Adam Parore: Enlarging Eden Park recipe for disaster

So New Zealand's hat is in the rugby World Cup ring for 2011, amid plenty of positive noises about our prospects of hosting the event.

What is the New Zealand Rugby Union's motivation in putting its hand up? Sure, it's a good thing to do as rugby is our national game, it's great for the branding of the game and terrific for the game nationally.

Above all, they must believe they can make money out of it. Otherwise why go through all the drama.

Among the more interesting aspects to come out of this week's announcement was that the Government had turned down the prospect of building a "superstadium" of the 80,000-100,000 capacity. Quite right too. There's no way it would become anything more than a giant drain on taxes, and it would get close to being full perhaps once a year, if that.

So the NZRFU is looking at enlarging Eden Park from its approximately 47,000 capacity now to about 65,000. Sorry, but that has all the signs of a disaster in my book.

Consider Eden Park as it is. How many times does it get filled to capacity each year? It's a battle to get two-thirds full for international cricket, unless it's the Australians here, and even then it isn't packed out.

Rugby tests and the odd Super 12 match is about the lot. I went to the crucial Blues-Hurricanes match last weekend and, setting aside the result, it was a shambles. Getting into and out of the ground was hugely problematic, set as it is in a residential zone close to the centre of the city.

This is nothing new, but the NZRFU must be bargaining on making massive changes to the surrounding areas if they think using Eden Park as primary host venue for the World Cup is going to work.

That means public transport and the infrastructure of Auckland's roading system has to change. If taxpayers have been trying to unclog the roads unsuccessfully for years can they really expect a few rugby matches to be the spur to get the public authorities into gear?

Then there's the issue of clean stadiums. The NZRFU say that won't be a problem. That would surprise me.

The fact is the corporate boxes are owned by some of New Zealand's wealthiest, most successful businessmen. Are they really going to go and get a ticket, sit in the stands and turn around to see someone else enjoying the box they've forked out serious money for? Of course not, and why should they?

Here's a solution. Make North Harbour Stadium the linchpin venue for the World Cup. Think about it a moment. There is space for three new stands to be built - and that removes the problem of being "clean" - you could build as many new corporate boxes as you need. There's plenty of room for parking and it's right beside a motorway with good feeder service.

You can build a 70,000-seater stadium and be in a position to largely control the relevant sticking points as far as the World Cup is concerned. It would be 10 times easier than getting in and out of Eden Park, could be used for a variety of events and not have to worry about residents' concerns, and it would have that new look and feel to it.

But then there's another sticking point: the old guard of Auckland rugby. They have long and strong ties to the NZRFU. How would they feel about their pre-eminent position being usurped by that new lot from over the bridge?

I suspect I know the answer to that one.