Alternative Wellington Stadium

InsulinMachine

Marto

The A League needs to learn from the only other major league like ours: The MLS.

It specifies "soccer specific" stadiums to stop the exact issue we have in Wellington and the Roar have in Brisbane: Oversized stadiums that lose clubs money.

The Nix and even the 'Canes need a decent 15-20k stadium owned by them (Nix), not a Wellington council. 

Buy some underused industrial land near the city and build something simple and improve it over time. Will make the Nix way more financially sound, improve atmosphere and gets rid of that horrid sight of a 3/4 empty stadium on TV. 

Given Foley's vested interest in US sports, he's very likely to be thinking exactly this for Auckland.

 Yes, exactly. Keep it simple, maybe even 12k for starters. Then add to it over time if necessary. Would love it to be a Nix only stadium but maybe a bit Unrealistic? Partnering with the Hurricanes might be the way to go. Surely there must be interest from both clubs? Could have both clubs logos on the stadium, with one lighting up on game days, depending on who's playing. Like the new Sydney stadium 

The whole idea is Unrealistic, even if the Hurriaces were partnered in.
That new Columbus Crew stadium above cost $USD314M or $NZD509M.
It seats 20,000. Lets say a 12,000 seater stadium costs two thirds that, so about $NZD350M
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower.com_Field

The Hurricanes have no money, so you are basically asking Welnix to go to the bank and get a loan for $NZD350M. At 7% interest rate that is about $24.5M per year in interest costs alone!! Pretty sure the Nix pay less that that to lease Sky Stadium for 11-13 home games per year!!

Sure you may get the Canes as a co tenant, and some other events to host, but that extra income will hardly put a dent in your debt payments.

Then if the Nix & Canes move to a new stadium what happens to Sky losing it's anchor tenants? The WCC with more urgent issues like water, have prop up the stadium's running costs. Ratepayers will love that. Or you let the stadium just fall into disrepair aka Athens post 2004 Olympics. Then where do the Nix take any big Auckland derby games, and playoff matches.

Not sure how these MLS teams are financing their new soccer specific stadiums, but seems a few of the clubs are owned by the Uber rich like Foley. The billionaires club. Rob Morrison and friends ain't in that strata.

Also the MLS unlike the A League seems to be booming. Looks like the clubs negotiate their own local TV rights deals, so hard to gauge if the all important TV rights income is increasing?? But the MLS itself in 2023 signed a 10 year deal with Apple to stream games. San Diego have agreed to pay a staggering $USD500M ($NZD811M) licence fee to become the latest new MLS club!! Insane money. Even Mr Foley would baulk at that.
https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/san-diego-awarded-mls-franchise-after-reported-500-million-fee#:~:text=Major%20League%20Soccer%20has%20awarded,a%20club%20in%20Southern%20California.

You can't compare a growing USA giant pumpkin, to a little NZ Kiwifruit. In 30 years or more the ROF will be knocked over and Welly will get a rectangular ground with a roof. Earlier if the Wairarapa fault decides on a major move. Until then the options are very limited, enlarging Jerry Collins likely the best. 

Is there an actual credible call for a new stadium of any size in Wellington?

There is always bleating about wanting to be closer to the pitch, too many empty seats etc but I can honestly say that none of those things have adversely affected my enjoyment of any game of any code at the stadium. I’m sure its still the same in Europe where the biggest clubs play in stadia with an Olympic running track around the outside….

Wellington just simply can't afford a stadium like the above plus Sky, it's fanciful stuff. You'd just have them competing for basically the same tenants & events (AB tests, big concerts excepted). A zero sum game.

You can't make the monthly debt payments on a $300M bank loan (12K new stadia) from over priced Macca's or Subway. Not even Fritzs Wieners can do that. You need serious Govt cash investment. Or another sports mad American billionaire to rock up. At the moment unlike the 09, there is no serious public groundswell or debate in the 04 to replace the main stadium in town. Partly because the existing one, unlike Eden Park, is already in the best location.

The new rectangular roofed stadium in ChCh is gonna cost $683M. It will seat 30,000 for sports events, and will hold a minimum 36,000 spectators for large music events. Basically identical to Forsyth Barr, and to be financed by local & national Govt ($220M Christchurch Regeneration Acceleration Fund).

Welly will have to wait until the ROF is terminal, for it's turn to get the same. Fans saying but I want & deserve a rectangle 12K stadium so I can have a great day out at the football, remind me a bit of taking screaming infants shopping. No acknowledgement of the hard cold financial reality, boring as it is. 

coochiee

Wellington just simply can't afford a stadium like the above plus Sky, it's fanciful stuff. You'd just have them competing for basically the same tenants & events (AB tests, big concerts excepted). A zero sum game.

You can't make the monthly debt payments on a $300M bank loan (12K new stadia) from over priced Macca's or Subway. Not even Fritzs Wieners can do that. You need serious Govt cash investment. Or another sports mad American billionaire to rock up. At the moment unlike the 09, there is no serious public groundswell or debate in the 04 to replace the main stadium in town. Partly because the existing one, unlike Eden Park, is already in the best location.

The new rectangular roofed stadium in ChCh is gonna cost $683M. It will seat 30,000 for sports events, and will hold a minimum 36,000 spectators for large music events. Basically identical to Forsyth Barr, and to be financed by local & national Govt ($220M Christchurch Regeneration Acceleration Fund).

Welly will have to wait until the ROF is terminal, for it's turn to get the same. Fans saying but I want & deserve a rectangle 12K stadium so I can have a great day out at the football, remind me a bit of taking screaming infants shopping. No acknowledgement of the hard cold financial reality, boring as it is. 

The cost blowout of the ChCh stadium build means there is not enough central government money to finish the build. Hence a lot of bellyache here in ChCh because local govt (CCC) cannot easily raise the rates to pay for it.  Mayor Mauger suggested closing down some libraries (because they are in his words "just some buildings with books in them") and cut swimming pool hours - to which the collective city laughed in his face.  Now he is asking as far as towns not far from Dunedin (Waimate) to chip in.  Not looking good.

People here have said stadia in NZ are serious loss making ventures.  Europe begs to differ.

NZ's problem is that all current stadia, including the mess in CHC are solely stadiums.  

No thought at all has been given to revenue generation on the other 6 days of the week when sport/music isn't on.  No stadium in Europe is built now without other key infrastructure such as a hotel (which happens to be in the plans for Auckland).  NZ can make them work if we stop being so backwards in our thinking and look beyond Saturday afternoon events.

People here have said stadia in NZ are serious loss making ventures.  Europe begs to differ.

NZ's problem is that all current stadia, including the mess in CHC are solely stadiums.  

No thought at all has been given to revenue generation on the other 6 days of the week when sport/music isn't on.  No stadium in Europe is built now without other key infrastructure such as a hotel (which happens to be in the plans for Auckland).  NZ can make them work if we stop being so backwards in our thinking and look beyond Saturday afternoon events.

Yeah, and stopping offering failed officials of cities that went bankrupt on sporting events (Birmingham) a cushy job here as a council CEO.   We have our own incompetent freeloaders experienced in bureaucracy, no need to import them and pay their relocation fees.

Mainland FC

Yeah, and stopping offering failed officials of cities that went bankrupt on sporting events (Birmingham) a cushy job here as a council CEO.   We have our own incompetent freeloaders experienced in bureaucracy, no need to import them and pay their relocation fees.

Was in ChCh Oct last year. Mate staying with said the large indoor sports facility (Metro?) at Addington is just a complete cluster fudge of wasted money and Council incompetence. Huge time and cost over runs. A very expensive world class diving platform when NZ has never had world class platform divers. A builder friend who turns up there every day, but no seems in charge onsite and the day to day planning is awful

Anyone see the Western United Women's team play their first home game at their newly opened Tarneit facility? They did a good job with it and the little grand stand was full. Its what the league desperately needs, infrastructure that it actuall  owns, to free itself from the shackles of the other codes, high stadium rents and ridiculous policing of fans. 

I thought if that grand stand they built was extended around the whole ground, that would be an awesome little stadium even for the men

I have watched a couple of the women's games at Porirua this season.  If you take your car, nightmare trying to get a park. Basically, it is one street to park on.  Times that crowd by four to six times for a men's game?  Heaven knows how that would work.

Haven't really tracked this topic all day, but seemingly it's been talked about in the wrong thread....

Can someone fill me in, what's prompted this chat to move out to Porirua? I get that the cost would be significantly lower for WelNix, but is there a main driver for this chatter? The only thing I can think of is cost, and this mainly comes down to the reported potential decrease in television rights for next season - amounting to several hundred thousand dollars (reportedly, will try find source).

Fully back it if there are positive financial outcomes for the club. Mind you, there would be a hell of a lot of work involved to get that stadium ready and up to spec for 6-8k attendances.

Bonnie Jansen on the 'Football Fever' Podcast she does with Piney said this week that she was talking to one of the Nix staff/mgmt and they were looking at adding a stand or two to Jerry Collins for next season having the Men play there, not sure how much truth is in that, but Piney repeated it later on too.

YoungHeartHM

Haven't really tracked this topic all day, but seemingly it's been talked about in the wrong thread....

Can someone fill me in, what's prompted this chat to move out to Porirua? I get that the cost would be significantly lower for WelNix, but is there a main driver for this chatter? The only thing I can think of is cost, and this mainly comes down to the reported potential decrease in television rights for next season - amounting to several hundred thousand dollars (reportedly, will try find source).

Fully back it if there are positive financial outcomes for the club. Mind you, there would be a hell of a lot of work involved to get that stadium ready and up to spec for 6-8k attendances.

Dougie Rydal

Bonnie Jansen on the 'Football Fever' Podcast she does with Piney said this week that she was talking to one of the Nix staff/mgmt and they were looking at adding a stand or two to Jerry Collins for next season having the Men play there, not sure how much truth is in that, but Piney repeated it later on too.

So it begins, the slow transition to a boutique stadium - love this.

Question, how expensive is public transport to Porirua Park from the CBD?

WhoStoleMySock

So it begins, the slow transition to a boutique stadium - love this.

Question, how expensive is public transport to Porirua Park from the CBD?

I'm an out-of-towner and I think I paid $14 cash from Welly Central to Porirua return on the train. I'm guessing a Snapper (or whatever the card is) may be cheaper.

Christo

WhoStoleMySock

So it begins, the slow transition to a boutique stadium - love this.

Question, how expensive is public transport to Porirua Park from the CBD?

I'm an out-of-towner and I think I paid $14 cash from Welly Central to Porirua return on the train. I'm guessing a Snapper (or whatever the card is) may be cheaper.

Reasonable hike from the train station to Jerry Colins though, so there'd need to be shuttles. 

Christo

WhoStoleMySock

So it begins, the slow transition to a boutique stadium - love this.

Question, how expensive is public transport to Porirua Park from the CBD?

I'm an out-of-towner and I think I paid $14 cash from Welly Central to Porirua return on the train. I'm guessing a Snapper (or whatever the card is) may be cheaper.

Reasonable hike from the train station to Jerry Colins though, so there'd need to be shuttles. 

Ryan

Christo

WhoStoleMySock

So it begins, the slow transition to a boutique stadium - love this.

Question, how expensive is public transport to Porirua Park from the CBD?

I'm an out-of-towner and I think I paid $14 cash from Welly Central to Porirua return on the train. I'm guessing a Snapper (or whatever the card is) may be cheaper.

Reasonable hike from the train station to Jerry Colins though, so there'd need to be shuttles. 

They did put on a shuttle for the game I was at. It was free. I am not sure it was at every match (but it may have been).

Would a stadium at Heretaunga be any improvement accessibility-wise on Porirua Park?