East Aucklanders may not know they have a high-quality dedicated indoor sports facility in their community and its new owner is encouraging locals to take advantage of what it has to offer.
Mark Gardiner bought the Pakuranga Action Indoor Centre in Ben Lomond Crescent about three months ago.
The former Howick Hornets Rugby League Club premier coach bought it from a mate who he knew through the Hornets.
Gardiner took part in a game of indoor cricket at the facility and eventually decided to buy it.
“I needed another challenge and had organised quite a few events so took the plunge and here we are,” he says.
“I thought we could spruce up the place and get the locals back. We’ve started doing minor stuff like stocking the fridge, painting the place here and there and we’re doing a major renovation in the toilets.”
Gardiner has introduced pickle ball to the centre as well as corporate functions, team-building and coaching.
“There’s a lot more things we want to bring on. We’ve done up an outdoor area and we do ice blocks and different foods and drink.
“We’ve got a large TV for when there’s sport on and we’ve put in a pool table to keep kids amused when their mums are playing a game.”
The main sports the centre caters to are indoor netball and cricket.
It has netball running Monday to Wednesday nights on both courts and social cricket on Thursday nights.
“A lot of it is social teams but we also have the Eastern Pakuranga [indoor netball] side,” Gardiner says.
“They’re very well thought of in the area. We punch above our weight in the netball.
“We play Waitakere, Central and Manukau and there’s a national competition in January in Wellington.”
One of the biggest advantages the facility offers is operating in all weather, as being indoors it never needs to cancel an event.
Gardiner is having ceiling fans installed to keep the players cool and he’s investing in the facility with the goal of it being “one of the nicest clubs in Auckland”.
He wants to hear from locals who are keen to join an existing sports team at the centre as well as whole teams that would like to get involved.
“At the moment we’d really like some more cricket teams. We’d love to see locals come down. We have regulars who can play four or five games in a night.”
Well-known local netball coach Chrissy Grey got involved at the centre 17 years ago as an umpire and went on to become a manager, a role she still holds.
She’s seen numerous young sportspeople play at the facility and end up representing their country. Among them are Lataliah Tito and Emmie Ualoa.
“Lataliah has been here since she was nine and she and Emmie have played for New Zealand,” Grey says.
- The Pakuranga Action Indoor Centre is at 30 Ben Lomond Crescent. For more information, contact Mark Gardiner on 027 222 6749 or email pakuranga@actionindoorsports.com or go online to www.actionindoorsports.com/pakuranga.
