The Game Future NRL Stadiums part II

[Iamback]

Accor is easily better than any oval I’ve attended.

Yeah compare it to Gabba last night.

 

[Pneuma]

Yeah compare it to Gabba last night.

Exactly. Accor has its faults but I’ve seen origin there multiple times and always had great seats. Marvel and the MCG are shite comparatively.

 

[TheRam]

Depends what they’re holding out for. If they’re trying to get a decent upgrade to Mt Smart for 50-100M it might work and result in a pretty good upgrade.
If they’re trying to leverage and all singing, all dancing state of the art roofed stadium for Auckland then I doubt it’ll work- the economics of it just don’t add up in terms of what the Warriors alone bring in, unless that stadium proposal is already very much on the table.

Have you seen the on again, off again harbour or railway docks stadium proposals? That is what they should be holding out for and if it never comes so be it, they stay at Te Kaha, not the worst outcome for the Warriors by a long shot and actually better then anything else currently on offer at the moment.

But something tells me that the pollies won't be sitting on their hands for to long if Christchurch is getting all the main events and sporting heavy waits and accolades along the way at the expense of Auckland. It's amazing what happens when there is real competition in the mix. The noise will be to great for them to sit there and do nothing.

 

[TheRam]

The old stadium wasn’t damaged it was destroyed. That’s the only reason Christchurch got a new, state of the art stadium, they HAD to build a brand new facility and once you’re in that position it’s a lot easier to get approval for something good.

Auckland’s problem is it already has functional stadiums that represent a fair amount of investment. They might not be great but it’s still a much harder sell to knock them down and rebuild them, especially when you consider the number of stakeholders involved in the Auckland stadium landscape (Union, League, Cricket, Speedway, concerts/events, the Eden Park Trust and the Council).
it’s also a far bigger city so needs bigger stadia- needing to cater to 50K+ for big rugby/cricket games but also satisfy club football requirements.


I would be super happy if a cyclone wrecked Eden Park. We might finally get a full rebuild or replacement and some upgrades to Mt Smart while it was being sorted out.

It's all just politics. They have the resources and have come very close on a couple of occasions but council politics got in the way and they funded Eden Park instead. Well they are at a stage once again on deciding what to do. I say force their hand. Warriors leave and go to Christchurch and make it as clear as day that you will not come back until there is a brand new rectangular designed for purpose stadium in a city location to play in. Otherwise you and who knows what other teams will be happy to play in Christchurch forever. Period!

Not the Warriors problem from there. Now what the powers that be do with that, you know, sell that sh*t hole Eden Park and Mt Smart dump to developers and use that money as part of the funding is up to them. But it is doable if there is some pressure applied. To do nothing though, when there is a perfectly brand new bauble available to play in and expect the pollies to move on their own accord is folly. Applying pressure is always the way things get done. This is real leverage and we need to be strong enough to use it.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

It's all just politics. They have the resources and have come very close on a couple of occasions but council politics got in the way and they funded Eden Park instead. Well they are at a stage once again on deciding what to do. I say force their hand. Warriors leave and go to Christchurch and make it as clear as day that you will not come back until there is a brand new rectangular designed for purpose stadium in a city location to play in. Otherwise you and who knows what other teams will be happy to play in Christchurch forever. Period!

Not the Warriors problem from there. Now what the powers that be do with that, you know, sell that sh*t hole Eden Park and Mt Smart dump to developers and use that money as part of the funding is up to them. But it is doable if there is some pressure applied. To do nothing though, when there is a perfectly brand new bauble available to play in and expect the pollies to move on their own accord is folly. Applying pressure is always the way things get done. This is real leverage and we need to be strong enough to use it.

The only issue is with that is that the bulk of NZs league talent and support is in and around Auckland, and as such there’s a real chance moving the team away could weaken it- ideally it’s be something you’d as a bluff and not have to follow through with.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Have you seen the on again, off again harbour or railway docks stadium proposals? That is what they should be holding out for and if it never comes so be it, they stay at Te Kaha, not the worst outcome for the Warriors by a long shot and actually better then anything else currently on offer at the moment.

But something tells me that the pollies won't be sitting on their hands for to long if Christchurch is getting all the main events and sporting heavy waits and accolades along the way at the expense of Auckland. It's amazing what happens when there is real competition in the mix. The noise will be to great for them to sit there and do nothing.

Yeah, I’ve been following Auckland stadium politics for decades. I’m well versed with the various proposals and why they haven’t got off the ground. Some of those proposals were great and should have happened, others were unrealistic for various reasons.

 

[TheRam]

The only issue is with that is that the bulk of NZs league talent and support is in and around Auckland, and as such there’s a real chance moving the team away could weaken it- ideally it’s be something you’d as a bluff and not have to follow through with.

I don't think that that would be an issue. The people of Christchurch are actually very sport conscience and will follow most tier one sports especially wining teams like most cities do. Add to that the new stadium factor and curiosity and they will come. Once there and they experience the new surroundings and atmosphere I have great confidence that they will enjoy themselves enough to keep coming back.

People are pretty simple. Give them convenience, comfort, pleasure and atmosphere and you generally have them hooked. Their new digs will have all of that in spades and the Kiwis get to whoop the visiting Aussies ever other week in their own brand new magical Colosseum. What could be better then that?

 

[SpaceMonkey]

If the Eden Park 2.0 rebuild proposal actually happens I wouldn’t be too upset. It’s still a multi-use (including short-form cricket) proposal though so I’m not 100% convinced it’ll replace Mt Smart for regular season games despite their claims of its club mode credentials. Would be legit great for big games though and the retractable roof would certainly come in useful.

 

[jim_57]

Yeah, I’ve been following Auckland stadium politics for decades. I’m well versed with the various proposals and why they haven’t got off the ground. Some of those proposals were great and should have happened, others were unrealistic for various reasons.

If the Eden Park 2.0 rebuild proposal actually happens I wouldn’t be too upset. It’s still a multi-use (including short-form cricket) proposal though so I’m not 100% convinced it’ll replace Mt Smart for regular season games despite their claims of its club mode credentials. Would be legit great for big games though and the retractable roof would certainly come in useful.

View attachment 77401

Surely they could come up with another option for cricket? How many cricket games would realistically need be played there?

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Surely they could come up with another option for cricket? How many cricket games would realistically need be played there?

Not while Eden Park is part of the proposal because the Eden Park Trust which owns EP is deeply connected with cricket. It’s pretty much part of the package there.
As far as I’m aware the rival waterfront stadium proposal (which I’d prefer) doesn’t accomodate cricket and is a dedicated rectangular football design.

 

[jim_57]

Not while Eden Park is part of the proposal because the Eden Park Trust which owns EP is deeply connected with cricket. It’s pretty much part of the package there.
As far as I’m aware the rival waterfront stadium proposal (which I’d prefer) doesn’t accomodate cricket and is a dedicated rectangular football design.

Fair enough. It doesn’t look like the worst oval but if you’re essentially starting from scratch it seems like a waste to keep it as an oval.

I see the waterfront stadium proposal is still hanging around, what are the chances it gets the green light ahead of the Eden Park option? Assuming one or the other eventually happens.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Fair enough. It doesn’t look like the worst oval but if you’re essentially starting from scratch it seems like a waste to keep it as an oval.

I see the waterfront stadium proposal is still hanging around, what are the chances it gets the green light ahead of the Eden Park option? Assuming one or the other eventually happens.

I honestly have no idea. Probably comes down to which one (if either) can present a business case that doesn’t cost the government a ridiculous amount.

 

[jim_57]

I honestly have no idea. Probably comes down to which one (if either) can present a business case that doesn’t cost the government a ridiculous amount.

From a couple things I just read the group behind waterfront are saying it will be “zero public cost”. Whether that is possible who knows but hopefully that gets the go ahead and Eden Park can be the cricket stadium.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

From a couple things I just read the group behind waterfront are saying it will be “zero public cost”. Whether that is possible who knows but hopefully that gets the go ahead and Eden Park can be the cricket stadium.

The second part won’t happen because part of what makes it “zero cost” is selling off Eden Park for residential development.
cricket could possibly be loved to Western Springs but that would require some significant redevelopment for the purpose, plus moving the speedway track somewhere else.

 

[siv]

Nobody, absolutely nobody refers to Melbourne as the sporting capital of the world EXCEPT Victorians.
Most of whom have never set foot outside Victoria in their lives.

They've never been able to handle Sydney always being number 1.

The inferiority complex they have down there is hilarious.

Gee this sounds the same as the group to the north

 

[siv]

Doubt anyone would consider Australia for the SWC after the disaster Victoria did with Commonwealth Games

 

[Heisenberg]

Doubt anyone would consider Australia for the SWC after the disaster Victoria did with Commonwealth Games

I don’t think FIFA could care less about the Commonwealth Games

 

[Pneuma]

I don’t think FIFA could care less about the Commonwealth Games

Or even heard of them

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

I don’t think FIFA could care less about the Commonwealth Games

Yeh, I think the FIFA know we can organise and run stuff in this country. We have decent runs on the board.

 

[t-ba]

as a Queenslander who used to travel to both cities a lot for work, I found the Sydney vs Melbourne thing was usually pushed by people from Melbourne more so than Sydney... perhaps things have changed in the last few years though... I agree with you about this forum being too AFL obsessed.

Yeah pretty much.

Abroad at least I think most Australians living overseas not from Sydney develop a real complex about the fact that outside of nature no one knows anything about Australia besides Sydney and it makes them go a bit deranged about it. And that in particular affects Melbournians, who do have a very lovely and vibrant city to be fair, but then again so does much of the world. People aren't going to fly to the arse end of the earth just for Alleyway eateries and good coffee.