The Game Future NRL Stadiums part II

[Raiderdave]

The NSW govt is going to insist if it's spending 2 billion & we want ANZ done first

Sydney doesn't lose any GFs

 

[herbert henry1908]

The NSW govt is going to insist if it's spending 2 billion & we want ANZ done first

Sydney doesn't lose any GFs

Exactly.

And it’s totally reasonable for them to do so unless the agreement specifically only mentions ANZ or Allianz being appropriate venues.

 

[T-Boon]

Whilst ANZ Stadium is unavailable it would make more sense to take the Grand Final interstate than play it at the SCG. Firstly, the other State Governments will offer more money than just the gate receipts, if it is taken inter-state. If it is at the SCG, it will quite probably get less gate receipts than if held in say Victoria or Qld as the tickets available will be smaller.

Agreed. The other thing would be a one of GF would be a nice little tease to those other state governments as it would really bring a lot of attention and tourism to that city. What that would mean is they might be tempted to through even bigger offers for the GF and the NRL can them use that off the NSW government start a bidding war.

 

[herbert henry1908]

This may go against most peoples opinion in here, but does Allianz really need to be knocked down and re-built?? By all means spend some coin on it and tweak it but to me its a massive waste to knock it down and re-build it to a capacity that is 10k less than its current config.

It’s cost benefit of the spend really.

If $200m could bring it up to an excellent standard vs $700m for a rebuild, then a refurb is a no brainer.

$700m spend seems ludicrous for a 45k seat stadium, particularly when the venue only needs 35k.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Agreed. The other thing would be it would be a nice little tease to those other state governments as it would really bring a lot of attention and tourism to that city. What that would mean is they might be tempted to through even bigger offers for the GF and the NRL can them use that off the NSW government start a bidding war.

They have a signed agreement with the NSW govt. admittedly not a contract but the NRL would burn a serious bridge if they backed out of it when the NSW govt is going to spend $2b

Unless the NSW govt allow it, the grand final looks highly unlikely to go interstate.

 

[T-Boon]

Rather than 2 excellent stadiums spend the whole lot on ANZ with the ambitious aim of making it the best stadium in the world. Make it a tourist attraction like AT&T Stadium.

 

[Stormwarrior82]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...m/news-story/ebf6411e9eecd4b43ae0b960d329fc73

NRL breaks ranks to support ANZ over Allianz Stadium

• The Australian
• 12:00AM October 17, 2017
• Brent Read

The NRL has broken ranks with its fellow Sydney Moore Park inhabitants only days from a cabinet meeting that is expected to determine whether the NSW government makes Allianz Stadium or ANZ Stadium their priority for redevelopment.

The Australian last week revealed a letter had been drafted on behalf of the Alliance of Moore Park Sports (AMPS) urging NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian to knock down and rebuild Allianz Stadium at Moore Park with a minimum capacity of 35,000.

However, it is understood that the letter was subsequently revised to also request that Allianz Stadium be made the priority for development once the freshly-minted Parramatta Stadium is complete in early-2019.

The NRL has consistently requested that ANZ Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park be next in line and as such, elected not to offer their support to the letter before it was sent to Berejiklian.

AMPS includes all codes and clubs who use Allianz Stadium and the SCG — the Sydney Roosters, Cricket NSW, Sydney FC, the Sydney Swans, the NSW Waratahs, AFL NSW/ACT and the Australian Rugby Union. It is understood all the Allianz Stadium clubs including the Roosters — as well as the ARU — signed the letter.

In its original draft, the letter made no mention of timing and merely asked that Allianz Stadium be knocked down and rebuilt. However, the NRL was left with little choice but to withdraw their support when it was altered to ask that Allianz Stadium be given preference over ANZ Stadium once the time comes to undertake the next stage of the state government’s stadiums strategy,

The state government pledged $1.6 billion to the redevelopment of Sydney stadiums more than a year ago but while Parramatta Stadium has progressed as planned, the futures of Allianz and ANZ Stadiums have become bogged down by lobbying behind the scenes over which of the city’s two major venues should receive the lion’s share of money.

The powerful SCG Trust have been pushing for priority for Allianz Stadium, a decision that would threaten agreements that have already been struck with the NRL over future content.

The NRL, which supplies the vast majority of content to Sydney stadiums, has outlined their position to the NSW government on a number of occasions in recent weeks and months.

Chief executive Todd Greenberg met personally with Berejiklian while he and his Football Federation Australia counterpart David Gallop wrote a letter to the premier late last month urging the state government to honour their commitment to ANZ Stadium.

That letter made it clear that any prior agreements — the NRL has pledged to play grand finals at ANZ Stadium for 20 years after the redevelopment is complete — would be placed in jeopardy if the NSW government changed its original course.

The letter was also signed by the heads of Canterbury, South Sydney, Parramatta, St George Illawarra and Wests Tigers, as well as the A-League’s Western Sydney Wanderers.

Several of those NRL clubs are also waiting to hear whether they receive their share of the $40 million that the state government put aside for Centres of Excellence.

It is understood NSW sports minister Stuart Ayres delayed an announcement on the distribution of that money because he was trying to raise more funds to ensure all the interested clubs received some money.

It is understood Wests Tigers and Manly were the most in danger of missing out on a share of the $40m.

The most critical issue as far as the NRL is concerned is the timeline and spending on Allianz and ANZ Stadiums. The governing body are desperate to dramatically improve the standard of Sydney stadiums as they look to build crowds for the code. ANZ Stadium is a central part of that plan given the ground hosts Souths and Canterbury as their main tenants, as well as the NRL’s marquee matches such as the grand final and State of Origin.

Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra also use the ground on a part-time basis while Parramatta will move back to their own stadium in 2019.

Ayres will front the media with NSW chairman George Peponis and prospective Blues coach Brad Fittler at Olympic Park tomorrow as they lay the foundation stone for the NSW Rugby League Centre of Excellence.

Breaks ranks?? Quite misleading. The Nrl would like Allianz rebuilt because it’s another new stadium to play in but not at the expense of Anz rebuilt first. They have been nothing but clear about that fact. He later states that fact with ffa/Nrl in agreeance.

The SCG Trust is trying to muddy the waters with what the Nrl wants by trying to isolate them from everyone else.

What seems likely is the fact the 2 stadiums will be built and 1 year where both stadiums will be out of action. Greenbergs meeting with nsw premier was on the proviso that a brand new Anz stadium is built first. If not built first gf should leave and go to suncorp for a year then returning.

Why should SCG Trust get a new stadium built first plus force Nrl to host there big games at there stadium. Are you serious??

 

[Stormwarrior82]

Let’s hope the Nrl have a massive say in how and what goes into Anz stadium. CoE’s,Office space for Nrl Department’s would be great. Less reliant on Moore Park headquarters.

 

[M2D2]

This may go against most peoples opinion in here, but does Allianz really need to be knocked down and re-built?? By all means spend some coin on it and tweak it but to me its a massive waste to knock it down and re-build it to a capacity that is 10k less than its current config.

It doesnt. The only people who think so are roosters fans.

 

[siv]

A Grand Final back at the SCG? Good gods no. It is the worst place to watch league at. If this "compromise" stadium deal goes ahead, the NRL would be better off taking the GF interstate for a year than playing at the SCG.

Prefer to watch RL from the SCG upper decks than at ANZ upper deck

All they must insist on is that stupid electronic advertising wall to be within 2m of the actual fence not 1m from the sideline

 

[Captain Apollo]

Prefer to watch RL from the SCG upper decks than at ANZ upper deck

All they must insist on is that stupid electronic advertising wall to be within 2m of the actual fence not 1m from the sideline

If it wind sup at the SCG, I hope you enjoy sitting at a 30 or 60 degree angle to the field then as that is the approximate side on angles you wind up with. You will find it much worse than at ANZ regardless of where the advertising is. The SCG is a crap ground to watch rugby league at.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Agreed. The other thing would be a one of GF would be a nice little tease to those other state governments as it would really bring a lot of attention and tourism to that city. What that would mean is they might be tempted to through even bigger offers for the GF and the NRL can them use that off the NSW government start a bidding war.

The Nrl has never held a GF outside of Sydney and it is about to agree to a new 20 years contract. But we have 2 years in the middle where ANZ is unavailable. I know, lets do something radical an go to EAST sydney....

NRL should definitely take these GFs out of sydney. The 20 year agreement starts when anz reopens, but in the meantime sydney doesnt hae any suitable stadiums and, for the first and possible last time, brisbane and melbourne are actually the better options.

Can you imagine how crazy the cities will go for the once-in-a-lifwtime NRL gf!!

 

[Raiderdave]

If it wind sup at the SCG, I hope you enjoy sitting at a 30 or 60 degree angle to the field then as that is the approximate side on angles you wind up with. You will find it much worse than at ANZ regardless of where the advertising is. The SCG is a crap ground to watch rugby league at.

Well we put up with it for 77 years
1911 to 1987
One more year isn't going to kill us
The 48K seats will go in record time
I think for this special one off event members should have to vacate their seat or pay for it like everyone else for this game.

 

[axl rose]

Rubbish article, NRL have always been clear on the Olympic Stadium being razed as the priority.

As for increasing the SFS capacity (for an Anzac Day match and a Soccer derby) that is comical.

 

[unforgiven]

This may go against most peoples opinion in here, but does Allianz really need to be knocked down and re-built?? By all means spend some coin on it and tweak it but to me its a massive waste to knock it down and re-build it to a capacity that is 10k less than its current config.

I agree 100% but the SCG trust has been attempting to convince the government that it is unsafe and a death trap

 

[herbert henry1908]

People seem to be ignoring the fact we don’t know what the NRL agreement with the NSW govt says.

If it stipulates that the grand final must be held in Sydney if they rebuild ANZ, how can the NRL walk away from that?

It would completely screw up relations with the NSW govt.

 

[herbert henry1908]

The Nrl has never held a GF outside of Sydney and it is about to agree to a new 20 years contract. But we have 2 years in the middle where ANZ is unavailable. I know, lets do something radical an go to EAST sydney....

NRL should definitely take these GFs out of sydney. The 20 year agreement starts when anz reopens, but in the meantime sydney doesnt hae any suitable stadiums and, for the first and possible last time, brisbane and melbourne are actually the better options.

Can you imagine how crazy the cities will go for the once-in-a-lifwtime NRL gf!!

It’s not about what the NRL want, it’s about what the NSW govt want. There’s an agreement in place and if the NSW govt hold up their end then there’s no option but to host it at the SCG or Allianz unless the agreement says otherwise.




Edit: from reading media reports they suggest the agreement kicks in once the rebuild is completed.

So if that’s the case the NRL probably could get away with moving in interstate.

My guess is though the NSW govt will ask for that not to happen, and I’d bet the NRL will agree for political purposes. (Especially if ANZ gets rebuilt first)

 

[magpie_man]

NRL should definitely take these GFs out of sydney. The 20 year agreement starts when anz reopens, but in the meantime sydney doesnt hae any suitable stadiums and, for the first and possible last time, brisbane and melbourne are actually the better options.

Can you imagine how crazy the cities will go for the once-in-a-lifwtime NRL gf!!

Gosh I'd love for it to go to Melbourne just for that one year.
You'd better believe they'd be rolling out the red carpet, if for no other reason, then to embarrass Sydney.
Street parades, banners everywhere, Federation square turned into a live site - they'd treat it with every bit as much fanfare as the AFL Grand Final, as it should be.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...s/news-story/0b3aac6b5781465265dfbb878c631c71

Sport and politics to collide once more over Sydney’s stadiums

• The Australian
• 12:00AM October 9, 2017
• Brent Read
  
  

Sport and politics careered headlong into each other in the lead-up to the NRL grand final. And having just removed the Macklemore debate from our system, the two are set to collide again this week amid suggestions the state government is ready to end more than a year of painful deliberating and hand down a decision on its stadiums strategy.

The stadiums issue has been politicking at its best, with sports forced to bide their time as lobbying behind the scenes slowed a process that appeared relatively straightforward when then NSW premier Mike Baird pledged $1.6 billion to renovate and refurbish Sydney’s major venues in April last year.

What should have been a formality has turned into calamity. The matter is likely to go before cabinet within days and the fear among many is that state Sports Minister Stuart Ayres will make a submission that Allianz Stadium should be the priority.

If that is the case, what a joke, given the desire of the sporting codes who supply the majority of content to Sydney’s venues. They have made it patently clear they want ANZ Stadium to be addressed first. They want Allianz Stadium updated as well, but only after the former Olympic venue is given a significant and radical overhaul.

NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg addressed the matter personally with premier Gladys Berejiklian recently, pushing the cause of his code, and by extension ANZ Stadium.

Then, as revealed in The Weekend Australian, Greenberg and his Football Federation Australia counterpart David Gallop wrote to the premier requesting her government honour its commitment and turn ANZ Stadium into a world-class rectangular stadium, with work to begin by March 2019.

The timing was important from two perspectives. The NRL has grand finals up for grabs and it wants to go to market. The code’s clubs are also crying out for better facilities. The FFA wants to host the women’s World Cup in 2023. It needs ANZ Stadium in shape to bid for the event.

The letter was co-signed by western Sydney NRL clubs and the Wanderers. The NRL and FFA couldn’t be clearer. They want ANZ Stadium improved and they want it done as a priority.

Against that backdrop, there are genuine fears that lobbying behind the scenes could lead to Allianz Stadium jumping to the front of the queue. The suspicion is the powerful SCG Trust is pushing to have a 47,000-seat venue built where Allianz Stadium now sits in a move that would put the redevelopment of ANZ Stadium on hold.

If anything, the NRL would prefer Allianz Stadium to be reduced in capacity. It would be happy for the venue to be limited to 35,000 seats and turned into a boutique venue. The broadcasters — Foxtel and the Nine Network — have also weighed into the debate amid a push for smaller stadiums to make the sports more presentable on television.

The indication is they would like Allianz Stadium to be the priority, albeit as a venue with a seating capacity of not much more than 30,000. Amid the myriad competing interests and views, the state government must sit down and make a call. If Allianz Stadium is given priority, the government will have ignored the wishes of the sporting codes. All hell will break loose.

Previous commitments made by the NRL and FFA will be off the table. Grand finals will once again be up for grabs. The Queensland and Victorian governments will be licking their lips. They are lurking in the shadows, just waiting for the chance to poach the game’s showpiece event. Clubs may revolt, although they are also waiting on a decision from the state government on centre of excellence funding. That decision was meant to be announced weeks ago but has been held up by the current stadiums debate, as well as the suggestion that more funds need to be found to ensure no clubs miss out.

Ayres has plenty to lose as well, given one of the clubs that was initially in danger of failing to secure funding was the Wests Tigers. Its $57 million proposal would have seen a centre of excellence built adjacent to WestConnex, the motorway currently being built in western Sydney. The Tigers’ facility was designed to augment that work. The minister for WestConnex is Ayres. When the Sydney clubs were ranked by an independent body, the Tigers were in the bottom two with Manly.

Ayres has been wisely attempting to find more money to appease all the clubs, yet that good work could be undone if he alienates them by ignoring their wishes to update ANZ Stadium as a matter of urgency.

There are those who would suggest the current imbroglio is a stadiums issue rather than a sporting one. But the sports and their clubs are the ones who have the most to gain and lose.

The NRL is locked in a fight to grow crowds and memberships. There is widespread acknowledgment that one of the keys to making that happen is to improve facilities for clubs in Sydney.

Brisbane has Suncorp Stadium. Melbourne and Gold Coast have boutique grounds that are perfectly designed for rugby league. North Queensland will have a sparkly new stadium in 2019.

Sydney is lagging sadly behind, something the state government clearly recognises given it is prepared to throw nearly $2 billion at improving facilities. That commitment in April last year was greeted with elation by the NRL and the clubs, not to mention the other sports who stood to benefit.

Yet the sports and clubs who greeted it most enthusiastically are now gripped by a sense of dread as they realise there is every chance Allianz Stadium will be given priority. If that is the case, the state government will have a fight on its hands. Much is at stake as sport and politics once again collide.

Where is the ARU in all of this? Surely they stand to benefit from an upgraded ANZ also.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Where is the ARU in all of this? Surely they stand to benefit from an upgraded ANZ also.

Not really. They have more eggs in the Allianz basket.

Only one game per year at ANZ these days.