A Wyndham councillor believes the naming rights for Eagle Stadium – the redeveloped Werribee Sports and Fitness Centre – should be sold to private interests.
Harrison ward councillor Intaj Khan has thrown his support behind the campaign against the new name and will table his notice of motion at next Monday’s council meeting.
It comes in the wake of a community backlash against Eagle Stadium. The objections include a “Not Eagle Stadium” Facebook page that has attracted nearly 1400 members and written and online petitions fighting to have the name overturned.
The Werribee Sports and Fitness Centre, commonly referred to as The Rec Centre since opening in 1978, has been rebadged by Wyndham council as part of the centre’s $47 million redevelopment.
Wyndham mayor Peter Maynard previously told Star Weekly that the name Eagle Stadium was selected following community consultation, including surveys and focus groups.
But many centre users claim they were not asked.
Corpus Christi Basketball Club president Sebastien Wattelet said Eagle Stadium had “no relevance to any sport, club or team that uses the facility”.
“Changing the identity of such an important, significant building for no apparent reason is beyond belief.”
Hoppers Crossing Basketball Club president Mario Costa said the stadium’s new name was a major blunder as several junior basketball clubs across Melbourne used ‘Eagles’ as their nickname.
Cr Khan said selling the naming rights to the stadium was a golden opportunity for Wyndham.
“It’s a chance for the council to receive extra revenue which can then be invested back into the community,” he said. “Other councils have sold naming rights to their venues, so I don’t see why we can’t do the same in Wyndham.”
While unable to comment on Cr Khan’s proposal, council chief executive Kerry Thompson last week said a marketing agency had been selected to provide a shortlist of names for the centre, taking into account its “architecture and features, use of the facility, marketability and relationship to Wyndham’s other recreation facilities”.
Ms Thompson said independent research was undertaken on the shortlisted names with an online survey of Wyndham residents and face-to-face surveys at Werribee Plaza shopping centre and Point Cook Town Centre.
When complete, Eagle Stadium will include 12 courts for sports such as netball, basketball, table tennis and badminton and be the largest indoor court facility in the western suburbs.
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