Funds boost for Wairarapa sports

IN THE MONEY: The Lotteries Commission has announced a grant of $750,000 for upgrades at Memorial Park. From left are Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Union CEO Tony Hargood, WBRU chairman Paora Ammunson and Heartland Wairarapa Football Club chairman Bob Francis with their project board.PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

It's a big game with high stakes - but is the pot too rich for one player? Memorial Park's $3 million artificial turf and lighting upgrades are almost set to go, after Trust House and the Lotteries Commission committed six-figure grants toward the project.

Now the attention is on Masterton District Council, who are being asked to do the same. But the council says it needs more time.

Wairarapa Bush Rugby Union announced yesterday it has received a $750,000 grant from the Lotteries Commission to go toward the upgrade of Memorial Park. Early last month the WBRU announced it had received a $500,000 grant from Trust House to go toward "the installation of lights and to upgrade the playing surface".

The full scope of the project includes upgrades to the WBRU clubhouse and offices, "tidying up" the grandstand and surrounding infrastructure, lights and an artificial surface. The upgrades are expected to cost $2.6 million to $2.8 million in total.

WBRU CEO Tony Hargood said the next step is a final presentation to Masterton District Council tomorrow in the hope of securing a $750,000 grant to get the project under way. The union has presented to the council on more than three occasions, including submissions to the 2013/14 and 2014/15 Annual Plan processes but Mayor Lyn Patterson said the council would not make a decision on the union's next presentation until late August because council is in the process of completing their "Sports Facilities Strategy".

"It is regrettable that the completion of our Sports Facilities Strategy has been put back, but this is a major piece of work and it is important that we take note of its findings when making this decision. It would be highly irresponsible for council to commit to spend a considerable six-figure sum of public money just a month before this strategy is completed. Funding decisions on facilities for several sports will be made once the strategy is in place, including athletics, football, netball, rugby and tennis."

The $750,000 grant from the Lottery Commission is intended for the sole use of installing the artificial turf on the number one ground at Memorial Park.

WBRU chairman Paora Ammunson said the artificial turf will mean several sports will be able to make use of the ground - including football, junior cricket, touch rugby, rugby and ki-o-rahi.

One of the major benefits of the upgrade, identified by Mr Hargood, is the expected increase in the use of the ground from 5 per cent to 30-40 per cent. The union will work directly with Heartland Wairarapa Football.

"At the moment they have to have home games outside of the region - so this will be a fix for football," Mr Ammunson said.

The chairman of Heartland Wairarapa Football Club, Bob Francis, said the club had looked at four sites for home games in Wairarapa but "kept coming back to Memorial Park".

He said working with the rugby union is "a goer", saying there would be economic and business management advantages as well as a "better use of people's time" if the two clubs worked alongside each other.

The artificial surface will be the first in provincial New Zealand and Mr Hargood said other regions were thinking along the same lines to increase involvement in sports. "The Wellington Rugby Union and Capital Football have applications for 10 [artificial surfaces]."

He said there were "more than half a dozen" applications in Auckland and the South Canterbury Rugby Football Union had an application pending for an artificial surface in Timaru.