Dear Editor,
Let’s have chair seating as opposed to hard wood seating at future National Track Championships. I can live with hard wood seating at smaller meet events. I honestly can’t wait to be educated about the seating capacity at the synthetic track which is currently under construction, and about whether there will be sheds.
Having perused the dailies on Thursday, November 24, and as a sports enthusiast, I will not support the idea of taking any future National’s Track Championship away from the stadium. The next best venue would be the synthetic track, but we just have to wait and see the end product, especially in relation to the seating capacity.
We have to understand that there has been an upgrade of some sports facilities and I would want to believe that many would agree that the grass track at the stadium is about the best one we have in the country for a major meet. I am also aware that the stadium was not erected for any track meet, and I have to say kudos to those who have transformed it with lanes. I always felt that a multi-purpose sports complex would have been an ideal and wise venture, but apparently some persons felt that it was better to separate the cricket pitch and track for whatever reason.
I think the GTU needs to improvise and strengthen its marketing strategies for the annual meet.
I sense that funding might be an issue, but I seriously think that with some small ventures they would be able to generate funds to assist in offsetting expenses.
The first day’s event in the evening at Nationals 2011 was called off due to not having access to the floodlights and the word went around in the stadium that no one paid for floodlights and that the cost is somewhere around $50,000 an hour for one set. There are three major corporate business enterprises close by the stadium, and I honestly believe that if not all three, at least one would respond expressing interest in sponsorship for the 2012 Nationals meet if it is held at the stadium. Even if the sponsorship was for one hour, that would be progress. They should get the ball rolling with a letter to the enterprises, and I mean before the end of 2011. Such early notice would allow businesses to include sponsorship in their annual budgets.
Yours faithfully,
T Pemberton
