The Game Future NRL Stadiums part II

[Diesel]

It’s council owned not state govt’s responsibility. Agree though that there should be safe venues for amateur sport like this.

Not sure if it’s the same in NSW, but in QLD, council owned means it’s state government land that council manages and maintains, so it may be a state government issue

 

[Pippen94]

Not sure if it’s the same in NSW, but in QLD, council owned means it’s state government land that council manages and maintains, so it may be a state government issue

No land would be in name of inner west (Leichhardt) council. State government have more financial might & partially fund many similar projects like tigers coe

 

[Colk]

Used for multiple sports across all levels. Great community venue neglected by state government

Move with the times, it is simply not good enough for premier competitions. It doesn’t even have good bathroom facilities and parking. It’s like Henson Park: good for local competitions and maybe NSW Cup but not for the NRL or Super Rugby or anything similar.

It is also holding back the Tigers severely.

 

[Colk]

Historic & aesthetically pleasing venue. New & shinny doesn't equal better

Pfft. Views like this are partly why attendance figures are poor. You are not going to convince people to shell out more than $50 to sit on the hill on a winter’s day. It is just not good enough for the NRL.

 

[Colk]

Whether sitting for 3 hours in a tiny plastic seat in a stadium which lights up is a better experience than picnicking on the hill on a sunny day or even standing when it's raining is a matter of preference. I notice the new parra stadium has an area where chairs folder up for standing & atmosphere.
You probably look at heritage structures at scg, craven cottage & Wrigley Field & think they're taking up space for corporate boxes.
What Leichhardt & grounds like it offer is a setting & experience that the game & it's rivalries were built on. This is a good thing

That’s the thing though. It’s about preference: more people prefer to sit undercover in comfort than sitting on a hill with the elements.

Have a look at pretty much every other professional sport and not one of them do you see people sitting on f***** hills. There’s a reason why.

 

[Colk]

View attachment 64660

It is a s***hole. Yes, I have been there as well.

 

[DIOGENES]

Last time I was there (2018) I got very nostalgic
it reminded me of Newcastle No. 1 Sportsground in 1966.
The main difference was that you couldn’t buy canned beer - these used to be of added value that you could piss into them as there were very limited toilets

 

[Steel Saints]

After what happened yesterday, Leichhardt Oval should not be condemned. LO should have a similar redevelopment like Redfern Oval. Use for community, local sport, NSW Cup, trials etc.

 

[Colk]

Not only that. I'm sick of this idea that we have to copy the AFL and use centralised stadiums. We are our own sport and do it our own way. Suburban grounds are part of the culture of Sydney RL and so be it.

Now, do we need to severely upgrade those suburban grounds? Yes, and PVL is working on it.

Unless for example Sydney NRL clubs are going to become as big as European soccer clubs and build their own stadiums then there is very little choice other than shared stadiums.

Also, I think people sometimes underestimate the problems with upgrading these stadiums.

Firstly, the facilities of some of these suburban stadiums are so far behind the times. Even if you did upgrade say Leichhardt it would still not really be suitable. For example there is just not enough parking and you have very little corporate facilities. So essentially you are putting lipstick on a pig. Shark Park and a few other are the same, albeit they are slightly better than Leichhardt.

Secondly the stadiums and surrounding areas are just not big enough. With these facilities, in order for it to actually work, you would need to knock the whole thing down, rezone the land and make them bigger. That’s not going to happen.

Thirdly, people argue against shared stadiums because of accessibility, yet having stadiums in outer suburban areas, particularly when the city is so difficult to get around, is even worse for accessibility. Unless transport becomes so much better in Sydney (a lot is being spent but the whole plans won’t be finished for another 15-20 years) than surely having stadiums in areas accessible to the most amount of people makes so much more sense than having them in inaccessible areas. How many people outside of Cronulla are going to Shark Park for example?

Shared stadiums make sense. Have the majority of the games played at SFS and Commbank with Penrith playing at Bluebet and Manly at Brookvale. That’s manageable. It’s also a lot easier to negotiate upgrades if and when you require due to shared tenancy. Also you could look at a stadium in SW Sydney when the airport brings in massive growth in those areas.

 

[Wb1234]

Not sure if it’s the same in NSW, but in QLD, council owned means it’s state government land that council manages and maintains, so it may be a state government issue

Nope

council assets are separate to state ones

 

[Wb1234]

Unless for example Sydney NRL clubs are going to become as big as European soccer clubs and build their own stadiums then there is very little choice other than shared stadiums.

Also, I think people sometimes underestimate the problems with upgrading these stadiums.

Firstly, the facilities of some of these suburban stadiums are so far behind the times. Even if you did upgrade say Leichhardt it would still not really be suitable. For example there is just not enough parking and you have very little corporate facilities. So essentially you are putting lipstick on a pig. Shark Park and a few other are the same, albeit they are slightly better than Leichhardt.

Secondly the stadiums and surrounding areas are just not big enough. With these facilities, in order for it to actually work, you would need to knock the whole thing down, rezone the land and make them bigger. That’s not going to happen.

Thirdly, people argue against shared stadiums because of accessibility, yet having stadiums in outer suburban areas, particularly when the city is so difficult to get around, is even worse for accessibility. Unless transport becomes so much better in Sydney (a lot is being spent but the whole plans won’t be finished for another 15-20 years) than surely having stadiums in areas accessible to the most amount of people makes so much more sense than having them in inaccessible areas. How many people outside of Cronulla are going to Shark Park for example?

Shared stadiums make sense. Have the majority of the games played at SFS and Commbank with Penrith playing at Bluebet and Manly at Brookvale. That’s manageable. It’s also a lot easier to negotiate upgrades if and when you require due to shared tenancy. Also you could look at a stadium in SW Sydney when the airport brings in massive growth in those areas.

Shared stadiums aren’t the solution for league

the big benefit league has over afl is with no draft and local stadiums there’s a connection to the local community

afl is the exact opposite and it’s a great advantage in favour of league in terms of generating fan loyalty and also keeping local juniors

 

[Perth Red]

After what happened yesterday, Leichhardt Oval should not be condemned. LO should have a similar redevelopment like Redfern Oval. Use for community, local sport, NSW Cup, trials etc.

And that’s the problem, Sydney nrl clings on to the past like a man clinging to an anchor in the middle of the ocean. meanwhile these suburban community facilities that should be getting $5-10mill spent on them To make them fit for the purpose of local amateur sports are getting neglected as the nrl is insisting they get $50-100mill. Ergo they get nothing and fall into disrepair even for the local community use. Dumb dumb dumb.

 

[Perth Red]

No land would be in name of inner west (Leichhardt) council. State government have more financial might & partially fund many similar projects like tigers coe

In WA the councils own the local sports facilities and are responsible for maintaining them. Sure the state givt might chip in $1 or $2mill to help out but they certainly wouldn’t spend $100mill on one Unless they controlled it.

 

[Perth Red]

Shared stadiums aren’t the solution for league

the big benefit league has over afl is with no draft and local stadiums there’s a connection to the local community

afl is the exact opposite and it’s a great advantage in favour of league in terms of generating fan loyalty and also keeping local juniors

14k to 34k crowd avg’s, 15-30k compared to 40-100k members. which model of fan engagement is working best? Hmmmmmmm.

 

[Colk]

Shared stadiums aren’t the solution for league

the big benefit league has over afl is with no draft and local stadiums there’s a connection to the local community

afl is the exact opposite and it’s a great advantage in favour of league in terms of generating fan loyalty and also keeping local juniors

Yes but the local stadiums aren’t good enough and will never be good enough unless you built them on bigger land and improved transport connections to those grounds. That’s unlikely to happen. As they are, they hamper those clubs severely in terms of getting support outside of those areas and getting corporate dollars.

Look at the contrast between crowds, membership and corporate monies for Parramatta and those generated by Cronulla. There’s a reason for this.

The last argument about it being an advantage over AFL I just don’t get. Melbourne AFL clubs are corporate behemoths compared to Sydney NRL sides. Also how would it impact juniors? Junior competitions and second grades would still be played at suburban grounds and areas, we’re just talking about first grade/NRL

 

[Valheru]

Backflip time

V'landys prefers NRL GF to stay in Sydney

Peter V'landys has indicated he wants this year's NRL grand final to stay in Sydney but says he...

www.canberratimes.com.au

 

[Captain Apollo]

Yes but the local stadiums aren’t good enough and will never be good enough unless you built them on bigger land and improved transport connections to those grounds. That’s unlikely to happen. As they are, they hamper those clubs severely in terms of getting support outside of those areas and getting corporate dollars.

Look at the contrast between crowds, membership and corporate monies for Parramatta and those generated by Cronulla. There’s a reason for this.

The last argument about it being an advantage over AFL I just don’t get. Melbourne AFL clubs are corporate behemoths compared to Sydney NRL sides. Also how would it impact juniors? Junior competitions and second grades would still be played at suburban grounds and areas, we’re just talking about first grade/NRL

In fact, it was the poor facilities for corporates which is one of the reasons South Sydney moved from Redfern Oval to the SFS. They kne4w it was hampering them financially in the longer term.

 

[Colk]

In fact, it was the poor facilities for corporates which is one of the reasons South Sydney moved from Redfern Oval to the SFS. They kne4w it was hampering them financially in the longer term.

Exactly. Look at your club, Rabbitohs and Parramatta. Those clubs are probably the top of the tree in terms of corporates in Sydney. That’s because they play in better facilities than Shark Park, Brookvale and Leichhardt Oval.

Although in terms of the Rabbitohs and Bulldogs, the Olympic Stadium is too big but you get the drift

 

[Perth Red]

Being at commbank for the eels v parra game was as good as being at an epl game. It was that level of sports professionalism and fan experience. That should be the target we are aiming for, not some throw back nswrl game from 1985 with 14k and a corporate tent with an esky of tinnies.

 

[Colk]

Being at commbank for the eels v parra game was as good as being at an epl game. It was that level of sports professionalism and fan experience. That should be the target we are aiming for, not some throw back nswrl game from 1985 with 14k and a corporate tent with an esky of tinnies.

Parramatta were playing themselves? Good crowd for an intra squad game