they train in a park open to the public now, there is no reason they can't do that in Petone.
$40-45 Million Soccer Specific Stadium - Petone Phoenix
Rugby League park (yes. confusing)
I would think they will have the ability to do that Ryan whereas the hallowed 9read currently stuffed) turf of Westpac wouldn't be available.
Besides, they train in a park open to the public now, there is no reason they can't do that in Petone.
Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.
Rugby League park (yes. confusing)
Now Rugby league park would have been ideal as a boutique ground. Used to hold 8000+ , from memory. Its a basin carved out of the hills with one grandstand. Its got terraces cut out of the rock. Would be relatively easy to convert to 10 to 12,000. Quite a bit of parking around there. Only 25 mins walk from Courtney Place up Taranaki St....Lots of buses to Newtown. No neighbours on three sides
Trouble is egg ball have grabbed it. They spent a couple of million converting half the stand to offices and built a big gym/bar facility. As far as I know the ground is lost to the public and only used for Hurricane, Lions training. Why League gave it up who knows.
Not so sure the Petone Rec ground is going to happen unless the Hutt Council really drive it hard. Every time you open a local newpaper there is negative comments about the proposal. Seems like quiet a groundswell of opposition has built up.
Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.
I would think they will have the ability to do that Ryan whereas the hallowed 9read currently stuffed) turf of Westpac wouldn't be available.
Besides, they train in a park open to the public now, there is no reason they can't do that in Petone.
Actually I think they have fenced off Newtown 2 now.
Correct.
Rugby League park (yes. confusing)
Now Rugby league park would have been ideal as a boutique ground. Used to hold 8000+ , from memory. Its a basin carved out of the hills with one grandstand. Its got terraces cut out of the rock. Would be relatively easy to convert to 10 to 12,000. Quite a bit of parking around there. Only 25 mins walk from Courtney Place up Taranaki St....Lots of buses to Newtown. No neighbours on three sides
Trouble is egg ball have grabbed it. They spent a couple of million converting half the stand to offices and built a big gym/bar facility. As far as I know the ground is lost to the public and only used for Hurricane, Lions training. Why League gave it up who knows.
Not so sure the Petone Rec ground is going to happen unless the Hutt Council really drive it hard. Every time you open a local newpaper there is negative comments about the proposal. Seems like quiet a groundswell of opposition has built up.
Nah you can go and run round on Rugby League Park as long as they're not using it. IIRC Oskie and News and Stefan used to run kick abouts up there.
You couldn't find a ground with less parking either.
That because Max stole them all?
Holly Walker the local MP has added this to the mix.
and if I have this right that's BOTH local MPs, Trevor Mallrd being the other, in opposition.
Mohammed, on the left, I'm still in touch with. He's now living in Agadez, Niger. More focused on his animals now as tourism has dried up. Is active with a co-op promoting local goods, leather work and bijouterie, into Europe.
20/5/20
If they propose fencing off any area of the remaining grounds for Phoenix training, then you're just eating rigth into the hands of the "lack of green space" crowd.
They're not.
Mohammed, on the left, I'm still in touch with. He's now living in Agadez, Niger. More focused on his animals now as tourism has dried up. Is active with a co-op promoting local goods, leather work and bijouterie, into Europe.
20/5/20
Here's another alternative viewpoint from a Nix season ticket holder who opposes a new stadium, for anyone interested...
http://in-the-back-of-the.net/2014/03/11/guest-post-do-you-hear-the-people-sing/
Rugby League park (yes. confusing)
Now Rugby league park would have been ideal as a boutique ground. Used to hold 8000+ , from memory. Its a basin carved out of the hills with one grandstand. Its got terraces cut out of the rock. Would be relatively easy to convert to 10 to 12,000. Quite a bit of parking around there. Only 25 mins walk from Courtney Place up Taranaki St....Lots of buses to Newtown. No neighbours on three sides
Trouble is egg ball have grabbed it. They spent a couple of million converting half the stand to offices and built a big gym/bar facility. As far as I know the ground is lost to the public and only used for Hurricane, Lions training. Why League gave it up who knows.
Not so sure the Petone Rec ground is going to happen unless the Hutt Council really drive it hard. Every time you open a local newpaper there is negative comments about the proposal. Seems like quiet a groundswell of opposition has built up.
Nah you can go and run round on Rugby League Park as long as they're not using it. IIRC Oskie and News and Stefan used to run kick abouts up there.
You couldn't find a ground with less parking either.
That because Max stole them all?
Allegedly
Here's another alternative viewpoint from a Nix season ticket holder who opposes a new stadium, for anyone interested...
http://in-the-back-of-the.net/2014/03/11/guest-post-do-you-hear-the-people-sing/
Here's another alternative viewpoint from a Nix season ticket holder who opposes a new stadium, for anyone interested...
http://in-the-back-of-the.net/2014/03/11/guest-post-do-you-hear-the-people-sing/
He misses the point. The main reason for the stadium isn't the expectation that more people will suddenly turn up (although this might be the cases given the buzz around a new stadium etc), but that if 7-8K people is a normal crowd (and it has been his way for the past 5 years) how can we make it financially sustainable for the club. New stadium is likely to have lower hireage costs so we won't need 10K to break even.
I think part of what he's saying is the cost of holding games at the Cake Tin should be able to be negotiated down. Why should running an event for 7-8K people cost more at the Cake Tin than it would in Petone?
The stadium seem to be quite intransigent on costs. Even the club rugby finale had had to leave the stadium. At one stage that attracted a decent enough crowd. Rugby has a bit of sway but even that wasn't enough.
Mohammed, on the left, I'm still in touch with. He's now living in Agadez, Niger. More focused on his animals now as tourism has dried up. Is active with a co-op promoting local goods, leather work and bijouterie, into Europe.
20/5/20
Election year, the politicians will sit on the fence until they see where the majority of voters are going. Mallard has always been a mouth peice. Comes across as still bitter about the Trevor Mallard stadium not getting built on the Auckland waterfront for the rugby world cup a few years back.
The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!
but we well know that Westpac claim the nix get a great deal, simple fact of life to make 8k look, sound good and be financially viable we need a new venue - that in case we do increase in crowd size can cope.
Queenslander 3x a year.
Here's another alternative viewpoint from a Nix season ticket holder who opposes a new stadium, for anyone interested...
http://in-the-back-of-the.net/2014/03/11/guest-post-do-you-hear-the-people-sing/
He misses the point. The main reason for the stadium isn't the expectation that more people will suddenly turn up (although this might be the cases given the buzz around a new stadium etc), but that if 7-8K people is a normal crowd (and it has been his way for the past 5 years) how can we make it financially sustainable for the club. New stadium is likely to have lower hireage costs so we won't need 10K to break even.
Hearing that the Nix are fuming about the pitch situation as concerns were raised after the captains run.
I don't think I have ever seen it in a worse condition. Usually it holds up fine after rugby games.
Really did look bad. Are the grounds staff doing anything other than just cutting it and doing the markings? The area in front f the Tunnel still looks like shit a month after the sevens and we have only had two games and the Canes one. I have not seen it look worse. Do they have the shits at the talk of us moving?
Bring back Top Left !
Fuck this stupid game
^ last paragraph = add another benefit to new stadium proposal
Yeah they started a renovation (core/organic matter removal + sand + seed)straight after the heart game. The new seed would have been sewn no later than Wednesday the 19th I think. <snip>
Thanks. Good read.
Mohammed, on the left, I'm still in touch with. He's now living in Agadez, Niger. More focused on his animals now as tourism has dried up. Is active with a co-op promoting local goods, leather work and bijouterie, into Europe.
20/5/20
they train in a park open to the public now, there is no reason they can't do that in Petone.
Agree
I hadn't given any thought to the training area being fenced off, there's just no need
Supporter For Ever - Keep The Faith - Foundation Member - Never Lets FAX Get In The Way Of A Good Yarn
Here's another alternative viewpoint from a Nix season ticket holder who opposes a new stadium, for anyone interested...
http://in-the-back-of-the.net/2014/03/11/guest-post-do-you-hear-the-people-sing/
He misses the point. The main reason for the stadium isn't the expectation that more people will suddenly turn up (although this might be the cases given the buzz around a new stadium etc), but that if 7-8K people is a normal crowd (and it has been his way for the past 5 years) how can we make it financially sustainable for the club. New stadium is likely to have lower hireage costs so we won't need 10K to break even.
Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.
Here's another alternative viewpoint from a Nix season ticket holder who opposes a new stadium, for anyone interested...
http://in-the-back-of-the.net/2014/03/11/guest-post-do-you-hear-the-people-sing/
He misses the point. The main reason for the stadium isn't the expectation that more people will suddenly turn up (although this might be the cases given the buzz around a new stadium etc), but that if 7-8K people is a normal crowd (and it has been his way for the past 5 years) how can we make it financially sustainable for the club. New stadium is likely to have lower hireage costs so we won't need 10K to break even.
^what he said.
I think the author is coming to the question with a conclusion and then fitting his argument to it. Which is fine, but he makes a bunch of poorly substantiated points and totally ignores some important stuff. So it's hard to take it seriously.
Normo's coming home
Exactly. Amazing how upgrades have only come to light with a hint of a Petone move. Pure coincidence of course.
The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!
The document I posted about planned improvements is dated July 2012. The document is published on the Westpac Stadium website http://westpacstadium.co.nz/master-plan/
I doubt anyone cared enough before now to put much thought into it, but since we're discussing facilities, it is relevant again.
In regards to the use of Petone Rec as a training ground, I didn't see anything specific in the sketch for training facilities. That might be in the final build plan, but seems a rather important aspect to the overall design and use of the space.
I would expect if Phoenix invest money in a quality training pitch they don't want Joe Public walking the dog or riding their bikes all over it when it's muddy. Or they would end up training on Naenae 1. Which would probably explain all the fencing around Newtown 2.
Would they potentially just train on the stadium pitch?
Allegedly
I do wonder if the impact on the local residents is slightly overstated. With the number of games in an A-League season, the stadium will be used 13 times by the Phoenix? And any use by the Petone Rugby club will be at the same level as currently. I liveless than 10 minutes walk from Craven Cottage, which holds double what is proposed here, and the impact is not massive, apart from the pubs being busier, and more people on the streets. If the public transport links are of good quality, then the impact will be even less.
Exactly. Amazing how upgrades have only come to light with a hint of a Petone move. Pure coincidence of course.
Not really true, the mezannine stuff (which opens soon?) has been in the pipeline for a couple of years. And they've been talking about some of the other stuff, changing the cladding to open up the views etc, for a good few years.
www.kiwifromthecouch.blogspot.com
I do wonder if the impact on the local residents is slightly overstated. With the number of games in an A-League season, the stadium will be used 13 times by the Phoenix? And any use by the Petone Rugby club will be at the same level as currently. I liveless than 10 minutes walk from Craven Cottage, which holds double what is proposed here, and the impact is not massive, apart from the pubs being busier, and more people on the streets. If the public transport links are of good quality, then the impact will be even less.
We must live in similar places as I live about that distance from the Cottage and agree that the impact is minimal. However, public transport is the key difference here. I would imagine of a 12,000 crowd that may come to a Nix game at Petone. 30/40% would drive? Nothing anywhere near like that at Craven Cottage.
What they're going to do about parking will be the clincher in this for me. I can see that being an absolute nightmare (it's bad enough on a day that Petone Rec may have 3 or 4 club rugby games on) and if I was a local resident I think I could be justifiably miffed about it. If they've got a decent plan for parking then this should go through. If they don't, then I could see it being justifiably put back in the box.
www.kiwifromthecouch.blogspot.com
Training on the #1 ia never a good idea. It just doesn't happen. Even your local club team won't train on their #1 ground unless its artificial.
Fuck this stupid game
Protests on a postcard to Dave Gilmore please.
He sucks. Roger Waters was the real creative talent in that band.
Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads
Here's another alternative viewpoint from a Nix season ticket holder who opposes a new stadium, for anyone interested...
http://in-the-back-of-the.net/2014/03/11/guest-post-do-you-hear-the-people-sing/
He misses the point. The main reason for the stadium isn't the expectation that more people will suddenly turn up (although this might be the cases given the buzz around a new stadium etc), but that if 7-8K people is a normal crowd (and it has been his way for the past 5 years) how can we make it financially sustainable for the club. New stadium is likely to have lower hireage costs so we won't need 10K to break even.
^what he said.
I think the author is coming to the question with a conclusion and then fitting his argument to it. Which is fine, but he makes a bunch of poorly substantiated points and totally ignores some important stuff. So it's hard to take it seriously.
Completely agree. I think for fans there is three things to focus on:
- watching in a square stadium where the ground is 3/4 or more full will be way better. Not just a bit better - way, way way better. This isn't about being 20m closer to the game, it's about watching the game how it is supposed to be watched. Now to my mind that means we should do everything possible to get to a venue which gives us that
- there is a real risk (not a theoretical one, a real one) that without a change in venue Welnix say we can't see this breaking even any time in the future and we're out. If they have invested in a stadium the likelihood of this happening goes down a lot.
- Westpac stadium is not the best outdoor venue in Australasia. That is a ridiculous myth. It's a bland, fairly generic multi use stadium. When it opened it offered something completely different to what we had seen before in NZ but that was a long time ago. Its limitations have been exposed as a football venue. The reason it has good sightlines is because it's an oval and while everyone has a good view, everyone is quite a distance from the action.
Also, the stadium isn't run at a profit. Well it is, but only so it can fund itself for the future without further cash from ratepayers - there's no dividend back to the regional council from the stadium trust, no-one takes cash out. Objecting to ratepayers paying for a new stadium, but saying that Westpac shouldn't run a profit to help tenants doesn't make sense - basically you're saying ratepayers should subsidise tenants on an ongoing basis. Either way ratepayers end up paying for something - but in the Petone stadium scenario at least they get a new facility out of it.
As a Phoenix fan I'm totally on board with this plan. The new stadium would be fantastic and I wouldn't even care about having to travel to Petone from Island Bay - it would be worth it. So as a Phoenix fan I hope it happens.
But from just about any other point of view I honestly can't see how you would justify the investment. From a regional perspective it doesn't make a lot of sense - particularly if it undercuts the financial viability of another publicly owned regional stadium.
And the bit I've highlighted above doesn't make any sense to me either. I can't reconcile how Welnix can say on the one hand "the Nix must break-even" but on the other hand "we're prepared to invest $25m+ in a new stadium". Let's say the Nix lose $1m a year. With the $25m you're prepared to invest in a stadium you could actually just run the Nix at a loss for 25 years. And you would actually be better off because your investment would be spread over time instead of a one-off hit. And borrowing the money only makes the equation worse.
Yes, with a capital investment in a stadium you would at least get an asset out of it but in this case the asset would be half owned by Hutt City and it would be on land wholly owned by Hutt City. From Welnix perspective it would be pretty hard to sell on so I can't see how that really plays into it. I agree that if Welnix have invested in a stadium then it ties them to the Nix a lot more and makes their exit seem less likely, but that's my point - why would they do that to themselves if it doesn't financially add up?
As far as I can see the new stadium would have to increase the average attendance considerably (i.e. basically sell-out most of the time) to make the sums work. Is there something I am missing here?
As I said at the start, I'm totally for the new stadium from a fan's point of view but I'm really not sure what Welnix are up to when the option of simply running the Nix at a loss might actually be a better financial option. I smell a bit of BS around this and feel like we might need to lower our expectations. It may yet turn out to be just a negotiating tactic.

The stadium proposal is not new and was not conceptualised by Welnix/Phoenix... Not sure where they see the benefit/return on their $25m tbh.
The stadium proposal is not new and was not conceptualised by Welnix/Phoenix... Not sure where they see the benefit/return on their $25m tbh.
TBF you could propose a $25m rate payer investment for $25b of oil production under Petone Rec and these dipshits would still oppose it because they might lose green space/won't directly profit from it. These people are fucking idiots.
Dear Petone Nimbys. If you want green space I know a place in rural Gore you can move to. You need to understand that shit happens, the 21st century happens, and life goes on. Yeah I get it, your grandad kicked a fuckn ball made from pig intestine around this park in 1930, it means something to you. It doesn't mean shit to me or most people, anywhere. Stop opposing change, stop opposing evolution. It happens, so deal with it.
/end rant.
The stadium proposal is not new and was not conceptualised by Welnix/Phoenix... Not sure where they see the benefit/return on their $25m tbh.
TBF you could propose a $25m rate payer investment for $25b of oil production under Petone Rec and these dipshits would still oppose it because they might lose green space/won't directly profit from it. These people are fucking idiots.
Dear Petone Nimbys. If you want green space I know a place in rural Gore you can move to. You need to understand that shit happens, the 21st century happens, and life goes on. Yeah I get it, your grandad kicked a fuckn ball made from pig intestine around this park in 1930, it means something to you. It doesn't mean shit to me or most people, anywhere. Stop opposing change, stop opposing evolution. It happens, so deal with it.
/end rant.
Enzo mate, AJ doesn't believe what he writes. He's just trying hard to sound edgy.
Three for me, and two for them.
TBF you could propose a $25m rate payer investment for $25b of oil production under Petone Rec and these dipshits would still oppose it because they might lose green space/won't directly profit from it. These people are fucking idiots.
I don't agree with all of your rant but on this bit, above, you may well be right about some of them. I know one of the naysayers, active in her opposition, and I still do not understand what it is she is opposing. She is either unwilling or unable to articulate her opposition.
One other friend, who lives well away from the proposed site, just started yelling at me when I asked why she was saying no. "I will not lose the value of my home"....
Mohammed, on the left, I'm still in touch with. He's now living in Agadez, Niger. More focused on his animals now as tourism has dried up. Is active with a co-op promoting local goods, leather work and bijouterie, into Europe.
20/5/20
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