THE revelation last week the Pioneers basketball team may not exist past 2019 should have sent shockwaves through Town Hall leaving councillors facing doubts over the viability of the $40m indoor sports and Recreation centre.
Last week the South East Australian Basketball League announced it would not have the financial support of Basketball Australia from 2019, putting the competition in which the Pioneers compete at risk.
The Pioneers were a likely key tenant at the proposed indoor centre but with their future under a cloud it could put the project’s viability in jeopardy.
The Pioneers are claimed to have home crowds of anywhere between 500-800 patrons, so they were expected to make up a fair slice of the centre’s user-pay cost, posing questions about who will now use the 2000 seating.
The Pioneers only play eight minor round home games each year, plus finals, if they have a successful season, so the depth of that financial benefit compared with the outlay was always debatable.
However, even accepting that it is significant, where does this leave council and what should they do about it?
Some months ago a councillor said council should obtain all membership records for the past 15 years of each of the possible sports centre tenants – that is netball, basketball, tennis etc – to ascertain a trend from what their membership was then, what it is now and what it is likely to be into the future.
This would help council plan for the future in a very transparent way.
So far, that has not happened.
But there is also a broader issue here.
Council must ascertain whether the Mount Gambier Basketball League will play at the centre or whether it remains at the Bern Bruning Stadium.
There is speculation the league might stay at its present stadium and if that is correct it takes away a huge list of paying players and supporters and again places enormous pressure on who will take up the shortfall to pay the centre’s weekly running costs.
Some ratepayers are worried it could be them.
So, at this time one would hope councillors are seriously re-thinking their strategy or at least being prepared to investigate what the future may look like with sport numbers, especially if the Pioneers no longer exist and basketball is not a tenant.
Council cannot afford to gamble on this, nor can MPs Tony Pasin and Troy Bell, as it will be taxpayers/ratepayers’ money which funds the project.
Surely, if there is any doubt about the future of one of the major tenants in the sports centre they would not be prepared to gamble $40m on a hope and prayer the centre might survive with a minority of sports competing.
What the MPs and council need to consider is whether there is any real chance of this centre surviving without the Pioneers?
Could it become a white elephant?
Another matter which needs consideration by other sports and groups which will use the centre is they, in effect, will subsidise the cost of the indoor pool.
Pool running costs are enormous and that is why council embarked on an expanded indoor centre and by including other sports and community groups it will help offset pool costs.
But what about the future, because as we know sporting and community group committees change on a yearly basis?
What if, in say 10 years time after the centre is built a new committee says, “Hang on, why should we continue to subsidise or support the cost of a pool”?
If that sport or group then decides to quit the centre it will be ratepayers who pick up the cost.
The decision last week by Basketball Australia involving the Pioneers may indeed be a God-send for council because it now gives them a chance, for the first time, to take a deep breath, step back for a moment and examine whether sport numbers will be strong enough into the future to support the running costs of the centre.
Council cannot afford to make a $40m gamble when there is no guarantee for the Pioneers past 2019.
