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 The
NRL has reportedly told St.George-Illawarra
that it must play its home final at WIN Stadium
if the Dragons finish in the top four after
round 26.
Oki
Jubilee Stadium has missed out on a possible
home final because St.George-Illawarra are
yet to resolve the permanent lighting issue
at the Dragons’ most popular home venue.
While
temporary lighting could be hired at Kogarah
for the final, the NRL’s Graham Annesley
has made the bizarre claim that the lights
would “…only add to the congestion
within the precinct.” Annesley made another
questionable statement when he remarked that
temporary lighting would fail to meet broadcasting
needs.
With
previous night matches at Kogarah there has
been no issue with the temporary lighting
not meeting the relevant broadcasting needs
as “Musco Lighting” was used to
supply these lights.
Musco
hold the distinction of being the official
lighting provider for the 2004 Olympic Games
in Athens and were also the provider for the
2000 Sydney Olympics. The 2004 Olympics was
the biggest temporary lighting project in
Musco’s history, with 11 lighting trucks
being shipped from the United States to Athens
for the event. If Musco are able to satisfy
the broadcasting standards of the Olympic
Games, it is laughable to suggest that the
NRL’s broadcasting standards would not
be satisfied.
If
holding a home final at Kogarah wasn’t
a possibility, the NRL should have come out
and refuted the possibility from the outset.
Instead the issue lingered in the newspapers
for the best part of a fortnight, during which
the NRL were reportedly in discussions with
Kogarah Council, St.George-Illawarra and the
WIN Stadium Trust.
This
outcome places additional pressure on St.George-Illawarra
to arrange for the installation of permanent
lighting at Kogarah. The Dragons must ensure
that the St.George District’s premier
sporting facility remains competitive with
other venues.
The
decision to grant the final to WIN Stadium
emphasises how inequitable the current home
game split is between Wollongong and Kogarah.
A home final at WIN would mean that WIN Stadium
has hosted twice the number of NRL matches
that Kogarah has been granted in 2004. Supporters
should be concerned that the Dragons are yet
to make concrete guarantees that Kogarah will
host a minimum of 50% of home matches from
2006 onwards.
For
more information on the permanent lighting
issue at Oki Jubilee Stadium, visit R2K’s
lighting page at:
http://www.r2k.info/lights.html
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