Possible major impacts for Warriors, speedway

Council cost-cutting could result in the Warriors shifting to Eden Park and speedway going to Mt Smart Stadium.

Regional Facilities Auckland is proposing moving speedway from Western Springs instead of upgrading the Warriors' home ground.

The Warriors would then move to Eden Park, to make better use of the city's biggest stadium.

Warriors CEO Wayne Scurrah says he only found out about the plan through the grapevine.

Scurrah says he needs more details and many factors need considering.

"What are they proposing, because we don't just play our games here at Mt Smart, but we're based here as well and in many ways the amount of time we spend training and preparing for matches are more important than the 12 we play in Auckland."

He's uncertain about the viability.

"We need to know a little bit more. We've lived all of our lives at Mt Smart Stadium, since 1995, and we still remain committed to Mt Smart Stadium, so I guess we need to understand from the city what is the master plan of the stadium."

Speedway's Bill Buckley says they have every right to stay where they are.

"I think I'd get a lot of opposition to it. Mt Smart would be the limit of going out of town."

Buckley concedes that on the plus side, it would get rid of the noise issue.

However people are being warned not to jump the gun when it comes to the idea of moving the speedway.

Regional Facilities Auckland chief executive Robert Domm says there was one preliminary discussion with Western Springs promoter Bill Buckley about it around three weeks ago.

He says the idea was put forward because there are just two years to run in the license.

"And of course as everyone knows speedway activities at Western Springs have been the subject of a lot of noise complaint issues over many, many, many years."

Mr Domm says there are no noise issues at Mt Smart.

He says if the speedway moves to the stadium, a design solution would have to be found to fit it in with the Warriors, who he expects to remain based there.

Eden Park Neighbours' Association president Mark Donnelly says the extra games at Eden Park would cause even more inconvenience.

"Being able to have people over for dinner on a Friday or Saturday night, getting your kids to sleep if it's a midweek game and also just being able to get home."

Mr Donnelly says he's heard from Warriors fans that they're comfortable with the team staying at Mt Smart.

The speedway contract with Western Springs ends in 2014, but the Warriors have six years on their tenancy of Mt Smart.

Photo: Mt Smart Stadium (Photosport)