Revealed: Mike Baird’s plan to save ANZ Stadium and score goal for Western Wanderers
John Lehmann Editor at Large
The Daily Telegraph
December 20, 2014 12:00AM
Editor-at-large John Lehmann.
The push to turn Moore Park’s Allianz stadium into our biggest sports arena and reduce Sydney Olympic Park’s ANZ to rubble looks set to falter.
The battle of the stadiums — which has pitted some of the city’s highest-profile business operators against each other — is close to being won.
High-level sources say Premier Mike Baird is planning to allocate about $200 million towards modernising the former Olympic stadium.
Football boss Frank Lowy is also well placed to score a goal for Paul Lederer’s Western Wanderers, who want a bigger Parramatta stadium.
The word is Baird will plough about $100 million into lifting the capacity of Pirtek stadium to around 32,000 seats and sprucing up its corporate facilities.
The decisions would be a win for Western Sydney and safeguard the future of the 83,500-seat ANZ venue as the city’s big-event arena.
The high-powered Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust teamed up with NRL boss Dave Smith to lobby for the building of a new 65,000-seat Allianz stadium.
The Trust is directed by serious corporate muscle, including its chairman Tony Shepherd, ‘Mr Olympics” Rod McGeoch, Destination NSW chairman John Hartigan, broadcaster Alan Jones and retail guru Katie Page.
Although Sport Minister Stuart Ayres gave serious consideration to the Trust’s bid to usurp ANZ, the Premier believes Sydney Olympic Park is best placed to service all of Sydney.
Baird also believes Sydney needs its biggest stadium to have a capacity of around 80,000 to compete with Melbourne’s MCG for the biggest international events.
It makes sense for NRL clubs to play more games at Homebush. A confidential report by the AFL has just found that 50 per cent of Western Sydney residents surveyed would rather attend an NRL game, while only 11 per cent picked AFL.
The report said that in Sydney’s north and east — more traditional Sydney Swans territory — the NRL fell back to the first preference of 33 per cent of those surveyed, while the AFL increased to 19 per cent.
The Trust will still receive $300 million to transform the ageing Allianz stadium into a classy hi-tech venue for around 50,000 spectators.
ANZ’s private operator, the Stadium Australia Group, may have to shelf plans for a new retractable roof.
The Premier should insist the operators take responsibility for surrounding the venue with new cafes, bars and restaurants.
The park needs an injection of fun — so fans are encouraged to hang around and celebrate sporting glories, rather than running for home the minute the big game is over.
