Rugby Southland Supporters Club homeless because of Rugby Park mould

Tuesday, 25 June 2019

The Rugby Southland Supporters Club has been removed from its clubrooms at Rugby Park because of toxic mould at the venue.

The Rugby Southland Supporters Club is homeless as the Invercargill City Council continues to work through the toxic mould problem at Rugby Park.

The council, which owns Rugby Park, has removed the Supporters Club from its base at the outdoor stadium because of health and safety concerns.

Invercargill City Council chief executive Clare Hadley said the council was seeking expert advice in regard to remedying the leaking and mould at Rugby Park.

It follows Rugby Southland, which is a separate entity to the Supporters Club, having to move out of its Rugby Park offices in April.

The Rugby Southland offices were moved upstairs to the corporate boxes after toxic mould was found under the grandstand at Rugby Park.

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The Supporters Club was unable to use its clubrooms for this month's Highlanders fixture in Invercargill and club members now feared they would be without a base for the upcoming Southland Stags Mitre 10 Cup season starting in August.

Council chief executive Clare Hadley said the two organisations had been removed from their offices and clubrooms indefinitely.

She said they were seeking expert advice in regard to remedying the leaking and mould at Rugby Park.

The leaking at Rugby Park steams from an old section of the grandstand which remained when Rugby Park was upgraded in 2001.

Rugby Southland Supporters Club president and club life member, Tony Rabbitt, was concerned it would be without a home so close to the start of the Mitre 10 Cup season.

The clubrooms were also used as a venue for the Stags' after match functions and Rugby Southland general manager Brian Hopley said they would need to try to sort an alternative venue with the Supporters Club was off limits.

Rabbitt said they were working with the council with the hope to be able to return to the clubrooms at Rugby Park this year.

Hadley understood the work required to remedy the problems involved three steps.

They have applied waterproof paint to the bleachers directly above the rear wall of the Rugby Southland offices and the Supporters Club.

Time would confirm if that waterproof paint had worked, Hadley said.

They would also need to remove all materials which have been contaminated, including wall linings and carpet.

The walls would need to be rebuilt, while removed materials replaced, Hadley added.

The work was estimated to cost between $70,000 and $90,000.

'While we estimate the cost of cleaning the mould to be $40,000 to $50,000, and replacement of contaminated materials like carpet and wall linings to be $30,000 to $40,000, no formal quotes have yet been requested while we seek expert advice for the best way to deal with any contamination and risk.

'For this reason, the organisations which have moved out, have done so indefinitely,' Hadley said.

For many years the Supporters Club was based in a building at the Elles Rd end of Rugby Park.

However, in 2001, when Rugby Park was upgraded, the Supporters Club moved under the grandstand.

The club spent $180,000 fitting out the clubrooms and signed a 99-year lease with previous owners of Rugby Park, the Southland Outdoor Stadium Trust.

The council took over ownership of Rugby Park in 2016 after the Southland Outdoor Stadium Trust found themselves in a financial hole.

Rugby Southland was owed $740,000 by the Southland Outdoor Stadium Trust and a deal was struck where Rugby Southland was provided free office rental by the council as part of the debt repayment.

Hadley said there were no formal arrangements in place with the Supporters Club or Rugby Southland to provide office and clubrooms arrangements in the interim.