One of east Auckland’s most accomplished sports clubs has a bold vision that will enable it to foster other codes in the local community.
Pakuranga United Rugby Club has applied to Auckland Council for just over half of the approximately $9 million it needs to expand its facilities to increase indoor sports capacity and cater for more sports locally, general manager Mike Bongiovanni says.
“There’s the rugby club itself and then there’s the gymnasium,” he says about the club’s existing facility in Lloyd Elsmore Park.
“The gym is used 11 hours a day 364 days a year, so a couple of years ago we had an idea.
“We thought let’s expand it to put in basketball courts, volleyball courts, and more badminton courts.”
The club applied last year to the council for the investment needed to carry out the work.
Its initial application was declined, “but they thought enough of the idea that they granted us some money to conduct official demand assessments and needs analysis”, Bongiovanni says.
“We engaged two companies to do that and they came back with essentially what we already knew, but in a polished, professional and methodical way.
“So we’re in the second year of another round of funding that’s available.”
The club’s ambition is to expand its gymnasium’s footprint to create space for more sports and it hopes to receive seed money from the council to help make that happen.
“Once we get that, we think we’re 24 to 27 months away from opening.”
The demand and feasibility studies done as part of the club’s funding application show there’s a need for the new facilities, it meets the relevant criteria, and it’s commercially viable from “day one”, Bongiovanni says.
He’s publicly talking about its plan to generate energy in the community so the public can put momentum and pressure behind it.
The club has the experience to carry out the plan and he’s hoping east Auckland gets behind it.
Among the sports Bongiovanni wants the club to cater for are indoor netball, volleyball, basketball and futsal, as well as more space for badminton and table tennis.
“It will also include a commercial gym and studio as well as be a wonderful facility for our rugby family.
“Badminton has had a long-standing relationship with the gymnasium and the other sports are lining up waiting for the opportunity to have space.
“In Auckland, but east Auckland specifically, there’s a dearth of activity centres.”
Bongiovanni expects to hear back from the council about its funding application in September.
If the plan comes to fruition, it will enable the other sports to grow locally.
“The majority of those codes are searching for a home.
“With volleyball it would give them a home. With basketball it would give them a home.
“They wouldn’t have to constantly be fighting for space.”
As part of the process, the club has provided tours of its facility to the council and Howick Local Board.
It’s also received letters of support from Sport Auckland, Basketball NZ, Howick Pakuranga Baseball, Howick Pakuranga Netball Centre, Lloyd Elsmore Park Badminton Club, Howick Local Board and East Auckland Volleyball, he says.
People, business and organisations that want to learn more about the club’s plan can email Bongiovanni at gm@purc.co.nz.
