Can somebody please tell me why the Canterbury Bulldogs, St George Illawarra Dragons, South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Wests Tigers all need to play out of an 80,000 seater stadium when they struggle to attract 20,000 fans to a regular season game.
Playing at large stadiums in American Football is good because their games actually sell out, ours dont.
I love seeing a full ANZ Stadium on the television when Im watching the Grand Final or a State of Origin match but regular season matches dont sell out, so what is the reason for playing in a stadium where there is no atmosphere and no tradition?
Give me a full house at Kogarah Oval, Campbelltown Stadium, Belmore Sports Ground, Leichhardt Oval or Redfern Oval any day of the week!
:lol:, I just wrote about this in my last F7s article
http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/showthread.php?p=4157706#post4157706
All this b**ch did was expand my article ffs.
Well, despite only being 19, I've had the privelege of attending such wold-class sporting venues as Brookvale Oval, WIN Stadium, Leichhardt Oval, Kogarah Oval, Henson Park and North Sydney Oval.Well, as a rooster fan thats not surprising, I doubt youre old enough to know the real home ground experience.
I miss Terry Lamb Hill
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Well, despite only being 19, I've had the privelege of attending such wold-class sporting venues as Brookvale Oval, WIN Stadium, Leichhardt Oval, Kogarah Oval, Henson Park and North Sydney Oval.
I've also been to modern stadia like Lang Park, the SFS and ANZ Stadium, and I sure as hell know where I prefer going.
Like everyone else, I'd rather not have to go to ANZ Stadium and sit amongst a sea of empty seats, but the problem is that the suburban grounds we have simply aren't up to scratch for professional sport.
We question how crowds can be increased... Why is a family going to spend $65 minimum to stand on a hill at Brookvale amonst drunken idiots when they can pay that much to get Foxtel and watch all the football they want in comfort?
I doubt youre old enough to know the real home ground experience.
Souths tried to develop Redfern and the council would only allow us a training facility. TBH I think the State and local Governments in NSW have a lot to answer for. It is them that have made the clubs do what they have had to do. We need:
1. A 25,000 seat stadium at Redfern
2. A Railway station close to the SFS
3. An Upgrade to Brookvale, Kogarah, Belmore and Leichardt.
4. An upgrade to Parra stadium in about 5 - 10 years time.
Would not be a massive investment for the govt. but it would make a hell of a difference to crowd numbers in the NRL. Sadly I can't see most of that stuff ever happening as the potential white elephant that is Homebush, needs all the propping up it can get.
We often get referred to as band wagon supporters but seems to me if some are concerned by the decor of a ground, well surely that's worse. I love watching the Jets at Henson, standing at can corner at Brookie or sitting on the hill at Leichardt.
This thread is lost on some people due to anti Wilsonism, to be fair is deserved. She does suck and they always push for mergers, axings or relocations. Tribalism comes from tradition, history as well as geography. Something that somefans don't get or care.
Exaggeration Rebecca, 50ks from most of their fansSt George Illawarra and South Sydney have entered into a venture with the former Olympic Stadium that will see them play most of their home games at a venue that is around 50km from where most of their fans live.
Do you get out beyond Pyrmont Rebecca, Sydney ends at Granville does it?Yesterday's match featured two teams from the south and east of the city playing in the heart of Sydney's west
Cash more than vision Rebecca, are you going to fund all these grounds, come on get your purse out.St George, Wests Tigers, South Sydney and the Canterbury Bulldogs have all given up home ground advantages because club bosses lacked the vision to fix their home grounds rather than make the move.
Didnt know the remaining games at Campbelltown and Leichhardt have been cancelled RebeccaThey no longer actually have games on familiar turf in front of a big home crowd.
You are a comedian Rebecca, always good for a laugh :lol:By the time the AFL juggernaut lands another team in Sydney
I spent the first 13 years of my life going to watch the Bears at North Sydney Oval. Do I satisfy your criteria now?Yeh thought so, though you still dont get it.
Its one thing visiting those grounds....
...thanks for proving my point.
Agree 100%
Melbourne has bigger crowds and greater costs-ground sharing is part of their culture, the City has more than half the comp but only 2 grounds now.
My context, i'm old enough to have seen matches at henson, redfern, lidcombe, bear park obviously, the old sydney sports ground, a grand final at the scg [the last], and the first gf at the sfs [yeah i missed 89!], suncorp pre and post last development, the old anz, the new anz-i've not seen footy in melbourne, townsville, auckland or canberra [an oversite]
Whether it be the old ANZ in Brisbane [most souless ground hands down] or the olympic stadium in sydney [new ANZ] when its got 20,000, its nothing compared to a surburban ground packed with the same number-even if getting away from say leichhardt is a pain after.
I spent the first 13 years of my life going to watch the Bears at North Sydney Oval. Do I satisfy your criteria now?