Kogarah Jubilee misses home final again
11 August 2006
This week's edition of 'Big League' has reported that the St.George Bank Dragons will play a home final at WIN Stadium if they can manage to finish in the top four. According to the report, OKI Jubilee Stadium still needs to enhance its corporate facilities and dressing rooms before it can host a home final.
While many consider that the Dragons are unlikely to finish in the top four, the news is disappointing considering the recently completed $8 million upgrade of Kogarah. It is also disappointing that the Dragons were unable to convince the National Rugby League of the benefits of staging a home final at OKI Jubilee Stadium.
While WIN Stadium may have superior corporate facilities, OKI Jubilee Stadium still offers the venue hirer a bigger return from corporate hospitality. In addition, OKI Jubilee Stadium has an official capacity of 20,541, which means that it can hold an extra 1,000 patrons than WIN Stadium.
The home final decision once again highlights that the current agreement with the Wollongong Sportsground Trust is inequitable for St.George based supporters. It is unsatisfactory that the new lease agreement with the Wollongong Trust didn't take account of the Dragons' ongoing commitment to the ANZAC Day match.
WIN Stadium has managed to retain seven Dragons' matches each year including the major pre-season feature match against the Roosters. A home final at WIN Stadium will mean that Wollongong has secured eight matches this year compared to five at Kogarah and that Wollongong has hosted 23 matches over the past three seasons compared to just 14 at Kogarah.
There has been no official statement from St.George-Illawarra confirming this decision and there has also been no confirmation that OKI Jubilee Stadium will host six matches in 2007 when the ANZAC Day match is a Roosters' home game.
Following the receipt of the $7 million from the State Government for the ongoing upgrade of OKI Jubilee Stadium, the OKI Jubilee Steering Committee must use the funding in an efficient manner to overcome OKI Jubilee Stadium's perceived deficiencies. This will ensure that the St.George District's premier sporting facility can be competitive with other venues.
OKI Jubilee Stadium will host its final match on 20 August against the Wests Tigers. While there was a proposal to move this match from OKI Jubilee Stadium, the match stayed at the Dragons' spiritual home.
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