Newcastle Jets prisoners of stadium deals affecting playing surface

Not on your nelly.

In a self-described "annual rant", the Herald's football correspondent David Lowe thanked Venues NSW in his weekend column for the destruction of "a playing surface that needs to be flat, safe and suitable for the venue's second-most regular tenants." While other codes can play on less than perfect turf, the world game requires a high-quality playing surface for players and fans.

Herald letters correspondent Eric Burns from Belmont has long been critical of events being held during the Newcastle Jets A-League season that will likely have a detrimental effect on the playing surface. Last Wednesday, he asked a question that many Jets fans have repeatedly scratched their heads while wondering: "why doesn't Jets management have a watertight contract with Venues NSW that prevents them from leasing the ground to any entity that might cause damage to the ground during A-League seasons?" ('Why isn't runway clear for Jets during season?', Letters, 22/11).

Last Saturday's game against the Central Coast Mariners was rescheduled from Turton Road - because of the motorbike extravaganza that required mountains of dirt to be dumped on the playing surface - to the Central Coast. The Mariners, who had lost their previous four matches this season, towelled up the Jets 3-1. Despite repeated protestations from Jets fans, there is little doubt that Venues NSW will continue to take money on offer from event promoters whose events will affect the surface during the A-League season.

But there are other matters that arise regarding the ongoing use of the stadium managed by a state government owned entity competing with a private sector that has invested millions in staging and facilities. Hunter Valley's Hope Estate, Roche Estate and Bimbadgen have all attracted major music acts over the past 15 years well before Turton Road stuck its ready-to-do-business hand up.

The big music events brought to Turton Road have been well patronised successes. It's far more convenient for Newcastle locals to get to the stadium to see the likes of Elton John, Paul McCartney and Pink rather than having to schlep up to Pokolbin. It's unfortunate that the events tend to occur during the A-League season. While not as damaging to the playing surface as motorcycle events, concert stages still leave their mark. I went to the opening double header for the Jets teams on a dreary Sunday afternoon last month, and the turf at the southern end of the ground where the stage for Macca was situated had been clearly impacted. While the motorcycle events are likely to continue there, concerts are unlikely to enjoy the same tenure.

Cedar Mill Lake Macquarie, situated on the former Morisset Golf Club site, is set to be an events hub for the Hunter and the Central Coast tourism economy when it opens in late 2025.

I doubt the owners - having invested a reported $235 million - will be stoked with a state government backed entity squirrelling international music acts to Turton Road, no matter how appealing it is to the City of Newcastle (CoN) as a key driver for the visitor economy.

Slotted for a late 2025 opening, the venue is purpose built for concerts. While it will hold approximately 30,000 fans, it can adapt its sizing for smaller crowds in an intimate setting.

Just 500 metres from the train station and promising plenty of car and bus parking, Cedar Mill will not sit on its hands about competing for acts with a state government entity.

The sooner the government gets on with Hunter Park Precinct, where there can be an exclusive round ball ground that seats 10,000-15,000 people and an entertainment centre that isn't so embarrassing to the future jewel of the Asia Pacific and doesn't feel so 1940s, the better. It now seems the Hunter Park Precinct is sitting in the same basket as a faster train between Newcastle and Sydney. Another study anyone?

And motorcycles on the surface at Turton Road would never happen to the Knights? Wrong, Jets comrades. There is a motorcycle event scheduled there for March 9, 2024, but the Knights won't play there after that until round three when they'll meet Melbourne Storm on March 24. The Jets will remain prisoners of Venues NSW deals affecting the playing surface until there is a dedicated football ground in this city.

Football in Newcastle deserves nothing less.