The Royal Croquet Club is in serious doubt for next year’s Adelaide Fringe festival — despite already putting tickets on sale

THE Royal Croquet Club does not have council approval to hold an event at next year’s Adelaide Fringe despite its organisers already selling tickets to shows at the popular Fringe venue.

• Royal Croquet Club plans return to the Adelaide Fringe
• Royal Croquet Club cracked in China
• Club’s future in doubt after Chinese expansion fails
• Fringe releases record 6000 artist program

THE Royal Croquet Club does not have council approval to hold an event at next year’s Adelaide Fringe despite its organisers already selling tickets to shows at the popular Fringe Venue.

The directors behind the Royal Croquet Club were given until close of business yesterday to come up with rent for next year’s event and a surety of about $130,000 to ensure the area of Pinky Flat where the event is held is returned to the council in good condition.

While a payment for rent has been made, the directors have not been able to cover the latter payment.

Following deliberations with the council’s chief executive Mark Goldstone on Friday, the deadline for payment has been extended to close of business on January 2, Lord Mayor Martin Haese told The Advertiser.

RCC co-founder Stuart Duckworth assured The Advertiser, however, that there was “no issue at all”.

“We’ll definitely meet the deadline,’’ he said. “As far as I understand we’re all good.’’

The Royal Croquet Club and associated entities were placed in administration this year, with creditors including the council owed significant amounts of money.

A deed of company arrangement was agreed with creditors which allows the RCC to continue to trade and hold events.

But Lord Mayor Martin Haese said the council could not risk ratepayers’ funds by allowing the RCC to be held without financial guarantees to ensure the council would not be left out of pocket.

He also stressed that the directors of the RCC companies were well aware of their obligations under the “draft licence approval” which they have been given — subject to the aforementioned conditions.

The RCC is already advertising shows to be held at its Pinky Flat venue and put out a press release last week which made no mention of their lack of full council approval.

The RCC’s Stuart Duckworth told The Advertiser on December 8: “We have to satisfy further council conditions but it’s a standard process we’ve been through many times and I don’t see any problems’’.

Mr Haese told The Advertiser that the RCC could not argue it did not know exactly what the conditions of its approval were.

Tom Skipper, Stuart Duckworth and Sam Weckert from the Royal Croquet Club in Victoria Square. Picture: Calum Robertson

While he said he hoped the event would go ahead, it was not for ratepayers to shoulder the financial risk.

“We need to be continue to be mindful of ensuring that we’re not putting ratepayers’ funds at risk,’’ he said.

“We have received a payment of the rent in advance ... and we are appreciative of that.

“As we sit here today we have not reached a conclusion with regards to any form of guarantee around the make good (remediation costs).

“The estimated sum is something in the vicinity of $128,000.

“Any suggestion that the event has been pre-approved is not correct.

“There was always this ‘subject-to’ and that really needs to be stated.

“We cannot under any circumstances put our ratepayers at risk and it’s not unreasonable that companies that achieve financial difficulty ... it’s not uncommon for companies to trade on a cash on delivery basis until it’s been re-established.’’

Mr Haese said there would be no extension past January 2. While the matter could then be referred by the CEO to the full council Mr Haese said it would be unlikely that this would result in the event gaining approval as the council met in late January and would be very busy with its 2018 agenda.

The Royal Croquet Club’s co-founder Stuart Duckworth said last week the venue expected to attract more than 250,000 visitors and sell 80,000-100,000 Fringe tickets.

The RCC’s financial woes were precipitated by a disastrous foray into China where the company held an event at the Qingdao beer festival.

Adelaide Fringe director Heather Croall had not been made aware that the Royal Croquet Club failed to meet its surety payment with the City Council until contacted by The Advertiser.

“I am not aware of the details on that. I don’t know about the details on the way the Garden (of Unearthly Delights) deals with the Council, or Gluttony or anyone. That’s their deals,’’ Ms Croall said.

The Fringe is an open access festival which accepts registrations from individual acts, promoters and venues, but it does not manage, underwrite or have a financial interest in their operations.

At this stage, the Fringe had no plans to offer the RCC any additional assistance.

“It isn’t something that the Fringe normally does,’’ Ms Croall said.