The Game Future NRL Stadiums part II

[herbert henry1908]

Maybe. However, imagine a local council saying "oh we are giving a professional sporting code land we own on your behalf to build a private facility which no one else will be able to use." I could see rate payers and locals demanding heads on pikes for that. Melbournians can be a bit more confrontational on things like that than some Sydney folk.

As I say, they gave millions to GWS and Blacktown council failed to get guarantees.

Councils are largely run by absolute muppets.

 

[Rooster8]

On another note, I went to watch the mighty Mariners play in the FAA cup last night at CC stadium. They have replaced around 75% of existing seats with newer, dark grey ones which has given the stadium a refreshed look. If they extended the drip lines for the roof on the Eastern and Western sides, and tear down the bowling club and add a second tier along with a forecourt where the greens are on the northern side, then it wouldn't look that bad for when the Sea Eagles eventually get relocated up here.

 

[Suitman]

Must be a big land development to return enough to cover $200mill when you think the Sharks development returned them much less than half of that.

Yeh, it must be.
Not sure of the size of the land grant, but it must have been enough to entice the owners/developers to take it on.

 

[Suitman]

I know all this.

I know they’re just artist images.

I’m aware of the gifted land & development.

See my post above.

I was just confused as to why you were asking questions then as to why they won't ground share if you know all of the above.
It's their financial risk and they have taken it on.

 

[Suitman]

Maybe. However, imagine a local council saying "oh we are giving a professional sporting code land we own on your behalf to build a private facility which no one else will be able to use." I could see rate payers and locals demanding heads on pikes for that. Melbournians can be a bit more confrontational on things like that than some Sydney folk.

The council, in return have been promised shopping centers, office blocks and residential apartments in return for the land grant. A huge investment in local infrastructure which they themselves probably can't afford considering this is a largely underdeveloped area at the moment.
I personally think that if it all gets off the ground it will be a miracle. Time will tell. I'm very dubious about it all considering the world economy atm.
It will be interesting to see if it all comes to fruition, although I have heard that the stadium proposal is almost ready to go up for approval.
I will be following keenly.

 

[herbert henry1908]

I was just confused as to why you were asking questions then as to why they won't ground share if you know all of the above.
It's their financial risk and they have taken it on.

I was making the point in relation to Campbelltown. Ie. It’s no guarantee they’ll want the Tigers there or the Tigers will want to be there more.

They’re similar projects.

 

[flippikat]

I'm not sure who think West Melbourne will freeze out? They are building it for themselves.
The only other rectangular club in Melbourne is the Storm, and they ain't leaving AAMI.
Victory and City won't leave AAMI either, and neither will the Rebels.
This will be Western United's ground only.

Fair point... but unless they have someone using it in winter, it'll just sit idle.

I'm guessing local lower-grade football clubs may get use of it over winter. Looks like it's not being built to allow rugby codes, so that's a potential winter-use lost.

 

[Suitman]

Fair point... but unless they have someone using it in winter, it'll just sit idle.

I'm guessing local lower-grade football clubs may get use of it over winter. Looks like it's not being built to allow rugby codes, so that's a potential winter-use lost.

Agree with that but I'm not sure they care.
It will also be a development stadium for their woman's team (with training grounds and an academy setup), so will, as you say, be available for football (maybe even local teams?) all year round. Yet, only football.
It's actually a huge step ahead in the AFL centric shithole that is Melbourne.
I'd love to see it succeed (although, I have my doubts) just to shove one up the Victorians in a different sport.

 

[TheEroticGamer]

I say since their is a new A-League team coming that Campbelltown Stadium would have more chance of being upgraded or rebuilt than Penrith Stadium in my opinion.

If the Tigers played more games in Campbelltown i’d agree with that. I’m not sure the new MacArthur team will even need a new stadium. A lot of people there are Wanderers fans that are staying put.

 

[Quicksilver]

Need has very little to do with it.

It’s all about which way the pollies need to roll the pork barrel.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Ayres is an AFL fan and played the game in Western Sydney.The irony .Shepherd chairman of GWS and on the SCG Board didn't want ANZ reconfigured.Wonder why?
I smell an extremely odious rat in the kitchen.

I've thought this too. If they can manage to get ANZ left as is, they achieve a great deal for AFL:

• ANZ available for larger AFL crowds when needed
• Keeping NRL club crowds from growing becuase of the shit ANZ atmosphere
• NRL moving the grand final out of Sydney because the ANZ deal wasn't honoured

I am almost certain that some if not all of these factors are in their minds and the minds at AFL HQ

 

[simmo05]

There is a trade off between the rake on the lower bowl and the capacity of the stadium

Its easy at something the size of Bankwest that has 15 rows on the bottom level. And its ok up to about 60K. At 60 you need a mid level. But its still manageable.

At 90k yikes. In the top tier you are going to be either a long way back or way high. A really steep rake on the bottom puts the top of the upper tier in the clouds. A lesser rake puts you further back.

Imagine banks west with another 2 tiers on it + a ring of corp boxes. At that rake you are going to be issued with parachutes to get out

50 - 60k is about the top of the capacity that allows everyone to be closeish. The giant stadiums have a lot of problems. Look in Aus, the AO, Marvel and Optus are perfect for their primary functions, as are Suncorp, AAMI, Bankwest, Robina. The biggest is Optus at 60k.

The MCG is a fine stadium but in the top tier you are a long long way away.

Optus is a fantastic stadium

 

[taipan]

Optus is a fantastic stadium

Optus is indeed a fantastic looking stadium, but their communications service to me was sh*thouse.

 

[siv]

Looks like it's not being built to allow rugby codes, so that's a potential winter-use lost

Understand that soccer wants to expand into the RL and AFL seasons

They also do not like how rugby codes chop up the surface

CC Mariners already tried to remove other codes from CC Stadium

 

[simmo05]

Optus is indeed a fantastic looking stadium, but their communications service to me was sh*thouse.

Communications?

 

[Perth Red]

I've thought this too. If they can manage to get ANZ left as is, they achieve a great deal for AFL:

• ANZ available for larger AFL crowds when needed
• Keeping NRL club crowds from growing becuase of the shit ANZ atmosphere
• NRL moving the grand final out of Sydney because the ANZ deal wasn't honoured

I am almost certain that some if not all of these factors are in their minds and the minds at AFL HQ

It’s the clubs choice to play at anz. There will be two state of the art stadiums in Sydney they could choose to play in. If they stay at anz and fail to engage their fans that’s on them.

 

[Quidgybo]

I've thought this too. If they can manage to get ANZ left as is, they achieve a great deal for AFL:

• ANZ available for larger AFL crowds when needed
• Keeping NRL club crowds from growing becuase of the shit ANZ atmosphere
• NRL moving the grand final out of Sydney because the ANZ deal wasn't honoured

I am almost certain that some if not all of these factors are in their minds and the minds at AFL HQ

I’ve made the point elsewhere in this thread that the game in Sydney would benefit more from trading off the ANZ upgrade in return for another BankWest style club sized stadium for the Rabbits and Dogs ($350m) and at least $100m each redirected to Penrith, Campbelltown and Brookvale. The vast majority of the game’s events in Sydney draw less than 25,000. Playing any of those in a 70,000 seat stadium, even after the best possible redevelopment, actually detracts from the event and fan experience compared to a more suitably sized venue. Let the AFL “win”, leave ANZ as is and use it for just the three or four events each year that need the extra capacity. The game can survive the compromise for those events, but it’ll be much better off for a far greater number games across the season.

Leigh.

 

[Wily Ole Dog]

Sadly, Leigh, there’s nowhere for Souths to have a new stadium

 

[Perth Red]

Sadly, Leigh, there’s nowhere for Souths to have a new stadium

The new sfs is 3km from Redfern?

 

[Quidgybo]

Sadly, Leigh, there’s nowhere for Souths to have a new stadium

If such a tradeoff was ever a possibility I’d fully expect a new shared Rabbits+Bulldogs club sized stadium would naturally be located at Olympic Park, Homebush - probably within spitting distance of both the existing club sized AFL stadium/Showgrounds and the existing major-event sized multi-purpose ANZ.

Leigh.