City change may lead to switch to Eden Park

A revamped Eden Park. Photo / Herald on Sunday

With the Warriors shaping as potential finalists in the NRL and the Auckland Super City on the horizon, moves are again afoot to make Eden Park the club's permanent home.

The idea first surfaced last year with the Government's decision to create the Super City structure, amalgamating the councils across the isthmus.

That means the Warriors' 15-year deal at Mt Smart Stadium, which has more than eight years to run, will change. The current stadium owners, the Auckland Regional Council, will cease to exist under the new Super City make-up from November 1.

Mt Smart's fading facilities could be refurbished but it is more likely Eden Park will be used for Warriors' home matches long-term, possibly starting with a couple of games next year.

The Warriors and the Eden Park Trust admit contractual obligations under the new Super City structure will be vague until the council convenes to vote on legislation.

However, various factors point to the sense of such a deal.

The Warriors weekly crowd capacity could increase from 30,000 to 50,000 which, at the median ticket price of $30 for an adult and $15 for a child, would earn the club an extra $450,000 a week for a full stadium if adults and children filled the 20,000 extra seats on a 1:1 ratio.

A bigger stadium costs more to run but, if patrons enjoy the experience, they are also more likely to return.

The recent development of Eden Park transport links could be an added drawcard for fans who might end up paying less to get to a central point in the city than it does to go to Mt Smart.

The Warriors have to play a minimum of 11 games a season at Mt Smart - they play 12 in 2010 - but the sight of millions of government dollars being invested into the upgrade of facilities at a stadium several kilometres away in Kingsland is a significant catalyst for change.

Moving to Eden Park permanently might enable the club to keep ticket prices stable but boost revenue because of sheer numbers. That in turn could generate more sponsors and make it easier to keep top players on their books through third-party deals.

"We'd be silly not to look at any opportunity to increase support of the game and boost revenue," says Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah.

"But the impact of changes to the regional structure means our situation remains unclear at this stage."

The investment of taxpayer money to develop Eden Park meant it relinquished its rights to solely host international cricket and rugby matches. Under the new governance structure, the park will now be utilised for wider sports and cultural activities such as football internationals, league tests and concerts, subject to approval from the necessary national bodies and promoters.

It's in the interests of the revamped Eden Park Trust to include rugby league as part of its agenda, given the sport's resurgence in popularity of late.

That has been helped by the Kiwis' win in the 2008 World Cup and regular NRL play-off finishes for the Warriors in recent years. The traditional working-class sport has become more popular as a day or evening out for families and corporates.

Eden Park Trust chief executive David Kennedy says a good test case will be league's Four Nations double header on November 6 when England play Papua New Guinea and New Zealand host Australia.

"Those are the main discussions we've had," he said. "How well the league community responds to having the sport at Eden Park on that date will be a significant future gauge.

"It fits with our new obligations and opportunities to develop the park for sports and cultural activities. We want to use it as much as possible."