The Game Future NRL Stadiums part II

[Canard]

It’s the big elephant in Rugby League’s, and the city of Brisbane’s room.

I’m not sure what the answer will be because Lang Park probably can’t be expanded too much, yet holds a massive cultural place in our game and the city.

But when numerous events - Origin, derbies, finals, magic round, soccer internationals, could sell upwards of 80-100k tickets - a solution needs to be found.

It is ludicrous that sports with limited future growth - cricket and ozzie rules - will be benefiting from the Olympics infrastructure.

Surely you need the main tenant to be selling out the stadium for years on end for it to be considered a reality.

When the Broncos and part time Dolphins only average 2/3rds its capacity it's decades away.

You don't build a 80k stadium for 2 or 3 games a year

 

[Canard]

Each of these cities and examples have their own unique characteristics. It is not cookie cutter like the post implies.

Like them, Brisbane too has its cultural and geographical quirks.

A potential 25k stadium for Ipswich is not as outrageous as being made out. Massive growth corridor with its own identity. Not currently served by a professional sports club. I could foresee it being filled every match day.

For mine, we should avoid the decentralised Sydney model at all costs.

I don't think our ambition should be to have teams with stadium sub 25k.

 

[beave]

Suncorp to become the new mid sized stadium like Allianz. (50-60k). Minor spruce up. Dolphins / Jets / Firehawks.

Rebuild QSAC for major events and connect to rail. Then Bris would have a large (70-80k) stadium. For QLD derbies, GFs, Soccer internationals, concerts etc. As the big boys, Broncos could even move there.

Gabba to remain as is. Cricket and AFL don't need a bigger stadium. Olympics athletics can be at Gabba so no need to compromise any of the rectangles.

The location of QSAC is just as bad as Homebush, there's nothing around it (bars and restaurants) which is what makes Suncorp/Lang Park.

It's a no from me.

 

[beave]

The only way I can armchair general it would be to close Castlemaine street, at least the part opposite Suncorp. Have the stadium shift west which would mean a complete rebuild of stadium.

I think the precinct and culture attached to the location is way too important to build a complete new stadium at another site.

I reckon they need to move it the other way.

Not a civil engineer by any means but surely it would be easier to shift it east and build over Hale St as there's much more real estate in that direction. Castlemaine St is pretty narrow and there's a lot of business in that direction. I mean they will be impacted either way but buying out all those properties wouldn't be cheap and I don't know if going west even gives it the required space for the extra capacity?

 

[It's Been Done]

The location of QSAC is just as bad as Homebush, there's nothing around it (bars and restaurants) which is what makes Suncorp/Lang Park.

It's a no from me.

It's even worse than Homebush/Olympic Park as there's no train station nearby. QSAC to Brisbane is more like old Waverley Park was to Melbourne

 

[Iamback]

I think Sydney has room for 2, maybe 3 precincts. But every team with its own ground is silly.
Moore Park
Parra
And something out near the new airport when that area starts to develop properly
Plus Homebush for big games, though really it and Parra should be combined.

it’s a shame that Homebush never really came to life as an area after the Olympics.

Re: airport

They tried to do that with Penrith and people sooked

 

[titoelcolombiano]

You're literally just arguing scale. At the end of the day the scale of the infestation is pretty irrelevant, a rat in the kitchen is still a rat in the kitchen.

Those "fans" aren't very passionate if they're too lazy and entitled to travel outside of their suburb to watch their team live, and lets be honest, 99% of the people at Dolphins games didn't give two shits about them until they got an NRL license, and a sizeable portion of them will lose interest quick enough.

The NRL isn't an amateur league, it lives and dies on the amount of money it makes, and all taking games on the road does is muddy the product and devalue ticketed memberships most of the time. The goal should be to try and build sustainable local products in places like Tamworth, not stretch the NRL thin at the expense of local footy so a relative handful of leeches, who should have been moved on generations ago, can feel like they're making a difference without having to suffer the inconvenience of actually making a difference.

If you think the only difference between 4 teams in SEQ and 9 in Sydney is scale then I can't help you.

On the Dolphins fans, they probably attend both Kayo and Suncorp games. If the Dolphins want to play some games at their own ground then they have every right to even if you and I don't like it.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Suncorp to become the new mid sized stadium like Allianz. (50-60k). Minor spruce up. Dolphins / Jets / Firehawks.

Rebuild QSAC for major events and connect to rail. Then Bris would have a large (70-80k) stadium. For QLD derbies, GFs, Soccer internationals, concerts etc. As the big boys, Broncos could even move there.

Gabba to remain as is. Cricket and AFL don't need a bigger stadium. Olympics athletics can be at Gabba so no need to compromise any of the rectangles.

I don't mind the idea of revisiting QSAC as long as it's a proper rectangular stadium. The Broncos averaged 43k there in 1993 and drew 55k v Wigan in 1994 IIRC then Super League hit and the atmosphere died off as the huge crowds disappeared (which was all the stadium had going for it).

I think it could work as Garden City is very close by for bars and restaurants and the major Upper Mt Gravatt Busway station is there for awesome transport links.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

The location of QSAC is just as bad as Homebush, there's nothing around it (bars and restaurants) which is what makes Suncorp/Lang Park.

It's a no from me.

Non-drinkers like me don't give a f**k about bars and restaurants. I cook my own food. QSAC is the ideal location for the Brisbane Tigers when they get an NRL licence. It'll cater well to fans from southern Brisbane, Logan and Ipswich.

Having Garden City up the road will be good for transport. It's connected to the SE Busway. It'll be quicker for a bus leaving the Garden City to get to QSAC than it takes to get from South Bank to Lang Park via bus.

We should lobby to have QSAC converted into a 60k rectangular stadium with an upgrade to the State Netball Centre to fit 15k people so it can accommodate the Bullets and Firebirds. If Easts use the brand "Firehawks" then it'll line up nicely.

 

[mongoose]

new 60k stadium in logan, walking distance from GROTD's house. There's really nothing else to consider

 

[MugaB]

new 60k stadium in logan, walking distance from GROTD's house. There's really nothing else to consider

 

[Colk]

new 60k stadium in logan, walking distance from GROTD's house. There's really nothing else to consider

Knock down the IKEA. That’ll give them the required room

 

[Bukowski]

Knock down the IKEA. That’ll give them the required room

But you'd be losing such a huge tourist attraction.

 

[Colk]

But you'd be losing such a huge tourist attraction.

I know it’s a big call but for the good of Rugby League you might have to do it.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

new 60k stadium in logan, walking distance from GROTD's house. There's really nothing else to consider

QSAC ain't in Logan.

 

[Colk]

QSAC ain't in Logan.

Is it near the IKEA though?

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Knock down the IKEA. That’ll give them the required room

Isn’t there something useless like a Harvey Norman you could knock down instead?

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Isn’t there something useless like a Harvey Norman you could knock down instead?

We could knock down the Gabba and build a rugby league stadium.

 

[Colk]

We could knock down the Gabba and build a rugby league stadium.

Where are the cricketers going to play? (By the way that question is more about whether there are actually any stadiums they could play outside Gabba - so not being smart)

 

[The Great Dane]

If you think the only difference between 4 teams in SEQ and 9 in Sydney is scale then I can't help you.

It's not my job to make your argument for you, and it's the only difference that you've managed to bring up of any consequence.

Try as you might you can't get away from it, you're just suggesting that it's okay to repeat the mistakes made in Sydney because it will be on a smaller scale, which is munted.

On the Dolphins fans, they probably attend both Kayo and Suncorp games. If the Dolphins want to play some games at their own ground then they have every right to even if you and I don't like it.

It's impossible for most of their "fans" to attend every game at both stadiums as Dolphin Stadium literally doesn't have the capacity to support that. It's literally too small for any NRL side, let alone one with the potential the 2nd Brisbane side had, and they never should have been allowed anywhere near the NRL if they truly insisted on playing games out of a stadium with an 11k capacity.

The fact that anybody is willing to pretend that that was either sensible or reasonable shows just how debate brained they are and/or what a low opinion they have of the sport's potential as a spectator sport.