Cricket and rugby have been drawn into a conflict over the use of the land and the Dunedin City Council will need to prioritise how it is used.
The University Oval has an identity crisis. It is a cricket ground in the slightly warmer months and a rugby field for the remainder of the year.
The codes have happily co-existed since 2004 when the Otago Cricket Association relocated from Carisbrook to avoid a scheduling conflict with rugby.
The relationship, though, has been put under strain by competing demands.
The OCA would like to continue developing the ground into a world-class venue and, as part of that plan, it would like to expand the pitch block.
The last thing the University Rugby Football Club want to see is more clay dumped in the middle of its rugby field.
The pitch block turned into a quagmire following heavier than usual rainfall this year. The rest of the playing surface was fine but the club was forced to shift some of its home games.
And when the Dunedin premier club semifinals had to be transferred to Hancock Park, it became apparent the marriage was no longer working.
The Dunedin City Council will need to decide who gets the house and who gets the dusty old photo albums if there is a divorce.
It should be a simple decision. The council has put considerable resources into developing the University Oval into an international venue.
The council-owned Dunedin Venues Management Limited [DVML] has taken over the maintenance of the facility and is also responsible for delivering international cricket matches.
International games expose Dunedin to a national and international audience.
However, the council's view appears to be it is a premier facility which should not sit vacant during the winter.
It is committed to it retaining it as a dual-purpose ground but is aware there is a conflict which needs resolving and there is no simple solution.
One of the options would be to develop a drop-in pitch system but it would come at a huge cost and it is unclear whether the council would have the appetite to go through with it.
The University Rugby Club has a strong claim as well.
It signed a supplementary deed in 2003 which governs how and when it can use the land, whereas the OCA basically just hires the land.
Club rugby has a big following in Dunedin and some might argue it has more value than an international match once every year or so.
DVML only appears interested in bidding for high-calibre cricket content so it can deliver the city economic returns. It is unlikely to bid for second-tier games against the likes of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, so the amount of international cricket played in Dunedin in the future may fall anyway.
New Zealand Cricket is one of the more demanding national bodies when it comes to its requirements. It consistently puts pressure on the country's councils to provide better facilities.
And expectations in professional sport are getting higher and higher.
It is likely the University Oval will always be a project requiring further development.
But the city needs a venue to host international and domestic cricket and that should be its priority. Too bad if that means the University premiers have to wade through ankle-deep mud every time they cross the pitch block.
