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Hibiscus Coast Cricket Club needs a bit more than a shipping container and a portacabin as its base if it is to capitalise on a huge increase in the number of locals playing the sport.
The club is hoping to get shared clubrooms built at Metro Park East as soon as possible.
In a presentation to the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board last month, manager Tony Naidu said that this season the club has grown player numbers by approximately 36 percent across the community, with significant increases in junior school cricket. There are also plans to increase the number of pitches and nets at Metro Park. Mr Naidu said while the club is grateful for the container and portable office provided by Auckland Council, and has another container on the way, to move to the next level a clubhouse is desperately needed.
The latest plan for Metro Park shows a smaller shared clubroom to be shared by cricket, athletics, football and rugby clubs, which Mr Naidu says should be the highest priority build.
There is also a larger facility on the plan, again to be shared by multiple sports.
Mr Naidu says that Opus are working with the Metro Park Working Group (made up of representatives of sports that use the park) to formalise a multi-facility plan that achieves the various needs of the sports and provides concrete steps to achieve it.
“The development at Metro Park is critical to the future of our club and other sports and will be fully utilised as soon as it is completed,” he says.
Auckland Council has to date only opted to fund provision of a toilet block and changing rooms at Metro Park, expecting clubs to raise money for shared clubrooms.
Mr Naidu says that he hopes development contributions could make more money available, with the multi-use plan making a case for funding stronger.
“We do desperately need a home and hopefully we can move quickly this year to get it started,” he says.
