By PAUL SUTTOR
Illawarra Mercury
December 18, 2002
THE Dragons expect to see more Illawarra fans make the trek north to watch the red and whites when they return to a revamped Kogarah Oval next year.
Yesterday, St George Illawarra officials, NSW Minister for Sport Morris Iemma, state politicians Cherie Burton and Kevin Greene, and Kogarah council general manager Gary Sawyer announced a $1.3million upgrade of the venue.
The money will be used to add 700 seats to the edges of the western grandstands, install new toilets, and upgrade the corporate boxes, media facilities and lighting. A Legends Walk will also be constructed behind the grandstand, the scoreboard will be updated, and the entry facilities improved.
The money consists of $800,000 in state funding, plus $400,000 from the St George Leagues Club and $100,000 in council contributions.
Five games will be played at Kogarah next year. All the covered grandstand seating for those matches has already been sold out.
Dragons chairman Warren Lockwood said he was certain more of the joint venture club's Illawarra-based fans would attend the Sydney home games in 2003.
"The people from Wollongong weren't keen on going to the Sydney Football Stadium," he said.
"Our season ticket holders, who just had seats for WIN Stadium, are now buying full-season tickets.
"Home grounds are a big advantage. We've seen that at WIN Stadium. There's been some close games the Dragons have had down there that they've won with a parochial crowd cheering them on and I think Kogarah will be just as vocal."
Lockwood said the Dragons were confident of putting the "house full" sign up at the majority of their matches at both venues next season.
"This (funding) means everything as far as the club is concerned. To say we're delighted would be an understatement," he said.
"We left Kogarah in 1999 and we always wanted to come back but we had to find a way to come back to a facility that would be appropriate for the National Rugby League."
St George Illawarra's first match back at Kogarah Oval will be against traditional rivals Cronulla in the first weekend of May.
Announcing the $800,000 State Government funding, Mr Iemma said Kogarah Oval would be a valuable community asset for many years.
"Traditional features of the oval will also be maintained as part of the plan, including the retention of the hill in a high-quality landscaping work," he said.