Sports groups invited to team up in plan for Pohe

TREASURED ISLAND: Much debate has been had over these grounds at Pohe Island. Currently, there are two completed football fields and three proposed rugby fields.PHOTO/MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM

SEVERAL Northland sporting groups could be teaming up with the Northland Rugby Union and Old Boys Marist rugby club to ensure a community sports centre goes ahead on Pohe Island.

The Northland Rugby Union (NRU) is calling for community sporting groups to partner up in what is essentially a way of strengthening the proposal put to the Whangarei District Council.

NRU chief executive Jeremy Parkinson said a memorandum of understanding had been signed with NorthTec for the Graham Lowe Sports Performance Centre - which is a pilot scheme with Australian NRL franchise the Gold Coast Titans - to join the facility if it goes ahead.

As a result of the memorandum, the initial two-level building submitted with the Pohe Island draft in 2013 has changed to a single-floor area catering to NorthTec's classroom needs.

"It's very exciting, we've been through the submission to the plan process and are now into trying to realise the community sports facility down Pohe Island," Parkinson said.

"We have an agreed proposed community facility, along with Northland Rugby Referees Association and Old Boys Marist rugby club currently."

However, the NRU were also in discussions with the Northern Football Federation, North Force, Northland Cricket and the Whangarei Youth Space.

The reasoning behind the approaches was that the union wanted more groups to get involved to make it a true community facility and enable it to happen.

"We would encourage any interested sports facilities or clubs to come and join us. We'd love to have walking groups, harrier groups, anything that complements the park and the facility," Parkinson said.

"We're in initial stages of discussion with the Northern Football Federation and North Force, because there are not just three sand-based rugby fields, there are two of the best football fields in the region there too."

Parkinson said the understanding with the Whangarei Youth Space would be around opening the doors to youngsters to give them the opportunity to be fit and active. The main drive to get to Pohe Island was to find Northland rugby a home, because all representative teams below the ITM Cup side did not have a home ground as such.

"We believe we've got a robust case to put forward. Currently, we don't have a home.

"At the moment we are a tenant at Toll Stadium and it costs us a fair bit to use it."

Earlier in the submission process, Parkinson floated the idea of Pohe Island being used as a home for all Northland rugby.

"Previously, when we had the lease on Okara Park [Toll Stadium now], all our teams could play there, but it's a lot harder to get on that field now.

"When Northland plays Auckland, from [Northland] Bs down to the under-14s, we have to go to one of our clubs and lease their facilities.

"[If the NRU moved to Pohe Island] It would be the home of Northland rugby with possibly pre-season games there, and all our other representative teams would train and play there.

"So it would be the official home of Northland rugby, but Toll Stadium would be the home for ITM."

Parkinson hoped the process would be finished by the end of 2015 but it could balloon out to 2016.