PHOTO: 📢 “They want to get their dirty mitts on a community stadium!” Barfoot and Thompson stadium in Kohimarama.
📌 Community vs. Classroom: The Battle for Barfoot & Thompson Stadium
The future of Auckland’s Barfoot & Thompson Stadium in Kohimarama is hanging by a thread – and it’s not because of broken netball hoops or dodgy flooring. Local sports clubs say they’re in an all-out turf war with Selwyn College, which they claim is pushing to seize control of the stadium for free.
Stadium trustee David Broadhead didn’t mince words:
“We fear the school and the ministry may force us to terminate our licence to occupy… because they want to get their dirty mitts on a nice facility.”
Once a proud Commonwealth Games venue and current home to futsal, basketball, volleyball, and martial arts, the 3700-seat stadium faces an uncertain fate. And the Ministry of Education is in the crosshairs too, with claims it’s exerting quiet pressure to wrestle ownership from a charitable community trust.
💔 ‘Built by the People – For the People’
This isn’t just any gymnasium. Locals literally mortgaged their homes to complete construction in the wake of the 1987 stock market crash. But trustees say decades of sweat equity and voluntary labour could be erased if the stadium is absorbed by Selwyn College.
📦 Even the country’s largest secondhand book fair – the Great Auckland Bargain Book Sale – could vanish overnight.
“It would be an absolute crying shame… I’m not a happy camper at all,” said East City Futsal chair Barbara Gwilliam, nearly in tears.
💸 Money, Ministry, and Missed Opportunities
Despite being a major community hub, the stadium is bleeding red ink – losing about $170,000 a year. Why? Trustees say a combination of event cancellations, lack of ministry funding, and blocked deals (like with Les Mills and the Blues Rugby team) has driven the facility toward insolvency.
“They are shutting the door… but eyes wide open, they’ll realise it’s not an easy task – it’s a stadium, not a gymnasium,” said trustee David Wong.
![💰]
Selwyn principal Sheryll Ofner, who also chairs the stadium trust (yes, you read that right), claims maintenance costs are spiraling and public demand has dropped. She denies any secret plan to lock out the community – but has yet to offer clear terms of continued access.
The Barfoot and Thompson stadium hosted the King in the Ring boxing competition in 2019.King in the Ring / Supplied
🕵️♂️ A Conflict of Interest?
Trustees say they’ve been hamstrung in planning future events by the school’s first right of refusal during weekdays – blocking out valuable booking opportunities. And questions are mounting about Ofner wearing two hats as both principal and trust chair.
“Somebody should be paying that money… it’s definitely not the community’s problem,” says Broadhead.
https://www.propertynoise.co.nz/why-you-need-some-fergs-coffee-in-your-life/
📣 The Community’s Call: “Hands Off Our Stadium!”
General manager Brian Tomlinson warns that if the stadium is handed over, it will become New Zealand’s largest school sports facility – but at the expense of everyone else.
“Demand is sky-high. Community sports clubs need this venue. It’s excessive to hand it all to one school.”
Despite the college’s vague promises of shared access, no legal guarantees have been made. Emails show trustees asking for written terms – and being turned down.
“It makes me suspect they are about to screw us good and proper.”
The Barfoot and Thompson stadium is home to the East City Futsal club – but for how long?East City Futsal / Supplied
🧵 The Bigger Picture
As Auckland’s urban sprawl accelerates and school rolls balloon, facilities like Barfoot & Thompson Stadium are becoming prime real estate. But should public assets built with community blood, sweat, and sausage sizzles be absorbed into school infrastructure without public input?
The people of Ōrākei are saying:
“Hands off our stadium!”
📊 Infometric: Who Uses the Barfoot & Thompson Stadium?
| 📅 Weekly Users | 👥 Est. Number of People |
|---|---|
| East City Futsal | 300+ |
| Volleyball League | 200+ |
| Basketball Clubs | 150+ |
| Netball & Aikido | 100+ |
| Great Book Fair Crew | 100+ (seasonal) |
| Selwyn Students | Growing rapidly |
SOURCE: THE POST