By Brad Forrest
St.George Leader
02/10/2007
The St.George-Illawarra Dragons' decision to play all Sydney home games at Telstra Stadium next year will partly offset the $2 million shortfall in funds from the leagues club to the football club in 2008.
Defending the decision to abandon Kogarah's OKI Jubilee Stadium, Dragons' chief executive Peter Doust said a generous Telstra deal, combined with a shortfall in State Government funding to start Kogarah's latest round of ground renovations, forced the club's hand.
The decision has angered many fans in the St.George District, led by the Return to Kogarah group. Some have questioned why the building couldn't be put off until after the club played their five home games at Kogarah, while others wanted all home games at WIN Stadium to maximise a home-ground advantage.
Doust asked fans to "understand" the move to Telstra was for one year only and added that it was financially more superior to playing all games in Wollongong.
"We couldn't start building works after our home games this year, as planned, because we needed funding for about $15 million in works and we only had approval for $7 million," he said.
"We then had to make a decision about next season. If we played games at Kogarah we'd risk not being able to start building works. It is also more cost-effective to do all the works in one go next year."
"The board had the option of playing all home games in Wollongong or to find an alternative venue in Sydney, which could generate positive cash flows for the football club."
The Dragons want to extend their twin-level grandstand at both ends, to provide about 6,000 undercover seats for supporters and sponsors, and they hope to make the Kogarah ground more cost-effective.
"Kogarah is very important to the Dragons," Doust said.
"The decision was made for the future, to allow an even greater OKI Jubilee Stadium to be developed for 2009 onwards."
He said whether or not extra funding was approved, the Dragons would begin building works next year.
"But we believe it is worth the wait to see if additional funding can be identified," he said.
Telstra Stadium, home to the Canterbury Bulldogs, South Sydney Rabbitohs and Wests Tigers also "suited the Dragons demographics and an expanding fan base into Sydney's west and north-west," he said.
The Return to Kogarah (R2K) group condemned the Dragons' switch from Kogarah.
"While R2K is aware that the Dragons are in the process of trying to gain additional State Government funding, the decision to abandon Kogarah in 2008 cannot be tolerated," group spokesman Lachlan McLean said.
"The upgrade works are yet to commence and while the R2K committee respects that it would be more cost effective for the complete scope of works to take place at the one time, there is no sound reason why 5 matches couldn’t have been staged at Kogarah."
"At this stage, the Dragons are under no obligation to commence the next stage of the Jubilee upgrade and it doesn’t appear it will commence until there is a resolution in regards to the additional State Government funding.
"We believe the Dragons will regret a decision that will alienate all supporters, sponsors and the entire St.George community in rugby league's centenary year."
