16 | ILT Stadium Southland T T Russell Fredric Stadium bounces back from pandemic The size and capability of ILT Stadium Southland with its infrastructure and technology to be multi-purpose and multi-functional is pivotal to its success. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Custom Canvas & Watsons Saddlery Ltd. www.customcanvas.net 03 218 2438 customcanvas@xtra.co.nz Made to measure: Truck covers · Awnings · Horse covers Shadesails · Rollup curtains · Boat Covers ...and much more! The ‘world class, multi-purpose and multifunctional’ ILT Stadium Southland has totally bounced back since its event bookings were decimated during the covid pandemic. Acting general manager Ryan Sycamore says the facility was at full steam with community sports and events before the pandemic and he is delighted this high level of usage has returned, bringing with it direct and indirect social, cultural and economic benefits to Invercargill and the province. Following the stadium being rebuilt in 2014 at a cost of $41 million after it collapsed in a snowstorm four years earlier, the number of events it was attracting had been steadily increasing, Ryan says. “Just prior to covid we were into one of our record years for the number of events. We are now rebuilding in the sense of our client base and our community usage.” “We’ve come back stronger and there are now promoters coming looking to bring new events down to Invercargill; it’s incredibly important to work with them to try and create destination events which is the key for Southland’s success.” An example of a destination event is the Schick 3×3 Cup basketball held last August during the school holidays. It featured 32 teams (16 men’s and 16 women’s) in non-stop action over the four days with games broadcast live on Sky Sport. The size and capability of ILT Stadium Southland with its infrastructure and technology to be multi-purpose and multi-functional is pivotal to its success, Ryan says. It is capable of hosting a wide range of events including conferences, exhibitions and trade shows, sporting, recreational, cultural, arts, corporate and even equestrian. It incorporates the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome, four squash courts and a Clip n Climb which has 15 different walls. As well as being the province’s key events facility, it is home to 12 sporting organisations and utilised by all sectors of the wider Southland community. Consequently, the stadium is a huge part of the heart of the community, Nigel says. Additionally, the velodrome incorporates the Mike Piper Training Centre, an initiative
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