“Since August 2018, Venues NSW has been undertaking extensive consultation with key stakeholders in the Illawarra region regarding a potential planning process for the Venues NSW site in Wollongong, which includes WIN Entertainment Centre and WIN Stadium.
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This stakeholder engagement will be used to inform a draft Concept Plan for a future Illawarra Sports and Entertainment Precinct.”
This was the response from Venues NSW in regards to the shot clock failure at the WIN Entertainment Centre during the Hawks’ home game against Adelaide last week.
On the face of it, the issue could just be written off as an unforseeable electrical fault or equipment failure. It would be easy to accept that, but we shouldn’t.
More broadly, the incident is indicative of the ageing and, in some cases, failing infrastructure in our marquee entertainment venue which celebrated a 20th birthday milestone last year. While it has been a wonderful venue it has suffered badly from a lack of reinvestment.
Paying patrons expect more these days than to pay significant ticket prices for events only to have to sit in seats that are uncomfortable or falling apart. Regular patrons will tell you the venue is in dire need of an upgrade, which the community has long cried out for but seen no traction on. Now we are forced to wait for a vision. Forced to wait until that vision is formed, consulted on, proposed, knocked back, reworked and resubmitted.
It could be years before that concept starts taking shape and a window of a looming state election will be another opportunity perhaps missed. This can not wait any longer.
The time frames on this project need to be turned up to position 12 on the dial. NSW Labor has already made an election commitment of a $50 million upgrade should they win government.
The venue is tired now. It won’t get any better in the short-to-medium term. It is all well and good to wish for a long-term vision but unless it is fast-tracked there is a real danger it will be too late.