Summer challenge for new sports stadium

It’s time for Auckland to look for a summer code.

A city long reliant on rugby, league and various international fixtures to fill its sporting calendar, the introduction of a new 50,000 seat waterfront stadium will come with some worries.

Foremost, will it sit all but empty over the summer months?

The venue is expected to displace both Eden Park and Mt Smart Stadium in hosting the city’s various teams. Looking at the schedule for this summer, it translates to 19 cricket matches across all three formats – only three of which are international clashes.

The stadium would host the Blues, Auckland Rugby and Warriors, as well as men’s and women’s international fixtures from mid-February through to late October. In the current formats each of these teams work within, the ground would likely be used for between 30 and 40 matches – enough to feed the appetite of the local sports fans.

But from early November to midFebruary, outside of a few cricket matches, there is nothing noteworthy.

You’d imagine the powers that be have a plan.

Then again, they do have as many as 10 years to come up with one. Perhaps it provides reason to bring an A-League franchise back to the City of Sails, or try to lure the Auckland Tuatara – the country’s only professional baseball team – away from their nest at QBE Stadium for their Australian Baseball League home games.

This season, the Wellington Phoenix will host as many as 17 games, while the Auckland Tuatara will host at least 12 games, with potential for hosting rights in the playoffs. That number will increase last year when they officially move into QBE Stadium, which will give the side another eight games in Auckland.

The A-League and ABL run at perfect times to fill the void open by a lack of summer fixtures; with the former running from mid-October to mid-May and the latter mid-November to early February.

With the A-League running well into May, if fixtures clashed it would provide an opportunity for either the football or rugby team to travel to other parts of the wider Auckland region or around the country to showcase their products.

Granted there’s a reason the A-League franchise was moved away from Auckland to Wellington, but if the product is good the people will come out in support – an a brand new stadium will only help that.

While the arena will also host cultural and entertainment events too, a reliable sporting schedule would ensure it’s a worthwhile investment.