But the installation of a wooden court in the centre of the ILT Velodrome has transformed the venue into a stunning and intimate arena, Stadium Southland general manager Nigel Skelt says.
Looking every bit the netball and basketball court it has morphed into, the velodrome will host its first fixture when the Steel plays the Central Pulse in an ANZ Championship game on Monday night.
Skelt said transforming the cycling arena into a netball and basketball venue was a huge undertaking.
"It has been a big logistical effort," he said.
"We imported the court from the Singapore, where it was used for the Youth Olympics. It has been over here since December and has been in storage. On Sunday we took it out of its container and began to lay it.
"A group of 10 of us started about 8 o'clock and finished about 6 o'clock at night. It is 800-odd pieces, so it was a massive undertaking, to be honest."
The "hard yakka" is far from over.
The team will swing the court around the other way at the end of the netball and basketball seasons to stage club sport and then reinstate the court in its original position for the netball test between New Zealand and England in October.
The velodrome had 1000 permanent seats, and an extra 1700 seats have been installed to lift the capacity to 2700.
"There is no question the court is world-class but, if anything, the Steel and Sharks are saying it will be far more intimate than what the previous stadium was, because the audience is so much closer," Skelt said.
Stadium Southland's roof collapsed after a snow storm in September last year, leaving the two franchises without a home.
The velodrome will serve as the temporary home until a new stadium is completed in March next year.
