OPINION: Auckland council body likely to leave sports in present stadiums

Artist's impression of how an international cricket oval would look at Western Springs. Photo / Supplied

If sporting fans thought the divisive and seemingly endless debate over the future of Auckland's stadiums was over, they will be sorely disappointed.

Recent statements from Regional Facilities Auckland, the Auckland council controlled organisation charged with responsibility for the city's main stadiums, have made it abundantly clear it has no intention of giving up on its unpopular and expensive strategy that has somehow managed to alienate every one of the sporting codes involved.

This strategy sees speedway evicted after 89 years at Western Springs and that stadium then developed into an international cricket oval with Eden Park simultaneously deprived of one of its two main codes and its income reduced accordingly.

This is a little hard to fathom in light of recent sporting events which have shown how well served Auckland actually is with its existing stadiums. Last month's day-night test between the Black Caps and England, the first of its kind in New Zealand, was an outstanding success as a sporting spectacle.

There certainly weren't too many complaints about Eden Park's short boundaries when England were bowled out for 58. That's not surprising since test cricket is a form of the game still generally dominated by fast bowling attacks and batsmen more intent on occupying the crease than smashing boundaries to all corners of the ground.

In T20 and 50 over games it's a different story. The boundaries at many grounds around the world are actually brought in for these shorter versions of the game. That's because spectators want to see big hits and sixes in particular.

In this cavalier, batsman-dominated mode of the game, Eden Park's short boundaries are ironically a good fit, as was shown in the last World Cup when it was rated the venue with the best atmosphere by the players.

At any rate the ICC's ground size requirements exempt any stadium built before 2007, which means that Eden Park can continue to host all versions of the game for as long as it chooses to.

Similar accolades can also be dished out to Mt Smart Stadium. Sell-out crowds with the Warriors last week and Tonga in the World Cup show what an exciting venue it can be when full. Indeed Regional Facilities Auckland now proudly trumpets Mt Smart as being one of the finest rectangular venues in the Southern Hemisphere.

Not so long ago, however, the same body was preparing to demolish parts of this stadium in order to turn it into a dirt track for speedway.

Thankfully that didn't happen and their chief executive's assertion that it would cost $100 million to fix was proven to be without substance, like other Regional Facilities Auckland costings.

As it stands its current proposals are not without a significant price tag for the Auckland ratepayer — $40m to partially complete a cricket oval at Western Springs, conceivably $70m or more to fully complete the project. Additionally, speedway says it will be at least $25m to relocate it to Waikaraka Park.

These are not inconsequential sums of money at a time when the council is under severe financial pressure. The cost to the codes though will be much greater if their futures are compromised by irrational decisions.

So now it's Speedway and not the Warriors who are fighting for survival. Speedway has been at Western Springs since 1929. It wants to remain there, content with the 12 meets a year it is allocated and with the 102,000 fans who attend them.

This large and loyal fan base is spread right across Auckland and is very much family oriented, any issues to do with noise long since addressed.

In these circumstances it's surely time for the Auckland Council to show some leadership, for the sake of its ratepayers, its sporting codes and even for Regional Facilities Auckland, who when left to its own devices, has consistently failed to come up with a coherent and logical strategy that takes Auckland's sporting codes along with it, rather than isolating them in time-consuming and costly opposition.

One way or another, the council's hand will be forced during this month's Long Term Plan meetings. There, the councillors and mayor will vote to either make a budget available or not. The mayor's recent comments regarding the need for financial stringency are encouraging in this respect.

Finally it will be decision time for Regional Facilities Auckland and what remains of its unpopular stadium strategy.

* John Watson is an Auckland Council member for the Albany ward.