Gunman's point about carpark pricing is illustrative.
It demonstrates mentality.
The Trust's approach and mandate is to maximise revenue, not just from spectators but in any way they can.
That approach has led to death by a thousand cuts for the spectator experience.
On another point, the idea that WCC is somehow "still paying" for the Stadium may be financially accurate but in isolation a statement like that is tremendously misleading.
I don't think that the stadium have at all done a good job balancing maintaining the thing and keeping up investment in the things fans want ( I hate the term "fan experience"). But I don't think the answer to the phoenix not making money is for The council which means ratepayers to start injecting money - thats just a recipe for disaster and massive push back plus its a complete change in the whole model.
I definitely dont think its been run perfectly, but i dont think the answer is to change tge parameters. In the end they are making money which is their mandate from the trust principles, they just need to be a lot smarter in using that to get more people through the turnstiles
Just that simple aye. "Be a lot smarter" and "get more people". JD for Stadium CEO!
I actually think you've got it completely around the wrong way JD. The crowd is the fixed point.
The Stadium have certainly played their part in eroding the fan base. The experience for fans has not evolved since the Stadium opened. It's old and tired and uninspiring.
But even a total revolution in the Stadium experience isn't going to double the crowd. We're playing around the margins.
The issue is fundamental. Since day one using the Stadium has cost the Phoenix money. Home games should be profitable. If the city wants to have professional sports teams, they need to accommodate them in suitable digs.
Lower Hutt seems to have recognised this. Wellington hasn't.
You can certainly cast this as a discussion about subsidies. No doubt. But lots of rates are distributed in things that are subsidies.
Wellington City Council subsidises Waterside Karori, by providing them with Karori Park. Sure, Karori make a part contribution, but the Council doesn't recoup its costs and it certainly doesn't get a bit extra to put aside to replace/renovate the park.
The Council maintains a level of debt that it could certainly reduce by selling Karori Park. So by extension every Karori player is receiving a ratepayer subsidy, comprised both of park costs and debt costs.
They do that because ratepayers want green spaces and sports clubs and so forth. And because we don't live in the aforementioned user-pays right-wing utopia (sorry Wilso).
Once you accept that, the whole "subsidising the Phoenix" argument and discussion is total bullshit.
If the City wants the Phoenix (like they want Karori) then they need to provide facilities that the Phoenix can afford. If the crowd numbers can only be increased marginally, then the cost of the ground has to come down to an affordable level.
It's that simple.
And if WCC don't want to do it but LHCC do, and as a bonus we get a stadium in Lower Hutt that's a proper football stadium. Then that's an epic win and I'll salute Gareth every home game.
Smithy, this is completely full of holes and you know it! Whose job is it to make sure that the Phoenix as a going concern is sustainable - the owners or the stadium/council? And who decides when you get a stadium subsidy, is it only if you lose money when you put on events, or does that apply to every user of the stadium? The Hurricanes must be losing money putting on matches with 8000 fans turning up so how do you handle that when they are profitable organisations?
Providing parks and recreation space for people of the city (including amateur sport) is really not comparable to subsidising professional sports teams. I think it makes absolute sense for councils/govt to build stadiums. I think if you can run them in a way that you don't need ongoing funding then you will always have a far better case for convincing people - because people ultimately think professional sport should be able to stand on its own feet.
Underpinning all of this, there is basically a crisis nationally of people stopping attending live sport. I've heard a few theories, none are particularly convincing. I really would love to know why