A year on: 'It's been a massive learning curve'
“It is a very busy job. I thought I had busy jobs before - managing H&J’s was pretty full on. But there is also so much fun and give back in this one as well."
Last year Jo Hutton became just the third general manager in Stadium Southland’s now 25-year history. Twelve months into the role Hutton talked to The Tribune’s Logan Savory about the challenges, the highlights, and the priorities for 2025. It includes improving the venue’s food offering.
Jo Hutton thought she knew plenty about ILT Stadium Southland when on January 6 2024 she walked through the door to start as the venue’s new general manager.
Hutton had been a regular stadium attendee prior to that, both as a netball bench official and as a roller-skater.
A year on and she is in awe of what the stadium offers the community, how multi-purpose it is, and the work that has gone in prior to her time to ensure the stadium remains “world-class” today.
There are approximately 500,000 visits to Stadium Southland each year, making it one of Invercargill’s more important assets.
“It is a very busy job. I thought I had busy jobs before - managing H&J’s was pretty full on.
“But there is also so much fun and give back in this job as well,” Hutton told The Tribune.
“It has been an absolute massive learning curve but an enjoyable one over the past 12 months.
“I was here four or five times a week [before starting as general manager], so I knew a bit about it.
“But I didn’t really know the event industry and that’s been the big learning for me this year. Just how immense that is and how well we do it here.”
“The other learning for me was how many other organisations are based here [at Stadium Southland]. I didn’t have that awareness because it’s hidden away.
“We’ve got Active Southland, we’ve got physios, we’ve got podiatrists, all of the sports franchises, and some of the [Regional Sporting Organisations] are based here. Academy [Southland] as well.
“So, it is just such a cool space where everyone can come together. It brings life into the place.”
Hutton is only the third Stadium Southland general manager since it opened in 2000. The first was Don Frew, before Nigel Skelt filled the role up until April 2023.
Ryan Sycamore also worked at the stadium throughout the first 24 years as an operations manager. He filled in as acting general manager after Skelt departed and before Hutton started.
Sycamore has also since moved on, taking up a role with the Invercargill City Council.
It has meant for a notable changing of the guard - so to speak - at the stadium.
“Some of the team are new so we are all growing together. We’ve got such a hard-working team who do a great job,” Hutton said.
Hutton - who is Welsh and moved to Invercargill with her Kiwi husband 10 years ago - has a background in retail.
Her past employment includes time as the H&J Smith’s department store manager, and as the Invercargill City Council’s customer services general manager.
She acknowledges the stadium role has come with some pressure and challenges - or maybe a juggling act might be a better way to describe it.
ILT Stadium Southland is a community facility, and that juggling act comes with the quest to ensure community sport and other community events are both catered for.
“We are a multi-purpose venue, not just a sports venue. It goes right back to the original constitution, so it is about cultural, obviously sport, community, and events - entertainment. All of that.
“Getting the balance of how you do all of that is a real challenge,” Hutton said.
The balancing act extends even further, in terms of making Stadium Southland available for community use at the same time trying to attract commercial-type activities.
The stadium - which is owned by the Southland Indoor Leisure Centre Charitable Trust - receives significant community funding from the likes of the Invercargill City Council, Invercargill Licensing Trust, Community Trust South, and Southland District Council.
Without that support, the venue would not be able to operate.
However, the venue also needs to pull in additional income to ensure it can stack up financially and keep the cost at a level that community users can afford.
Hutton said events manager Ang Simpson has been working hard to attract events and the outlook was promising for 2025.
“Our forward calendar is really good. Again, it is that balance trying to get some new things in.
“There is some stuff I can’t announce yet, but it is exciting. Our calendar is really busy.”
There has been a small blow. The Southern Steel’s home round-robin games in Invercargill have been reduced from six in 2024 to four in 2025. That’s effectively the loss of two events for the stadium.
Although the Southland Sharks will have an increase in the number of home games in 2025 with 11 NBL games scheduled for Stadium Southland.
Hutton is taking a half glass full approach when it comes to the Steel situation.
“When - not if - they are in the semi-finals and in the final that is going to take us back to six [Steel games]. So, no pressure Wendy [Frew].”
Hutton is looking for additional revenue opportunities for the stadium with one of the focuses this year being its food offering.
“We are looking to improve our food offer because the old pie in the cabinet is not enough anymore.
“It’s evolved and we have so many people through our door, so we want to improve our food offer.
“You’ve got to be aware of wastage as well, but on a busy Saturday, we want to be more than just a coffee… My background is retail, and customer experience is what I am passionate about.”
Another focus in 2025 will be on trying to increase the use of the venue during off-peak hours.
Many days - inside school hours - Stadium Southland can sit relatively empty before the venue is filled with a buzz of activity after 3pm.
“During the day that is absolutely where we are going; ‘Right, where can we get some more action?’,” Hutton said.
It is hoped the introduction of eight pickleball courts inside the velodrome will be one step towards helping with that off-peak usage.
“Last week I spent a lot of time learning to play pickleball when I was in Wanaka, and they have 60 people a day turn up to their sessions off-peak.
“So, I am really hoping that can be great for social, community, fitness but also another revenue option.
“I’m also really keen to get schools here during the day. Everyone tells me that transport is the issue for schools, and I completely understand that. But look at this place.”
As for the highlights from the first 12 months in the job?
There are plenty, Hutton said.
For personal reasons, it was hard for Hutton to go past the Silver Ferns’ victory over England in October.
“I’m a netball fan and the previous year for the Silver Ferns [test] I was actually a benchy [bench official] and that was my ambition to do an international game, and I got it.
“I’ve stopped doing that now but to be there [as the stadium manager] and for them to get the win after coming off a few losses before they came here, that was probably the biggest buzz.
“I have heard the Silver Ferns think we are quite a lucky stadium.”
Other 2024 highlights for Hutton included the Christmas Variety Show and Polyfest.
“I hadn’t experienced a Polyfest before. 50,000 people went to it [across five days]. The numbers were unbelievable.”
One of the not so well-known stadium user groups that has caught Hutton’s attention is a bunch of walkers.
They visit most days to get some sheltered exercise, walking around the outside of the velodrome track.
Hutton loves that the venue provides the free exercise opportunity for those people.
“Often there are people that come in with their carers. They might be kids, they might be elderly, and everyone in between. They are the most lovely people, and I want more people to know about that.
“You get the same people every day of the year we are open, and they won’t miss it. I want people to know they are all welcome.”
An earlier version of this article noted that Jo Hutton was Stadium Southland’s third general manager since it opened in 2000. In fact, Jo is the third GM following on from Don Frew and Nigel Skelt.
Yes it is a magnificent facility and well done Jo on keeping it to the fore in Invercargill As to "new opportunities" to garner more people using the area, what about a curling rink/skating rink as during the day, I can assure you support would be there for curling. Ice hockey can also be catered for if a rink such as at Alexandra was created somewhere.
The people of Invercargill are lucky to have such a facility in our city. It is world class and we constantly get feedback from people from out of town who come down to events saying just wow you are so lucky.
The one thing I would like to a small room put aside where retired sports enthusiasts can be rostered to be based and be ready to show visitors around when they arrive for a look. Wouldn't cost much apart from some tea and coffee and they could be our local sports ambassadors. Get people out of the house and make use of the huge amounts of knowledge these people have and can share. Just do it between the hours of 10 and 3 and once people know I am sure many visitors to Invercargill would jump at the opportunity to see the stadium along with an experienced guide.
It certainly is a credit to some great people that we have this complex and we need to show it off with pride