Invercargill City Council face challenges in increasing Rugby Park use
Sunday, 24 March 2019
The Invercargill City Council's quest to turn Rugby Park into a multi-purpose venue remains a work in progress.
The council took over ownership of Rugby Park in 2016 after previous owners the Southland Outdoor Stadium Trust found themselves in a financial hole.
The council agreed to pay-off a $400,000 loan owing to Community Trust South and also committed $250,000 per year to the venue for maintenance and other costs.
Rugby Southland was also owed $740,000 by the previous owners.
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As part of the take-over deal, the council offered Rugby Southland free office rental at a rate of $35,000 per year to help pay off that debt.
Council-owned Invercargill Venue and Events Management took on the job of running Rugby Park and in 2016 signalled a quest to increase the use of the venue by attracting events other than rugby.
'I am excited at the possibilities the venue has to offer. We see Rugby Park as a multi-purpose venue which can accommodate so much more than rugby alone,' IVEM manager Kate Feaver said.
Feaver said those comments remained valid today but added it had been a challenge to attract events to Rugby Park for various reasons.
Since the council took over the venue in 2016 it has been hired 79 times, ranging from workplace first aid training to the Nitro Circus motorbike show.
Of those 79 hires, 70 per cent were for rugby purposes, from club rugby through to Super Rugby.
'This has been a solid start, but like any venue manager I'm always keen to keep increasing the number of hires,' Feaver said.
'The main challenge we have encountered to date is the nature of some of the events we have been approached to host at Rugby Park.
'For example, 1000 motorbikes on the field for a prospective event related to the Burt Munro Challenge was not viable because of the impact it could have on the playing field.
'We have to be extremely careful with anything that involves the use of the field, to guard against damage to the playing surface. The weather is also a challenge for outdoor events.
'Venue management is a challenge in Invercargill, particularly with a specialist venue like Rugby Park.'
IVEM has tried to increase Rugby Park's use through social media advertising and signage, Feaver said.
Arguably Rugby Park's most prominent event outside of rugby since the council took over was Nitro Circus in 2017.
Nitro Circus was a unique promotion given it was organised by staff from Southland's premier indoor stadium, ILT Stadium Southland.
Other prominent community events at Rugby Park have included kids triathlons and the Relay for Life.
After three years Feaver described the revenue and financial situation of Rugby Park as adequate.
Required repair work, including leaks and water damage, had been a focus at Rugby Park during the three years.
That repair work had added to the challenge of increasing the use of Rugby Park, Feaver said.