Future NRL Stadiums

[caylo]

the eels
New stadium grandstand is on its way
Scott Howlett

20Mar07

A NEW southern grandstand, with seating for 4530 people, will be built at Parramatta Stadium, if the Parramatta Stadium Trust can find between $9 million and $14 million to fund it.


In the lead-up to the Eels' season-opener against the New Zealand Warriors, which the Eels lost 34-18, Western Sydney Minister Diane Beamer gave the Eels $6 million to kick off the project at Parramatta Stadium on Thursday.

The upgrade is expected to cost between $15 million and $20 million, Ms Beamer said.

The Parramatta Stadium Trust is seeking a matching $6 million contribution from the Federal Government, she said.
The stadium would have a capacity of 25,000 when completed, Ms Beamer said.

Eels players at the announcement included captain Nathan Cayless, Nathan and Ian Hindmarsh, Luke Burt, Joel Reddy, Tim and Ben Smith, Feleti Mateo and Jarryd Hayne.

Joining Ms Beamer were Parramatta Eels president Alan Overton, Parramatta State Labor MP Tanya Gadiel, Toongabbie State Labor candidate Nathan Rees, a former greenkeeper at nearby Old Kings Oval, Parramatta Lord Mayor David Borger and Parramatta Two Blues rugby union coach Gary Ella.

Ms Beamer said the new grandstand would include:

* Grandstand seating for 2430 people.

* Terrace seating for 2100 people.

* A new 550 seat function area.

* New players' change rooms.

With cranes arching into the sky behind her, Ms Beamer said: ``With all these cranes, Parramatta looks more like Sydney.

``Parramatta is a place that's really going places.''

Construction of the new southern grandstand represented Stage 1 of a 10-year master plan for the stadium, Ms Beamer said.

Mr Overton said the announcement was a boost to Parramatta. ``It's tremendous news.''

Ms Gadiel said a 550-seat function room would provide a valuable revenue stream to the club.


STORIES IN THIS SECTION:

http://www.parramattaadvertiser.com.au/article/2007/03/20/606_news.html

 

[Cheesie-the-Pirate]

Yeah, i thought it had been all canned but then i heard something on the radio the dragons home game before the rabbits, whoever that was against (bulldogs maybe?).
Unfortunately, wollongong is a rediculously safe labour area at all levels of govt, so we wont begetting any cash in the near future from either side to help upgrade the western side. And yeah, you couldnt make it huge due to lack of room to move with the street behind, but you could certainly put more in than is in there now.

I was in Orange on the weekend of the Doggies game so if there was any discussion then I didn't hear it. I had a look on Factiva yesterday for any reports I might've missed but I couldn't see anything.

In any case plenty of safe Labor seats have got grants for stadium upgrades in the past, including WIN Stadium itself, OKI DOKI and EAS. It seems to me there's no real pattern for the delivery of this kind of minor pork ($5-$20 million). Major pork items like defence contracts, hospitals, ATCs, national highways and the like assuredly are biased towards the marginals but the smaller ones are fairly inconsequential in relative dollar values and can be useful in keeping everyone happy. Don't forget that the Senate means even voters in safe opposition seats are still worth some attention.

As to the western stand, never forget that should the right amount of money become available cantilevering offers potential to use the air space above the road. The Gabba and the MCG for example have used cantilevivering to good effect in this way. Also, as I'm sure many are aware, the existing western stand is a highly space inefficient design. Internal walkways, corporate/media/coaching staff facilities under a second tier, full length upper tier, opposition facilities moved to the southern stand, flip down seats, etc could all lead to a 5,000 seater stand with absolutely no sweat at all.

Alternatively something along the lines of the Kogarah grandstand would be an alternative. There really isn't a major stadium in Australia with a similar profile grandstand (well, I can't think of one anyway). Basically the lower tier of the stand is almost entirely covered by the upper tier which leads to excellent use of horizontal space and also provides near complete weather coverage. This would probably be hard to ingtegrate with the existing stands so I think a downsized/modified version of the WIN Stadium northern stand is probably the best bet.

 

[Dakink]

cantilevivering

LOL - no that is a real mouthfull..

 

[Cheesie-the-Pirate]

:lol:

How embarrassment!

 

[j5o6hn]

Why has,nt the Belmore ground been upgraded just interested,re the 70,000 seat ground for AFL which it will be, do we want another ground like the Telstra ground in Sydney,the League in Perth would be lucky to get 1 cent out of it as the AFL will grab every cent,as the Farce has discovered.
They should upgrade MES as there are more international football games played on rectangular grounds than bloody great ovals so favored by the local provinical game AFL,but I think they may have to eject the old Perth glory owner or he will bleed the league as well.
Given the amt of money the Govt in WA lavishes on AFL I think the bludgers should pay for there own ground

 

[Red Bear]

Yeah a hgh class rectangular ground in perth would be quality as Australia looks towards hosting more n more international soccer/soccer get a better profile. A multipurpose league, Soccer and Yawnion ground would be a good move and let AFL have their round ground.

Would it be possible to turn Subiaco into a rectangular ground?

 

[Perth Red]

No subi, will be demolished and sold off to help pay for the new ground (which will probably be next door). Reality is for Internationals MES won't be big enough even if it is 30,000. Wallabies and soccer can get 50-60,000 in Perth for games so they will want to play them at the new ground.

best bet is Tana getting out of MES and Glory, Force and WARL campaigning for the 100 mill promised to upgrade MES. Not like the WA govt can't afford it with its 2 billion surplus every year!

 

[bobmar28]

robina looks a lot like an english football stadium. good to see they'll fit at least 25k in there.

I watch a bit of ESL and I haven't seen an English stadium as good as Robina.

 

[Perth Red]

Really?
Emirates?

Reebok?

City of Manchester

That's just to name a couple. Robina will be a great mid size RL ground but there are dozens of similiar or better on the UK. We are probably a decade or so away from all NRL clubs playing in decent stadia.

 

[dimitri]

Really?
Emirates?
http://www.anglocalcio.it/loghi&stadi/arsenal_stadium.jpg

Reebok?

City of Manchester

That's just to name a couple. Robina will be a great mid size RL ground but there are dozens of similiar or better on the UK. We are probably a decade or so away from all NRL clubs playing in decent stadia.

great grounds

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Heard there was new western grandstand plans for WIN?
You could make a great little ground at WIN if you fixed the whole Western side up nd joined it to Northern and Southern ends.
Doubt we'll get anything that major done whilst we only have 6 or so games of high crowd drawing sport a year, however if we can get an A-League side something could be done

Agree 100%, WIN is a dog's breakfast now but with a decent western grandstand it would be a pretty good park. How long has the existing stadium been there? It looks ancient.

 

[Raider Azz]

I watch a bit of ESL and I haven't seen an English stadium as good as Robina.

:lol: obviously haven't watched much.

 

[beave]

Agree 100%, WIN is a dog's breakfast now but with a decent western grandstand it would be a pretty good park. How long has the existing stadium been there? It looks ancient.

I think it was the showgrounds/greyhoud track back in the day, someone from down there might be able to confirm this.......but yeah, I think it has been around for a while. Picturesque background with the ocean, been to a few games there in the middle of winter and my god it is cold when it is raining with the wind coming off the sea. God knows how goal kickers handle it. Isn't some of the Northern stand from the Sydney Aquatics centre when they pulled it apart to go back to the original size after the 2000 olympics????

 

[NK Arsenal]

IMO EAS should have the new Eastern? stand built the entire way around the ground. That would probably increase the capacity to 40k, and make it the best league stadium in NSW.

I read somewhere (think it was austadiums) that they were originally going to do that. But a lack of funding stopped that from happening.
If Australia is series about hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, they should have the same grand stand around the whole ground.
Maybe they should do what the 'Dogs do and have "Newcastle" writen in white at one of the stands aswell, for the Knights and the Jets

 

[NK Arsenal]

Really?
Emirates?

Reebok?

City of Manchester

That's just to name a couple. Robina will be a great mid size RL ground but there are dozens of similiar or better on the UK. We are probably a decade or so away from all NRL clubs playing in decent stadia.

Don't forget stadium of light.

 

[Red Bear]

Anfield
Liverpools new ground will kill anything else.

And spacemonkey, the Western Grandstand is very old, not sure how old tho. If you could make the western grandstand similar to some of the grandstands you see in england (eg the main stand of Anfield) it could be excellent, even joining it too the northern or southern grandstand, altho this would be dificult without gettig rid of the street behind the western grandstand.

 

[Cheesie-the-Pirate]

I watch a bit of ESL and I haven't seen an English stadium as good as Robina.

Presumably what bobmar means here is that he hasn't seen an English rugby league stadium as good as Robina.

There are probably three regular ESL grounds that offer approximately equivalent standards to Robina. I'm thinking JJB Stadium (Wigan), KC Stadium (Hull FC) and Galpharm Stadium (Huddersfield). All of these grounds also host association football teams.

How long has the existing stadium been there? It looks ancient.

The western stand has been around for ages. I should know exactly when it was built but I don't. I'm pretty sure it has been there at least since top-flight rugby league has been played there (25 years now) and predates the removal of the greyhound track and conversion to a rectangular ground.

 

[Ron Jeremy]

Really excited about Parra's future upgrades.

 

[mightybears]

the goldcoast stadium has moved on a fair bit from the pics, went past last weekend
it has the capacity to go past 25,000 for [relatively!] mimimal cost design wise

 

[Timmah]

I read somewhere (think it was austadiums) that they were originally going to do that. But a lack of funding stopped that from happening.
If Australia is series about hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, they should have the same grand stand around the whole ground.
Maybe they should do what the 'Dogs do and have "Newcastle" writen in white at one of the stands aswell, for the Knights and the Jets

It's only banners (that weigh a combined couple of tonnes apparently) across the seats, it's not written in the seating