It has been 13 years since the venue hosted a first-class game but that wait looks set to end with Coggan saying Otago could host a game at Molyneux Park in late November.
The association is very keen to play more cricket at the venue but some of the facilities need upgrading. With that in mind, Otago Cricket and Otago Country Cricket met with the Central Otago District Council yesterday to discuss whether the council was prepared to put some resources into upgrading the facilities.
"They were more than willing to listen," Coggan said, describing the meeting as positive.
"It was all very objective and based on the warrant of fitness needs as set out by New Zealand Cricket.
"The other thing too was looking at whether it was possible this year or not to host a first-class fixture before Christmas."
The list of work includes renovating the pitch, extending the changing rooms and upgrading the sight screens, while a new electronic scoreboard is on the wish list.
The pitch was meant to be renovated last year but the clay arrived too damp. That work is scheduled to be carried out at the end of the rugby season.
New sight screens would come at a cost of about $50,000, while a new electronic scoreboard might cost twice that but was not a priority.
The changing rooms were a priority, though, and that work would need to be carried out sooner rather than later.
However, Coggan said if there was a plan in place to get the required work done, then New Zealand Cricket could be convinced to grant a dispensation for a first-class game to go ahead.
"It would be a work in progress but certainly that facility needs to be a priority. All that peripheral stuff like electronic scoreboards that a first-class ground has, we would have to transition over the next year or two."
Otago Country Cricket chairman Malcolm Jones initiated the meeting and produced an economic impact report which estimated cricket contributed about $220,000 to the local economy.
He is a passionate advocate of Molyneux Park and said he was thrilled with how the meeting went.
While the council has not committed to anything other than carrying through with the renovation of the pitch block, it will meet Otago Cricket again next week to discuss what would be required regarding the changing rooms.
"Then they can get the work costed and put a budget together," Jones said, adding he was excited about first-class cricket potentially returning to Alexandra.
"It is huge. It is sort of the pinnacle of cricket that can be played at Molyneux Park.
"It is such a stunning place and lends itself to cricket. It is a great place to play and I’d just be over moon."
