The seats are uncomfortable, disability access is prohibitive and the communications equipment is unreliable - and now apparently, to top it all off, the WIN Entertainment Centre roof can't hold water.
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And, on Monday, grass about half a metre high was growing from the gutters - a state which has prompted one councillor to suggest it should be renamed from the WEC to "the wreck".
The region's political leaders have spoken about their collective embarrassment at watching as water pooled on the floor of the Illawarra Hawks' last home game for the season on Sunday.
But having the NSW Government building's deterioration on show during a nationally televised game may be a boon for the decade-old push to get cash spent on the 22-year-old asset, which has fallen into disrepair.
That was the hope of Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery as he used an urgent motion at Monday's council meeting to highlight the shabby state of his city's premier entertainment venue.
He said the WEC, which serves residents in the Illawarra, South Coast and South-Western Sydney, was fast becoming a major economic and reputation problem for Wollongong, requesting the NSW Government urgently "reprioritise the need for an immediate refurbishment, with appropriate funding, of the WIN Entertainment Centre to bring it up to contemporary standards".
However, during the council's ensuring debate, general manger Greg Doyle said the council had last week been advised by Acting Sports Minister Geoff Lee that no funds would be available for the WEC "this financial year, next financial year or into the forseeable future".
This led to deputy mayor Tania Brown calling on the government to release the master plan for the WEC refurbishment, which has been in the works since early 2018.
Liberal councillor John Dorahy gained other councillors' support as he suggested the council invite the Premier and minister (or acting minister) to personally tour the WEC as witness the dilapidation firsthand.
Adding his voice to growing discontent about the government's neglect, fellow Liberal Leigh Colacino suggested the venue should be relabelled as "the wreck".
"Maybe there's going to be people down there... like hawkers outside venues selling umbrellas for when you walk home... positioning themselves outside selling umbrellas for when you go in, so that your experience is a bit more enjoyable," he said,
Labor's Janice Kershaw said the Hawks incident had hopefully highlighted the significant work which needed to happen at the WEC, and "might give some people a kick... because it reflects badly on them".
"If last night's incident means nothing happens then we need to work out a plan b for the [2022 UCI world road cycling championships]... because we as a city can't have this embarrassment with the world watching," she said.
Asked about WEC upgrades and the roof leak, outgoing Venues NSW CEO Paul Doorn (who is leaving to head up NSW Rugby Union) said he was unable to address most questions about the failing centre due to a pending investigation into the roof.
He said Sunday's "major storm" resulted in "a small amount of water penetrating through the roof structure". According to the Bureau of Meterology, just over 6mm of rain fell over Wollongong while the game was on.
Mr Doorn said Venues NSW had "engaged a roofing specialist to undertake a thorough inspection of the external and internal structure of the roof and fix the issue as soon as possible".
"The NSW Government has invested $1.86 million on upgrades of WIN Entertainment Centre since 2016/17," he said.
"We will continue to invest in WIN Entertainment Centre to deliver great events for the community."
For Wollongong MP Paul Scully, the leak during the Hawks game prompted a renewed push for a larger upgrade of the WEC, which Labor and a group of Wollongong tourism and business leaders have been calling for years.
He started a new petition on Monday, calling on the wider community to get behind the campaign.
[The roof leak is] embarrassing and a blight on the Berejiklian government," he said.
"Last night's game was abandoned because the Berejiklian government has abandoned investment in the WEC and abandoned investment in Wollongong."
"Almost a year ago they completed a master plan for the site, so [they should] release that secret plan so our community can put pressure on the government to fully fund an upgrade of the WEC in the upcoming budget."