Newlands: Still WP's 'home sweet home'
Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:18
Newlands stadium will remain the home of Western Province rugby for the foreseeable future, after clubs from the Western Union Rugby Union (WPRU) voted against relocating to Green Point Stadium.
The WPRU clubs reportedly convened a secret meeting last week Monday where the decision was taken to stay at Newlands, rather than put the wheels in motion to relocate to Green Point Stadium, which is currently under construction for the 2010 soccer World Cup.
The WPRU have been experiencing financial difficulty for some time, and have been forced into seeking drastic measures of increasing their cash reserves.
Earlier this year, it was widely reported in the media that the union were prepared to sell their primary asset, Newlands stadium, to solve their cash-flow problems.
According to Die Burger, a major banking group has already indicated that it would be willing to pay ZAR240-million (US$32.3-million) for the Newlands property.
WPRU chief executive Theuns Roodman said that the idea was subsequently scrapped, as relocation to Green Point Stadium would not have made financial sense.
"We took the matter to the clubs. All, with one exception, voted in favour of remaining at Newlands," Roodman told Die Burger.
"There is a lot of nostalgia attached to Newlands but that's not what the decision was about.
"Financially, we will not be better off if we move. There are only 150 suites in the new stadium and we would have had to build new ones.
"That means one would be paying to upgrade someone else's property," Roodman explained.
WPRU would not only have to spend their own money to upgrade and build more corporate suites in the Green Point Stadium, but there is every chance they would also need to upgrade the playing surface.
And that would not be financially shrewd at all, considering that the union recently spent plenty of money upgrading the Newlands surface.
Other cost factors, such as securing the surrounding area, and taxes, also played a role in deterring the union's proposed move to Green Point.
But Roodman stated that although the decision meant that the WPRU would stay at Newlands for now, the option could possibly exercised in the future.
"We wrote to the city council. The door is not completely closed. The union is willing to listen to anyone and we will then take a well-considered decision," he said.
"Our next move (regarding the issue) won't be soon. It may be reconsidered in 2010."
