The hot potato on the agenda is the lease agreement for the Outeniqua Park Rugby Stadium, which will be tabled at the council meeting. The existing lease agreement, in which the stadium is charged out at a nominal R100 per month plus Vat, is with the SWD Rugby Union.
A clause in the contract states that the Union is responsible for the maintenance of the sport fields and buildings. Currently SWD cannot honour the monthly financial obligation to maintain the facility and council has steadily become more involved with the general upkeep of Outeniqua Park. In the past council has contributed R15 000 per month for the maintenance of the playing field. The cause of the financial predicament is the high cost of maintaining the special rye grass on the main playing field. The maintenance contract for the turf alone is R30 000 per month.
The opposition ANC/PBI alliance is expected to lash out at the ruling party for giving money to an established sports facility in town when very little of council's own budget is spent on the township sports facilities.
The ANC, however, is faced with a conundrum as they were in power with the Independent Democrats (ID) during 2010 when the Fifa Soccer World Cup took place. Alderman Charlie Williams, ANC chief whip, said, "We requested that the facility that the Japanese soccer team, which was based in George, use to practice on be in Thembalethu, after all this is the heart of soccer in George. We were made to understand that the World Cup would leave a legacy behind that would be for the benefit of the poor. Instead a rugby facility with the wrong grass was upgraded in town."
Speaker Mercia Draghoender, who was the ID mayor at the time of the World Cup, said that it was a terribly frustrating time as Fifa simply dictated. "We never spoke to them because we never saw them. They just issued instructions like we will have a fan park with a giant screen and it will be at the Rosemoor Stadium and the reason is that in Germany they did it and thousands of people visited the fan parks. I often wonder what they are telling the Brazilians for next year's world cup. We did it in South Africa and it worked – you will do it now."
Hilbert Smit, of Turfworx CC, says that Fifa demanded that the cool season perennial ryegrass be planted. "Now we are slowly replacing the ryegrass with fescue grass. The lighter lime green patches are the fescue grasses coming through."
Asked what justified a maintenance cost of R30 000 per month, Smit answered, "These are northern hemisphere cool grass varieties that forms a bunch unlike kikuyu that spreads. It has a weak root system, which means that it is much better suited for soccer as it can be cut to form a level smooth carpet-like texture ideal for passing a ball on. When used for rugby the turf is not ideal as it rips open and must be constantly re-seeded after every match or practice session." Cool grasses are susceptible to fungus growths in the hot humid summer when it rains and must be controlled with fungicides. The use of selected herbicides and growth retarding agents are also applied according to strict benchmarks. "It is literally like manicuring a rugby field."
Smit said that his company was also contracted to do the 'Pezula Field of Dreams' for the French team and Loerie Park Soccer Stadium in Knysna for the Danish team. In East London we upgraded and built four soccer fields in the townships for the 'Fifa Legacy Programme'.
Johan Prinsloo, CEO of SWD Rugby Union,
says he understands the dilemma and has sympathy for the community wanting a soccer field turf of this standard in the township to play and practise on, but this is an asset for the town that was upgraded by Fifa. "We must look after it and it is expensive to maintain."
Draghoender said that one thing she knows is that "council will not be able to engage with Fifa, as I presume that as in the past, they will just ignore us."
Nathanial Harker, an avid soccer follower, says that the discussion on this curve ball is going to be interesting to follow. "Nelspruit has its Mbombela Stadium issues and Cape Town is crying regarding the millions needed to maintain the Green Point Stadium. I suppose R30 000 per month that George must fork out is a lot less even percentage wise than the others. If it must be politicised, go ahead and let the 'ping ponging' begin, but just remember that the problem was caused by others and not George."
Johan Prinsloo (CEO, SWD Rugby Union) and Werner Rall (Terra Firma Marketing Consultants).
ARTICLE: MYRON RABINOWITZ
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