ATHLETIC PARK

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9734, 9 August 1917, Page 8

ATHLETIC PARK

THE HOME OF RUGBY EFFORT (PO SATE THE GROUND FOR THE GAME. The big effort now being made to save the Athletic Park for Rugby football originated in a sense of duty to the 1300 senior players from Wellington who have gone to the front and in a desire to keep up the standard of play during their absence by encouraging the juniors. The maintenance of the park as a playing area involves the Wellington Rugby Union in an annual expenditure of about JE6OO, a sum which it is quite impossible to secure by the ordinary means under existing conditions. As practically every eligible Rugby footballer has joined the forces and the game is now confined to players under military age, attendances at matches have fallen off very badly. The consequence is that the union’s finances havebeen drifting back, and. unless .£3OOO is raised within tho next few months, the park will be lost to the city of Wellington as a recreation ground. It is pointed out that, in addition to the playing of football at week-ends, the park is used by the State schools for their championship matches every week, and also by St. Patrick’s College, Marist Brothers, and Scots College students as their training grounds. Tho park also is at all times of tho year available as a playground for. children, who take advantage of the privilege in large numbeVs. On these grounds alone the committee considers it is entitled to the support of the general public. It has been decided to appeal to the public for financial assistance, which may be rendered either by donations or by the purchase of a 10s season ticket which will entitle the holder to admission to the park and stands. , THE RUGBY HEADQUARTERS.

The Athletic Park is the headquarters in Wellington of Rugby—the game which the New Zealander proudly calls his own national game. It is not without some reason that he does so, for New Zealanders have proved their worth, not only against, the players of Australia, but also against the cracks of Great Britain; and this, too, on their grounds and under all conditions of weather. On the Athletic Park itself some of the great contests have been waged and crowds have had their fill of delight at the ability displayed by New Zealanders. There, too, many North and South Island contests, Wellington representative,. inter-University, and club matches are played. The Wellington Union formerly played its chief matches at Newtown, Park, but it became necessary to have more security of tenure than is possible under a ground controlled by the City Council, and when the Athletic Park Company was formed the local union Invested all its capital, 2EIOO, in the venture.

The prospectus of the Wellington Athletic Park Company, Limited, set out That the capital wduld be 5000 shares of £1 each. The laud to be acquired was parts of town acres 886 to 987 inclusive, to ho used for cricket, football, athletic sports, and. should sufficient inducement offer, for agricultural shows and exhibitions. The absence of such a ground had always placed Wellington at a disadvantage when compared with the other cities of New Zealand. The proposed ground would be 8J acres, within v five minutes from ■ tram; a 63 years lease could be obtained from November Ist, 1883, with renewable terms, not exceeding 21 years, subject to a new assessment of ground rent; first term the rental to be £153 per annum. It was proposed to level an area 203 yards by 142 yards, - thus giving two football grounds, and a first-class cricket pitch yith cinder track not loss than 625 yards round and IS feet wide. Messrs Richardson and Reardon had taken levels, etc., and given an estimate of .£4300 as the cost of levelling _ and preparing the ground. To this estimate had to be added various incidental expenses necessary for the promotion of a company, and also to provide for the erection of a suitable pavilion, water service, sanitary arrangements, plantsay another .£7OO. The following was the estimate of annual expenditure and receipts for the first 21 years of lease: Expenses—Ground rent £154, maintenance £IBO. interest on capital £3OO, contributions of gate money to clubs using ground, say «£SOO, rates* taxes, and in cidental expenses say £117; total, £1250. Receipts—Gate money from cricket, football, and athletic meetings £1350. The promoters were of opinion that the ground would, when in working order. return a fair interest on the eapital invested. Apart, however, from this consideration, it was confidently expected that the scheme would be cordially svfpported by all members of various branches of athletics, in whose interest the dbmpany had been formed as well as bv a large section of the public which was interested in out-door exorcise. ESTABLISHING THE COMPANY. At the first annual meeting the directors were Messrs H. E. Bell, Er Collins, J. P. Eirth, C. H. Izard, C. A. Knapp and W. M. Muir The secretary was Mr A.- T. Bate. Others who did good work for the furtherance of the company and the sport in general were Messrs J. P. Maxwell, W. E. Pearson. jy r k Newman, G. P. C, Campbell and Stan Brown. The footballers of Wellington and the public generally owe a great, deal to these gentlemen and others who devoted much time and attention for no reward at all in order to further the winter game. When the Wellington Union went to Athletic Park the takings in championship and representative matches at Newtown Park for the {previous season were £335 18s 6d. The,must year, i.e., 1896, the local union just about got that amount at the Athletic Park but the figures improved, slowly at first, but afterwards more rapidly. . In July, 1908, the Wellington Union arranged to purchase as a going concern the Athletic Park Company, and were backed up by the Kew Zealand Rugby Union. The Athletic Park Company required that the debenture and shareholders, debts and charges for winding up should be paid by the Wellington Union. These according to the liquidator’s report totalled £6444 19s 3d, which included, however, a sum of £bw 10s lOd gate money due to the Wellington Union. The figures were largo, tut the Wellington Union felt that it could reasonably incur the expenditure, as the gate takings were always increasing, and an experiment of playing matches at Miraijiar had proved the necessity of acquiring a ground within the city. In 1909 there was . a play-off between the Poneke and Petone Clubs, and Auckland and Taranaki teams visited Wellington, the result being that the gate receipts came to just over £2641. This was an exceptional year, however. The later takings were considerably less and the finances were strained to the utmost to make ends meet. BBNEWING THE LEASE. , When in 1913 on the expiration of the existing lease a new lease bad to he arranged., the union was in financial difficulties. However, after much nego tiation a new lease was taken early in 1914 on a much improved basis, namely, a rental of £4-37 per year. In normal times the park would have been quit® a payable proposition on the terms, but the outbreak of war upset calculations. Owing to tbc absence of first-class matches the takings have fallen to zero, and an appeal to the public has become necessary in order to preserve the park