. I mean speedway fences with my "prison team" reference.

The only thing that is criminal is that we don't have a sweet sports venue for rugby and potentially soccer/football. It could even be used for concerts and the like.

I used to live in Whangarei, and even Whangarei built a stadium for the last RWC and had three games. We're Tauranga, we're better than that, right?

I know this has been a little negative and I'm sorry for that... but sometimes the truth is negative.There's no reason we couldn't turn it in to a massive, stadium-sized positive though!

Will Johnston is host of The Hits 95FM Day Show. Live and local from 9am till 3pm, every weekday in the Bay of Plenty.