AFL in $45 million money grab

[Phil McGrawhan]

GEE, do you get this worked up about every 45 million dollar investment you dont agree with?, funnily enough, the same government has pledged 45 million to keep the GF in Sydney for 10 yrs, thats a good investment though isnt it?

So tell me brains ....if you went & spent say 20K on a car for your son ....& he had a good job money in the bank,& said to you i want you to buy another....nothing wrong with the one i got ,,but you can pay for another one.....you would tell him to piss off ..
Get the idea....

 

[Greenbits]

This is an appaling waste of public money in a state with crumbling infrastructure.

 

[magic_johnson!]

I think what a few of you fail to realise what GWS playing perminently out of ANZ means for the NRL. A few of you may notice in the news around these matches a question about the ground quality. Where the stands come forward, the grass is always very soft and threatens many injuries. If GWS play all of their 12?? home games at ANZ, i can bet my bottom dollar that there will be far fewer league games played there to make sure that the ground is safe to play on. They may have even attempted to stop brining in the stands all together. The NRL will come out far better if they didn't have the AFL playing at their ground every second week!

This is just a total backflip on an approach they had 10 years ago, on an approach they had even last year when they committed to blacktown. Who is to say they spend $45m and then just go "oh nah...I don't want to use that stadium any more". Then NOONE play's out of that ground.

The ground will probably be used for Circket, Aussie Rules, show and possibly Leauge and Soccer.

As for being scared. Please...their 15,000-20,000 crowd has me shaking in my boots...lol.

Doubles any of the crowds that league got in Sydney on the weekend.

For a code that is throwing around $200m "investment" they only put in $10m for this project? come on...surely you cannot justify that ratio.

When's the last time the NRL has commited any money into any of their stadiums?

They committed to ANZ Stadium, then they withdrew. They committed to Blacktown and building a state of the art stadium, spending $27m of the taxpayers money to build what will now be a glorified training facility...even if they use it for that.

Blacktown was never going to be used for matches and was ALWAYS planned for it to be a just a training venue.

 

[magic_johnson!]

So tell me brains ....if you went & spent say 20K on a car for your son ....& he had a good job money in the bank,& said to you i want you to buy another....nothing wrong with the one i got ,,but you can pay for another one.....you would tell him to piss off ..
Get the idea....

• Your son owns a four wheel drive
• he moves to the city and wants a smaller car
• you have baught cars for all of your previous kids and told them to save their money
• You would not tell them to piss off.

 

[Big Mick]

The ground will probably be used for Circket, Aussie Rules, show and possibly Leauge and Soccer.

Cricket..Pretty sure they'll stick to ANZ because they would get more than 25k to there Big Bash. Why would Soccer use it when they actually PLAN ON USING WESTERN SYDNEY GROUNDS.

And League? why?

And the Easter Show couldn't use the showground any more because it is during the AFL season, therefore reducing the amount of money potentially injected into the NSW economy via a successful annual event. NEXT!

You guys at Big Footy should really stop making accounts.

Doubles any of the crowds that league got in Sydney on the weekend.

And there is the ignorance.

When's the last time the NRL has commited any money into any of their stadiums?

Last week. The Bulldogs putting in to help redevelop Belmore. When was the last time the NRL had $200m to spend like the AFL. Pretty sure they wouldn't cry poor if they did. Plus the Rugby League code contributes millions to the NSW Economy because the money actually stay's in NSW. All NSW clubs contributing to the economy via their fans purchasing merchandise, memberships etc.

Blacktown was never going to be used for matches and was ALWAYS planned for it to be a just a training venue.

Contradicts what they said initially.

 

[Big Mick]

• Your son owns a four wheel drive
• he moves to the city and wants a smaller car
• you have baught cars for all of your previous kids and told them to save their money
• You would not tell them to piss off.

• Your son owns a beat up Holden you bought him for $5k as his first car
• Son completes university degree you paid for for $50k
• Son strikes it rich on a mega tv deal earning him 7 figures
• Son comes and asks you to buy him a $250,000 Mercedes when you are broke and on the pension
• You would tell your son to piss off

 

[Brutus]

The last AFL final series match played at ANZ attracted 19,127

And I've seen the photos from the stadium that night and there was no way the figure was 19k.

It was more like 10k. A fudged crowd if I've ever seen it.

So both the QLD and NSW govts have backflipped on handing these arseholes great wads of cash for stadiums.

What a disgusting joke.

 

[magic_johnson!]

• Your son owns a beat up Holden you bought him for $5k as his first car
• Son completes university degree you paid for for $50k
• Son strikes it rich on a mega tv deal earning him 7 figures
• Son comes and asks you to buy him a $250,000 Mercedes when you are broke and on the pension
• You would tell your son to piss off

How is ANZ a beat up holden? It is a stadium which, if need be, will do, but is not perfect (ie a 4x4 in the city)

 

[Big Mick]

How is ANZ a beat up holden? It is a stadium which, if need be, will do, but is not perfect (ie a 4x4 in the city)

Exactly, so why spend stupid amounts of money when its not needed?

 

[Edwahu]

• Your son owns a four wheel drive
• he moves to the city and wants a smaller car
• you have baught cars for all of your previous kids and told them to save their money
• You would not tell them to piss off.

Now replace Son with weird second cousin who your whole family goes out of their way to avoid like the plague and you have a more accurate analogy.

 

[Green Machine]

I think what a few of you fail to realise what GWS playing perminently out of ANZ means for the NRL. A few of you may notice in the news around these matches a question about the ground quality. Where the stands come forward, the grass is always very soft and threatens many injuries. If GWS play all of their 12?? home games at ANZ, i can bet my bottom dollar that there will be far fewer league games played there to make sure that the ground is safe to play on. They may have even attempted to stop brining in the stands all together. The NRL will come out far better if they didn't have the AFL playing at their ground every second week!

What kind of dickhead are you? Stop moving the stands in? ANZ Stadium has aggressively chased NRL sides to play there. Imagine telling Soccer and Union that they wouldn’t be moving the lower tier stands in for Wallaby or Socceroo matches because it will disturb the grass for the AFL controlled GSW franchise? Imagine putting at risk the State of Origin and NRL Grand Final to appease the AFL’s bogus GWS franchise. You are a goose,

The ground will probably be used for Circket, Aussie Rules, show and possibly Leauge and Soccer.

You’ve got no idea. Soccer or Rugby League will never play on the AFL/Cricket ground at Rooty Hill. Parramatta and Penrith are purpose built stadiums for both codes. Even Western Weekender Stadium is more than adequate for lower tier rugby league. Run on back to Big Footy,

 

[magic_johnson!]

What kind of dickhead are you? Stop moving the stands in? ANZ Stadium has aggressively chased NRL sides to play there. Imagine telling Soccer and Union that they wouldn’t be moving the lower tier stands in for Wallaby or Socceroo matches because it will disturb the grass for the AFL controlled GSW franchise? Imagine putting at risk the State of Origin and NRL Grand Final to appease the AFL’s bogus GWS franchise. You are a goose,

I absolutely agree. This is why AFL don't want to consistantly play there, because the turf seriously is a work place hazard.

 

[Green Machine]

I absolutely agree. This is why AFL don't want to consistantly play there, because the turf seriously is a work place hazard.

The turf is OK at Rooty Hill. The showground will need re-turfing at the end of Easter every year after the show. Let the AFL spend their money out there where they suppose to be.

 

[magic_johnson!]

The turf is OK at Rooty Hill. The showground will need re-turfing at the end of Easter every year after the show. Let the AFL spend their money out there where they suppose to be.

What do you mean "where they are supposed to be"???
They can go where ever they want to go! They are a business, and business' choose their location based on where they think they will be most successfull. No-one can decide location but them and stop thinking you can.

 

[Green Machine]

What do you mean "where they are supposed to be"???

What part in Greater Western Sydney don’t you understand? Out at Rooty Hill where there is a ground for them.

They can go where ever they want to go!

Maybe if they want to be at Homebush Bay, they could rename themselves Inner West Sydney AFL Celtics, instead of the Great Western Sydney Celtics?

They are a business, and business' choose their location based on where they think they will be most successfull. No-one can decide location but them and stop thinking you can.

Mate, they can go where ever they like if they pay their own way. But as a tax payer of NSW, I won’t be supporting the major funder of upgrading Sydney Showground for the AFL at the up coming State Election. I wouldn’t count too much on the funding being still there in March next year. Maybe if they have $6m to waste on a Rugby League player, they could put that into building a stand at Rooty Hill?

 

[Ray Mosters]

Hmmm, from a civics point of view, the whole "Why should we spend money on sporting infrastructure instead of hospitals" is a quintessential one.

In this case, as with Blacktown and Cararra IIRC, there is the guarantee of attracting further investment from other bodies.

The NSW government will kick in 45 million for this, but that 45 million will be enhanced by 10 million from the AFL and 5 million from the Royal Easter Show people.

Everyone involved is getting a bargain, jobs, economic stimulus and infrastructure for constituents, and facilities for their team or event.

This is how the AFL sells these projects and gets this money. They compile a list of figures detailing estimates of jobs and tourism increases a new side will bring, then they lobby each level of government and any other interested parties, telling them all the same thing, if you put in for this, everyone else will too, including the AFL themselves.

The end result is for 45 million the government is getting a 60 million dollar construction project providing jobs and economic stimulus to the west, followed by an AFL team with all the jobs and travelling fans that that brings, and 200 million in AFL investment in the franchise, which is great value for 45 million.

Nothing of the sort is offered by the NRL, not the lobbying or organisational capabilities, and certainly not the money. It really is that simple.

PS I'm not sure the Barry O'Farrell is the ideal person to be contacting on this... he is a Victorian who is an avid AFL fan, and he supports Richmond

 

[Big Mick]

How will that provide stimulus?

What travelling fans? From Blacktown to Homebush?

Why waste the 45m when you have a more than adequate ground 20 metres away.

 

[Cletus]

How will that provide stimulus?

What travelling fans? From Blacktown to Homebush?

Why waste the 45m when you have a more than adequate ground 20 metres away.

Exactly, this whole exercise is about preventing GWS blushes when no-one turns up. The stadium in Melbourne for the RL/RU/Soccer is because they don't have a decent ground for those codes down there.

 

[forward pass]

As a NSW taxpayer - this decision pisses me off no end.

Our schools are stuffed, our public transport is sh*t, our hospitals are stuffed, our roads are stuffed and they are going to spend 45 million for a stadium right next to another one just so that the AFL don't get red faces at showing empty stands at ANZ.

What a joke. And what about the money spent already at Blacktown? Sucked in to Blacktown council for wasting ratepayers money on a multi-million dollar training facility - I am sure they built it expecting matches.

When my son comes home from school complaining again about the temperature in his non-air conditioned room, I will sit him down and say 'sorry son, the government doesn't really give sh*t about you, but wait till you see Sydney Showground'.

 

[Ray Mosters]

How will that provide stimulus?

60 millions dollars doesent just get dropped into a hole. Its paid to architectural firms to managers and architects, then construction companies to contractors and sub-contractors. Every one of them spends their money on food and cars and houses, and TVs and boats, and the food vendors, car dealers, real estate agents, and TV salesmen all keep their jobs and go buy all the same stuff.

This is why capital works are a good idea during times of economic crisis, because the stimulus goes well beyond the initial investment.

Why waste the 45m when you have a more than adequate ground 20 metres away.

Because the AFL and Royal Agricultural Society aren't interested in spending money on ANZ. By upgrading the showgrounds they are drawing 15 million extra dollars for the west of Sydney, improving the facilities for other sporting and event organisations of different levels that will use it now and those they can draw in the future, and they help set up the GWS football side, which will bring jobs and tourism to Sydney.