We should aim high on sports venues

Palmerston North prides itself on its sport.

The Turbos, speedway, cricket, football, hockey. You name it, we’re passionate about it and think we’re pretty good at it.

So, it’s a shame we don’t have the facilities to match.

The Central Energy Trust Arena is a relic and it’s good to see an upgrade, including covered seating on the southern embankment, is in store over the next few years, according to the city council’s long-term plan.

It’s a shame city hall never accepted an offer spearheaded by businessman Paul O’brien in 2013 for some corporate funding for covered seating. Four years on and most of the stadium is still windswept and wet.

Such malaise isn’t exclusive to the city’s premier sporting venue. We no longer have a professional football team and it’s probably just as well given the lack of investment in Memorial Park.

But one of the biggest eyesores on the sporting landscape is Fitzherbert Park, home of cricket and rugby league.

A city of our size should be on the radar to host international cricket, but such dreams have long since died – a campaign fronted by the late city identity Vern Chettleburgh in the 1990s was the last time we heard any such murmurings.

Indeed, 1997 was the last time a big game of cricket was held in Palmerston North, when against the backdrop of protests over the Fitzherbert Ave trees, England played a New Zealand A team.

Since then we’ve fallen so far down the pecking order we barely get any Central Districts matches. Meanwhile, the already rustic grandstand has remained stuck in its time warp and there has been little investment in training facilities and other amenities.

This year though, Manawatu Cricket has gone cap in hand to the council, asking for a $175,000 contribution to a $300,000 upgrade of the park. The work would include better grass practice facilities, an electronic scoreboard and improvements to the pavilion, all with the aim of hosting more first-class and even women’s international cricket.

It’s a good start, but we can do better than that. Council officials and Manawatu cricket should get their heads together and work out a plan to bring full-fledged internationals to the city.

We might not have the capacity to host England or Australia, but could easily welcome one of the lower-ranked international teams for a test match. Yes, it might prove expensive in the short-term, but it will be worth it.