http://www.smh.com.au/sport/sydney-...-sporting-infrastructure-20171124-gzsaxi.html
Sydney stadiums saga: City risks falling behind on sporting infrastructure
The rectangular football codes have not had a major redevelopment in Sydney since 1987, when Allianz Stadium was built.
In that time, Melbourne has developed a city-centre sporting infrastructure that caters for all codes, comprising the 52,000-seat Etihad Stadium, the rectangular 30,000-seat AAMI Park and the redeveloped 100,000-seat MCG, providing facilities that are arguably the best in the world and contribute millions in revenue to the city and the state.
Sydney needs to keep up or risk losing its competitiveness with both the Victorian capital, and Perth, as a city capable of attracting international events, such as the 2023 women's soccer world cup, for which Australia is bidding, which will need large, modern stadia to host its bigger games.
You only have to look to the Victorian capital to see the merit in following the lead of most Western cities in having at least one world-class rectangular stadium close to the CBD. In Sydney, that will mean a modern stadium at Moore Park that takes advantage of the existing infrastructure, and the new light rail system, to service the city's east, north, south and inner west, particularly its rugby union fraternity. But clearly that is not enough for a city of Sydney's size and there is also a desperate need for a large, revamped rectangular super-stadium in the city's west.
The timetable for redevelopment, however, is cause for concern, with the NSW government deciding to send the cement mixers to Moore Park first, ahead of Homebush Bay. That could have serious downside for those living in the western suburbs, particularly rugby league lovers.
Should the incumbent NSW government be replaced at the next election by Labor, league fans will need to pray Luke Foley does not panic at the inevitable calls to can the Homebush Bay redevelopment and spend the cash instead on schools and hospitals. Such a move would leave Sydney with only two modern rectangular stadiums, which would be bad news for both rugby codes as well as soccer. Under that scenario, the stadium at Parramatta, which will be ready for the 2020 rugby league season, and a new 45-000 seat stadium at Moore Park would be the only modern venues suitable for the three rectangular-field football codes.
Not only would that hinder Sydney's ability to attract major international sporting events, it would also adversely affect the city's domestic competitions. Future rugby league Origin matches, and grand finals would be restricted to the inner city, being played at the SCG and the new Allianz Stadium, denying fans of the code in the west easy access to the big games.
The pitch at ANZ Stadium would stay elliptical-shaped, making it suitable for AFL, thus inviting that code to advance its plans to conquer Sydney's west.
The incumbent Liberal government is obviously gambling that should Labor win the next election it will not cancel the redevelopment for fear of alienating Sydney's west. However, should state Labor follow the example of federal Labor, which has become effectively a servant of the AFL, then the 18-a-side code will gain further benefits on top of a redeveloped SCG and the boutique Spotless Stadium at Homebush Bay, with its sights on the biggest prize of all, a renovated ANZ Stadium suitable for AFL.Tony Shepherd is chair of both the GWS Giants and the SCG and Football Stadium Trust. He has already won a major victory by convincing the NSW government and its politically under-siege sports minister Stuart Ayers to begin work on Allianz Stadium first.
If a new Labor government did shelve the ANZ Stadium redevelopment, Shepherd would have won an even bigger second victory.
