Jubilee
Oval 'under utilised'
Report
from: R2K
24/08/03
Kogarah
Council has stated that Jubilee Oval is currently
`under utilized' as the Dragons are only planning
to play 4 home games at the venue in 2004. The Council
statement comes in the wake of 3 local residents
objecting to the arrival of Sydney Olympic at Kogarah
for the 2003/2004 season.
Whilst
Sydney Olympic are keen to play at Kogarah following
their unsuccessful experiment in the Sutherland
Shire, it is in Kogarah's best interests to host
soccer in order to be deemed a multi-purpose venue
going forward. The Fraser Park Dragons have successfully
hosted four soccer matches at Kogarah this year,
but the arrival of an NSL side has a handful of
residents concerned. Two of the objectors are uneasy
about the possible increase in traffic, the extra
burden on parking and what they would regard as
a loss of pleasantness from having soccer games
at Kogarah. A third objector believes that soccer
attracts undesirable patrons to the area and that
it may disturb the objectors' placid lifestyle.
Despite
these concerns from the trio of locals, Kogarah
Council is expected to grant final consent for the
use of Jubilee Oval for NSL soccer games in 2003/2004.
Sydney Olympic is only expected to host crowds of
between 3,000 and 5,000 for the majority of their
13 home games. Free shuttle buses will be in operation
and Park Street will be closed when a crowd of 5,000
or more is expected. At this stage, Kogarah Council
is not permitting any NSL night games but the fixtures
from December to February will commence at 5:00pm.
The extra utilization of Jubilee Oval is expected
to have a favourable impact on the local area from
an economic and social viewpoint.
As
Kogarah Council has stated, Jubilee Oval is currently
under utilized. It's unfortunate that St.George-Illawarra
has only allocated 4 home games to the venue in
2004. This is a direct consequence of the Dragons'
participation in the ANZAC game at Aussie Home Loans
Stadium and the Club's agreement with the Wollongong
Sportsground Trust to play a minimum of 7 home games
per year at WIN Stadium from 2002 to 2005. From
an equity viewpoint, Kogarah's Jubilee Oval should
be granted a minimum of 7 home games per year for
the seasons 2006 to 2009. The extra utilization
of Kogarah will assist in future attempts to obtain
Government and community funding.
"Kogarah's
still the centre of the world for me"
-
Clive James (speaking from London).
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