ILT Stadium Southland General Manager say opening venue is financially pointless

With the majority of New Zealand at alert level 2 COVID-19 restrictions, ILT Stadium Southland General Manager Nigel Skelt has advised that opening the Invercargill venue is financially pointless.

However, under tighter level 2 Delta restrictions the stadium has only been able to divide the complex into two spaces; the velodrome, and the main stadium area, with just 50 people in each.

As reported by news website Stuff, this contrasts with last year’s restrictions, which, at alert level 2, allowed the venue to be divided up into three, four, and sometimes five areas with 100 people in each of those sections.

The current restrictions have allowed some sports teams to train at the indoor venue, but Skelt advised that if the stadium was a private business it would make no financial sense to open the doors.

Speaking to Stuff, Skelt explained “we are a community facility, and we have a responsibility to the community to be open. It's not about the dollars it’s about the community.”

The biggest financial impact on the venue has been the loss of larger events which have included a charity ball, a concert for singer Stan Walker and the ILT Darts Masters.

There are also now doubts about the venue's leavers ball set for Friday 24th September, as well as marque sporting event the National Basketball League 3x3 competition scheduled for next month.

Skelt said they would need to get back to alert level 1 to ensure a full crowd could attend the 3x3 basketball event to make it work financially.

Last month, Nick Sautner, Chief Executive of Auckland’s Eden Park said stadiums can only really operate at level one - with no imposed restrictions, only intensive testing and rapid contact tracing.

Sautner stated tThe reality is that the stadium industry is one of the few industries that can only operate under level one.”

Image: ILT Stadium Southland General Manager Nigel Skelt.