Cricket Wellington has today declared it stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Capital Football in the ongoing campaign of Wellington sports against high fees to use council sport facilities.

Last week Capital Football announced it would withhold payment of Wellington City Council ground charges until an independent review into the fees is completed.

Cricket Wellington Chair David Howman said the fees to use grounds owned by councils in the Greater Wellington region were also putting heavy financial pressure on cricket clubs and players.

“We understand and support Capital Football’s actions.

“An independent review of the fees by all Wellington councils will provide greater clarity about what the fees are for and how that money is used.

“The fees charged by councils differ for each sporting code, but the common theme is that they’re just too high.”

Cricket also had inflated player costs due to council fees, said Howman.

“It’s a shame. We pass on the council fees to players in a user-pays approach. There’s now a real risk that people miss out on cricket because they can’t find the money.

“Sport should be easily accessible for people of all ages and financial circumstance.”

Howman says Cricket Wellington is discussing its own options to make sure cricket ground charges are covered by the independent review.

“All sports must have a seat at the table when setting the scope of this independent review.

“We’re discussing how we can join Capital Football to show this is a serious issue for Wellington’s cricket community, to ensure the council fees are properly investigated for all sports.”

Article added: Monday 08 May 2023