Cricket would go to QEII (24 August 1999)

24 August 1999

Cricket would go to QEII

Mike Crean

Jade Stadium will become a football-only sports venue, while cricket will move to Queen Elizabeth II Park, if a plan agreed to on Sunday is adopted.

A special meeting of some Jade Stadium Ltd board members and heads of New Zealand Cricket, the Canterbury Cricket Association, and the Canterbury Rugby Football Union, with Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore, has mapped this course.

Mr Moore said he would ask the city council on Thursday to instruct JSL to develop a new business plan for the proposed stadium redevelopment on the basis that it would be a football-only ground. He would ask the council also to consider the costs and implications of moving cricket to the Village Green, at QEII Park.

Mr Moore and JSL chairman Bruce Irvine called the special meeting on Sunday, after problems with the conflicting demand for stadium bookings for rugby and cricket.

Mr Irvine said the meeting agreed the two codes could no longer co-exist at one ground, as the rugby season now extended from February to October. The meeting agreed also that with a change to a football-only venue, JSL should seek to stage major rugby league and soccer matches as well as rugby.

Mr Irvine said the meeting was united on the issue.

"There were no dissenters," he said. "There was a huge amount of good will. All parties were involved in active and open dialogue."

The JSL board met yesterday and all members were enthusiastic about the plan. They supported the request going to the council, Mr Irvine said.

The change in plans would not delay redevelopment of the stadium. The existing No.4 grandstand would be demolished and a new southern stand between the No.3 stand and the embankment would be built in time for a rugby test next June. Mr Irvine hoped this would be a Tri-nations match.

The day after the test, demolition of the embankment would start. A new western stand would be built in time for a rugby test in June 2001. The western stand would be closer to the playing area, which would be rotated slightly to make it closer to the No.3 stand.

Mr Irvine said the football-only stadium might be slightly cheaper to build. He would expect some savings in running costs.

Mr Moore said the council would not allow any increase in the redevelopment budget and would insist that whatever was built was affordable for the people of Christchurch to use.

Mr Moore said he hoped the council would ask JSL to help with planning for cricket at QEII Park. The company had been closely involved with cricket's plans and understood the issues. He said joint management of the venues by JSL was worth considering, using the co-ordinated management of the Town Hall, Convention Centre, and WestpacTrust Centre as a model.

Canterbury Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said he welcomed the willingness and good will that had been shown. The plan gave Christchurch the opportunity to position itself as a premier rugby ground, which, with the development of a ground dedicated to cricket, would give the city "a significant niche in the sports market".

Canterbury cricket chairman Maurice Ryan said he was delighted that all parties were working together for a positive result that would be good for rugby, cricket, and other sports.

Aoraki Corporation spokesman Greg Williamson said he was disappointed that his company was not represented at Sunday's meeting. Aoraki, which had bought the naming rights to the stadium, saw itself as an important partner in it.

"We will watch the outcome with interest," Mr Williamson said.

Source :: The Christchurch Press (https://www.press.co.nz/)