The Game Future NRL Stadiums part II

[AlwaysGreen]

Brisbane's Olympic venue dispute the inevitable result of two dramatically different visions

Monday's dramatic about-face by Premier Steven Miles was arguably the inevitable result of two totally different visions for the Games that have been on a collision course for about a decade.

www.abc.net.au

So it turns out this Quirk guy always wanted a new stadium.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I had a somewhat heated discussion with an AFL fan of a colleague yesterday. He's generally an insufferable guy - and acquaintances with Eddie Mcguire, which tells you all that you need to know. He often tells me of dinners they've had in Greece etc. Sometimes the stories are so romantic that I asked him if they've kissed. But I digress.

He was very quick to tell me that the Gabba sold out 6 events last year - I didn't fact check his initial claim, but he didn't appreciate it when I told him that two of them were Broncos games (v Dolphins and Eels). And while we had to play at the Gabba, Suncorp was sold out for nearly every Womens World Cup game. Bless.

The kicker -- the knob moved to Brisbane to ESCAPE the Victorian lockdowns and is now moving BACK to Melbourne because he can't cope with the Brisbane summers, but wants the Lions to end up with a new stadium because he's been there three years and believes that he "understands the identity and fabric of Brisbane more than most". I then quizzed him with some Brisbane folklore and he failed that too of course. The bald merkin tried this while in a Brisbane meeting room, so a pile on ensued. So satisfying.

These people are absolutely cooked, and while generalisations can be harmful, the AFL fans that try to tell us that we are fearful of AFL are pathetic. The AFL is sooooo irrelevant in Brisbane - the Lions suffered a pretty heartbreaking defeat in last years GF and the city barely responded. Yet we are still in mourning from the Broncos collapse. Just stay in Melbourne and circle jerk at the MCG, we don't care about your white linen, cashmere scarves, and north face puffer jackets.

The arrogance of Victorian AFL fans is palpable. They just can't fathom that people prefer RL up here

 

[titoelcolombiano]

So they are counting the league games in their sell outs

so dope on twitter said six sellouts and I couldn’t find them when I went to austadiums

A sell out at the Gabba these days seems to be any crowd over 30k which isn't saying much

 

[SLRBRONCOS]

The arrogance of Victorian AFL fans is palpable. They just can't fathom that people prefer RL up here

He also accused me of trying to GATEKEEP sports in Brisbane. Which I found ridiculous. Brisbane folk give plenty of space to the Lions, and while we largely don't care, we wish them well - because we aren't ScArEd. The Lions get their spot on the news and their games have been telecasted live in QLD for decades. I would sometimes watch them live on Saturday nights in South Western Queensland in the early 2000s. They've had all the opportunity to be the big sport here, but it just won't happen and the Victorians think that they are OpPreSsEd. "Would someone please think of the Lions" says someone over his oat milk ristretto half shot in a bone china mug in Fitzroy, probably.

I was like well while we are using buzzwords babes, if we wanna talk about gatekeeping, Melbourne have it mastered. When I was living in Melbourne in 2019, Storm games were live on Gem in SD and they'd get shit all news coverage. In 2019! But newsflash, we don't actually care because we have the markets that matter to us ffs. This offended him greatly because how dare we not care about Melbourne's sport of choice!!

 

[nko11]

Brisbane's Olympic venue dispute the inevitable result of two dramatically different visions

Monday's dramatic about-face by Premier Steven Miles was arguably the inevitable result of two totally different visions for the Games that have been on a collision course for about a decade.

www.abc.net.au

So it turns out this Quirk guy always wanted a new stadium.

Well there you go. Hadn't read this article or known Quirk held a prior position when I wrote my last post, but lines up well. Not a very independent review then. Quirk would have recommeneded Victoria Point even if it cost $6 Billion, which with the way costs went in his review it might end up being - "Marginally more than the Gabba rebuild" = $700 million extra.

 

[Wb1234]

Brisbane's Olympic venue dispute the inevitable result of two dramatically different visions

Monday's dramatic about-face by Premier Steven Miles was arguably the inevitable result of two totally different visions for the Games that have been on a collision course for about a decade.

www.abc.net.au

So it turns out this Quirk guy always wanted a new stadium.

That article says 1 billion for Suncorp so I’m guessing zero for the Gabba

This just keeps getting better and better

 

[Vlad59]

Its not just about opening and cling ceremony, the athletics stadium is the face of the Olympics and the precinct around it the heart of the games. The plan was a sound wone in that regards, lining that area to south bank would have been amazing for visitors and future tourism.

If Gabba cant realistically be partially rebuilt for the games for $1.5bill fair enough, but it seems the answer they have come up with is more about public sentiment than best outcomes for the event that the whole thing is actually happening for! $1.6bill for a kids athletic stadium that will be a pretty ho hum face of the games seems a massive wasted opportunity for Brisbane.

You’re so caught in your afl dreamworld you seem not to understand that the IOC itself is against the sort of exorbitant spending the qld government was proposing. For a bloke who claims to be a top notch critical analyst you are pretty dumb.

 

[mongoose]

He also accused me of trying to GATEKEEP sports in Brisbane. Which I found ridiculous. Brisbane folk give plenty of space to the Lions, and while we largely don't care, we wish them well - because we aren't ScArEd. The Lions get their spot on the news and their games have been telecasted live in QLD for decades. I would sometimes watch them live on Saturday nights in South Western Queensland in the early 2000s. They've had all the opportunity to be the big sport here, but it just won't happen and the Victorians think that they are OpPreSsEd. "Would someone please think of the Lions" says someone over his oat milk ristretto half shot in a bone china mug in Fitzroy, probably.

I was like well while we are using buzzwords babes, if we wanna talk about gatekeeping, Melbourne have it mastered. When I was living in Melbourne in 2019, their games were live on Gem in SD and they'd get shit all news coverage. In 2019! But newsflash, we don't actually care because we have the markets that matter to us ffs. This offended him greatly because how dare we not care about Melbourne's sport of choice!!

I remember being in Melbourne for 6 weeks for work in 2014. Their NRL coverage on the Channel 10 News was to show highlights of penalties and injuries but never Tries. This was 100% done intentionally.

 

[blukablu]

How can it cost more than double optus? Has stadium construction really doubled in ten years?

Optus was built on acres of green space with nothing around.

Gabba is 1 suburb from the CBD, surrounded by 4 busy roads and soon to be a busy train/busway. Not to mention a significant part of the stadium is cantilevered over two 4-lane roads. If they rebuilt it to suit the Olympics, even more of the stadium would need to extend over the roads.

It's not even remotely close to the same thing. You would easily blow through $500M, if not more by the time demolition has finished.

 

[Diesel]

A sell out at the Gabba these days seems to be any crowd over 30k which isn't saying much

The media working it for AFL always say it’s over 40k

 

[Canard]

The IOC realised that legacy is the most important issue for the games, as the current model is unsustainable.

So when a legacy option, upgrading the most well attended stadium and of QLDs biggest sport, gets proposed suddenly people are up in arms!

f**k the legacy we want a $3B stadium for 5 days of athletics!!!!!

 

[Bukowski]

Does QLD still want the Olympics? Maybe they're hoping the IOC take it off them

 

[Wb1234]

You’re so caught in your afl dreamworld you seem not to understand that the IOC itself is against the sort of exorbitant spending the qld government was proposing. For a bloke who claims to be a top notch critical analyst you are pretty dumb.

Not a critical analyst

just critical

 

[jim_57]

Dogs have their own stadium application with state govt for approval

accor is fine for origin and grand finals as is

Clubs games will end there eventually

Accor should be knocked down and rebuilt in to a proper shape for the sports that play there, as was the plan. Missed the boat on that one though, for now at least.

Dogs situation is still a long way from reality, it is promising though. Tigers need to try and be involved in that, not fighting against it with their own ideas. Ideal scenario would be both working together to make it happen and sharing the stadium from day one.

Newcastle & Wollongong need attention too. Newcastle having a 40k-ish stadium would be great, shouldn’t cost too much as the main stands are done. In fact I’d say offer the Government an Origin there if it gets built, give them the one they missed out on during Covid.

 

[Wb1234]

Accor should be knocked down and rebuilt in to a proper shape for the sports that play there, as was the plan. Missed the boat on that one though, for now at least.

Dogs situation is still a long way from reality, it is promising though. Tigers need to try and be involved in that, not fighting against it with their own ideas. Ideal scenario would be both working together to make it happen and sharing the stadium from day one.

Newcastle & Wollongong need attention too. Newcastle having a 40k-ish stadium would be great, shouldn’t cost too much as the main stands are done. In fact I’d say offer the Government an Origin there if it gets built, give them the one they missed out on during Covid.

Newcastle and gong Brookie and a few dollars on sharks and Lo

shame Canberra isn’t part of nsw like it used to be

 

[Wb1234]

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Who the f**k is Leo Michaels?

 

[Steel Saints]

Didn't Brisbane win the bid on the premise that they were only going to upgrade existing venues?

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Leigh Mathews reminds me of Homer Simpson.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

QSAC shouldn't cost $1.6B. Two main grandstands providing 30k permanent seats would be money well spent. 30k temporary seats at the ends that can be shifted to suburban grounds post-Olympics.

even that’s twice as much as is needed. Build one reasonably large (10k capacity) stand along the straight where the 100m will be held and where the finish line for other events will be. That gives the prime viewing location for athletics. Put terracing round the rest of the track that can fit 5K more seats after the games, and erect temporary stands behind the terracing for the games.