THE seating plans for the stadium at the $45 million Mildura Sporting Precinct are as murky as the floodwaters around Lock 11.
The promise in the original Mildura Future Ready document for a 3000-seat entertainment centre as part of the precinct has so far failed to materialise.
Council’s vision from day one has been to host major events at the precinct as well as community sport and recreation.
The latter has been a resounding success to date, with an explosion of playing numbers for basketball and volleyball at a local level.
The summer basketball competition now has 293 teams, 65 more than last year, taking playing numbers to nearly 2000.
In all, the stadium services 7300 participants each week across the sports of basketball, volleyball, netball and badminton.
There are no dramas at this level.
Outside of the stadium, the precinct is also kicking goals.
The SFNL’s grand final day was hailed as a big success.
There were about 8000 people in attendance, including a crowd of about 1000 for the cracking A Grade netball contest.
Truth be told, this game went well in spite of a lack of courtside seating. There was only basic bench aluminium seating for the big crowd.
Many stood up, several deep, to catch a glimpse of an epic clash where the Wenty Roos prevailed by a goal.
Last month’s AFLW game and the Kings of Leon concert, both on the premier oval, went down a treat too.
But the problem child remains the stadium.
Let’s not beat around the bush here. If you want to attract major events, including National Basketball League games (which would probably attract a crowd of 4000-5000), wouldn’t you dedicate a showcourt with a combination of permanent and retractable seating from the get-go?
Especially when you have a budget of $26.5 million to build the stadium in Stage 1 of the project?
Council chief executive Martin Hawson wouldn’t reveal specific numbers, but he said that 3000 retractable seats would cost “above $500,000”.
I know there was a great focus on “community” and getting in as many courts as possible (six). That’s fine if it’s your sole focus.
But the original plan was for major events to be held inside the stadium.
How do you attract this if there is no suitable seating factored into the initial stadium design plan?
It means the council is now in patch-up mode as it scrambles to accommodate user groups such as basketball.
A good example of this is the large glass windows that look outside the stadium.
As one basketball source told me, “if they knew anything about our sport, that’s the last thing you’d do” because of the glare.
But back to the seating concerns.
Let’s look at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium, which cost $19 million to refurnish in the past few years.
Traralgon has a population of just under 27,000, about 10,000 less than Mildura city.
Yet, it has a stadium with 3000 spectator seats and certainly punches above its weight.
GRISS has been good enough to host Harlem Globetrotters and will host its second regular season NBL game next month.
Mr Hawson said it was a “complex situation” when it came to the rest of the stadium fit-out.
But it could have been so much simpler with more consultation with the user groups.
It’s like me building a house for you. I’d want to know what you wanted and needed in the house before I built it.
So, in relation to basketball, there’s still no agreement on what Mildura Basketball wants for its Big V games.
I don’t blame them for opting to play at the Hothouse in 2023 while this farcical situation at MSP plays out.
I’m told there could be 100 to 150 permanent seats put in below the balcony on the court that showcased the A Grade netball grand final. This would essentially cater for the Heat’s sponsors.
But what happens to the glass windows behind it? They’ll need a redo. Another fix-up cost.
Late in our interview on Thursday, Hawson did give an explanation for the absence of seating so far at MSP.
“The reason (the seats) weren’t in Stage 1 is because we had to deliver on the commitments – particularly the funding commitments – that were acquired in Stage 1, of which spectator seating is certainly something and we had to do a component of that.
“But our major focus in the first instance was community activation.”
I get the community component. But I come back to the original vision of combining this push with attracting major events.
And for this, you’d need more permanent and retractable seating in the initial stadium design.
I’ve spoken with at least 20 people in the basketball community this year about the suitability of playing elite basketball at MSP in the current design.
I would never give up my sources, but I can tell you there have been some very strong words attacking the council over the stadium plan.
“All you’ve basically got is a shed with six courts,” one said recently.
The next potential debacle is the council not having enough seating to host the WNBL game in just over a month.
Look, I really hope it all works out. I would rather cover the Big V games on a comfortable seat at MSP, rather than the rundown Hothouse.
But until the seating farce is sorted out, the Heat teams will remain at the Hothouse.
On a lighter note, I reckon a bloke like James Madigan wouldn’t be unhappy about that.
The Heat Big V women’s coach loves the old joint.
