JV stadiums

[Scientologist]

Long time lurker, first time poster ....

I was thinking about the poor state of our 2 grounds compared to the modern stadiums that most of our competitors now use. The Tigers have the same issue - 2 very average grounds. My suspicion is that none of these 4 grounds will attract adequate funding while they are only each hosting 6 NRL games per year. For what it's worth, my view is that we should offer to play exclusively in the Gong if they upgrade it to be a modern stadium. Tigers should do the same with Campbelltown especially as they share it with Macarthur FC in the A-League. If the Wolves were to get an A-League license, turning WIN into a modern stadium would make even more sense. Anyway, I say that a little reluctantly as someone from the Saints side of the JV, but it just feels like we are being left behind. Not our biggest issue I grant you.

Otherwise, I look forward to contributing to the debates. And I'm not a Scientologist. It's my personal tribute to Pat Jarvis and Chris Guider.

 

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Long time lurker, first time poster ....

I was thinking about the poor state of our 2 grounds compared to the modern stadiums that most of our competitors now use. The Tigers have the same issue - 2 very average grounds. My suspicion is that none of these 4 grounds will attract adequate funding while they are only each hosting 6 NRL games per year. For what it's worth, my view is that we should offer to play exclusively in the Gong if they upgrade it to be a modern stadium. Tigers should do the same with Campbelltown especially as they share it with Macarthur FC in the A-League. If the Wolves were to get an A-League license, turning WIN into a modern stadium would make even more sense. Anyway, I say that a little reluctantly as someone from the Saints side of the JV, but it just feels like we are being left behind. Not our biggest issue I grant you.

Otherwise, I look forward to contributing to the debates. And I'm not a Scientologist. It's my personal tribute to Pat Jarvis and Chris Guider.

Don't disagree, but for different reasons. We should have one home ground. I'm not too fussed where it is. Just pick one and stick with it. Instead we sometimes play out of Wollongong, sometimes Kogarah, sometimes the Cricket Ground, ANZ, Mudgee, etc. You don't see Melbourne or Brisbane or Penrith or anyone else doing that. If that means playing more games out of Wollongong so be it. However my personal preference is to play all our home games at the Sportsground and relegate the Roosters to Coogee Oval or somewhere equally crappy.

 

[Mjab]

I though tigers play some at Bankwest ?

I drove past SFS/ Alliance today
massive sign
Home of the roosters
WTF
what a joke that was
what was the total cost of that

Vs Kogarah oval facilities

 

[dannyt]

I though tigers play some at Bankwest ?

I drove past SFS/ Alliance today
massive sign
Home of the roosters
WTF
what a joke that was
what was the total cost of that

Vs Kogarah oval facilities

 

[dannyt]

Long time lurker, first time poster ....

I was thinking about the poor state of our 2 grounds compared to the modern stadiums that most of our competitors now use. The Tigers have the same issue - 2 very average grounds. My suspicion is that none of these 4 grounds will attract adequate funding while they are only each hosting 6 NRL games per year. For what it's worth, my view is that we should offer to play exclusively in the Gong if they upgrade it to be a modern stadium. Tigers should do the same with Campbelltown especially as they share it with Macarthur FC in the A-League. If the Wolves were to get an A-League license, turning WIN into a modern stadium would make even more sense. Anyway, I say that a little reluctantly as someone from the Saints side of the JV, but it just feels like we are being left behind. Not our biggest issue I grant you.

Otherwise, I look forward to contributing to the debates. And I'm not a Scientologist. It's my personal tribute to Pat Jarvis and Chris Guider.

Welcome aboard.

Wollongong should be upgraded irrespective of how many games are played by SGI. Wollongong is a growing city and deserves its own top-class stadium. I wish the rorters luck with their own stadium. The only time they will even get >25% capacity is ANZAC Day.

Just on your personal tribute to Pat Jarvis and Chris Guider. Fair enough for Pat, who I think is still a member and has done some good work on various programs set up up the church. From memory, Pat got Chris involved in the church. However, Chris left the church some time ago. He was based in the US and worked closely with the leader, David Miscavige, who Chris described as "violent and toxic".

 

[muzby]

Long time lurker, first time poster ....

I was thinking about the poor state of our 2 grounds compared to the modern stadiums that most of our competitors now use. The Tigers have the same issue - 2 very average grounds. My suspicion is that none of these 4 grounds will attract adequate funding while they are only each hosting 6 NRL games per year. For what it's worth, my view is that we should offer to play exclusively in the Gong if they upgrade it to be a modern stadium. Tigers should do the same with Campbelltown especially as they share it with Macarthur FC in the A-League. If the Wolves were to get an A-League license, turning WIN into a modern stadium would make even more sense. Anyway, I say that a little reluctantly as someone from the Saints side of the JV, but it just feels like we are being left behind. Not our biggest issue I grant you.

Otherwise, I look forward to contributing to the debates. And I'm not a Scientologist. It's my personal tribute to Pat Jarvis and Chris Guider.

Welcome to the forums Tom.. Great topic..

The more a stadium gets used (be it by us, soccer, even rah rah) the more funding it can get..

A world class stadium in Wollongong would be awesome.. Just imagine high stands on 3 sides, capturing the ocean behind the play.. Even for international matches would be an advertisement for the region..

But you’re right, we’d need to play more games there.. or at least have soccer growing etc..

Kogarah has benefits too in terms of being able to be easily accessed by train, plus the freeway isn’t really that far away (maybe develop more parking at the taj? Bit of extra revenue for game day.. problem would be similar to WIN with attracting more sports.. particularly soccer..

And possibly an odd question but does it really need to be an oval? It’s too small for AFL or cricket.

Ideally it feels like the NRL need to have at least one more wankbest, sorry, commonwealth back stadium, style setup in the south & south west & be able to direct games to places based on expected crowds (similar to how in the music industry how bands tend to book the size of venue they expect to sell out.. You don’t see the 5th runner up from Australian idol 2006 booking the Hordon Pavillion)

Not to mention a sold out 30k stadium gives so much more atmosphere than 40k at Accor.

But.. that would involve putting fan experience ahead of profits.. And who’s going to do that?

 

[Dragsters]

Did I miss an announcement?
Can anyone explain this???

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

Did I miss an announcement?
Can anyone explain this???View attachment 65705

Probably to do with Anzac Day Game that we play there as our home game every second season..

 

[Dragsters]

Probably to do with Anzac Day Game that we play there as our home game every second season..

Yeah likely.

We get to use the state of the art stadium (as a home ground, that WE ALL paid for) once every two years, while the @#$%ing rorters with uncle nicks cash get to buy the sole rights of use.

Meanwhile, suddenly there's no money left for anyone else.

Typical...

 

[Dragonssupporter]

I hate to sound so old fashioned but if we only played out of Wollongong, I wouldn't go to any matches and probably would drop off being a paying Dragons supporter. As it is, i buy a season pass to Kogarah and have been for at least 19yrs. But im a Saints supporter who became a Dragons supporter (for over 60 yrs now). I suspect you'd find there's a hell of a lot of supporters like me who only go to Kogarah too. I remember watching all 3 grades there as a young boy with my father who went to Kogarah for most of his life. I have a connection to Kogarah that i don't have to Wollongong. I guess im like the Tigers supporters who only go to Leichhardt. But thats how i feel and thats how its going to stay.I wish we had 12 games at Kogarah but we dont. I tend to watch far more A grade and Junior football these days as it reminds me of how league used to be. And i really dont care how good/bad the stadium is-its my stadium and I love it

 

[Dragon David]

I hate to sound so old fashioned but if we only played out of Wollongong, I wouldn't go to any matches and probably would drop off being a paying Dragons supporter. As it is, i buy a season pass to Kogarah and have been for at least 19yrs. But im a Saints supporter who became a Dragons supporter (for over 60 yrs now). I suspect you'd find there's a hell of a lot of supporters like me who only go to Kogarah too. I remember watching all 3 grades there as a young boy with my father who went to Kogarah for most of his life. I have a connection to Kogarah that i don't have to Wollongong. I guess im like the Tigers supporters who only go to Leichhardt. But thats how i feel and thats how its going to stay.I wish we had 12 games at Kogarah but we dont. I tend to watch far more A grade and Junior football these days as it reminds me of how league used to be. And i really dont care how good/bad the stadium is-its my stadium and I love it

Good on you Dragonssupporter.

 

[Scientologist]

I hate to sound so old fashioned but if we only played out of Wollongong, I wouldn't go to any matches and probably would drop off being a paying Dragons supporter. As it is, i buy a season pass to Kogarah and have been for at least 19yrs. But im a Saints supporter who became a Dragons supporter (for over 60 yrs now). I suspect you'd find there's a hell of a lot of supporters like me who only go to Kogarah too. I remember watching all 3 grades there as a young boy with my father who went to Kogarah for most of his life. I have a connection to Kogarah that i don't have to Wollongong. I guess im like the Tigers supporters who only go to Leichhardt. But thats how i feel and thats how its going to stay.I wish we had 12 games at Kogarah but we dont. I tend to watch far more A grade and Junior football these days as it reminds me of how league used to be. And i really dont care how good/bad the stadium is-its my stadium and I love it

I understand that perspective. I've only been to Wollongong to watch the Dragons twice in 20 years. It's obviously not convenient for fans coming from Sydney - particularly if it is a late game and with no other grades to watch. I think I'm just triggered by seeing successful Sydney clubs that didn't form JVs like Parra, Easts and Penrith playing in modern stadiums while we drift along in mediocrity playing in second rate grounds along with the other JV clubs. And I'm convinced that better stadiums draw better crowds. Anyway - I don't think there is a satisfactory answer to this problem.

 

[SGMax]

As it is at Kogarah, if its a decent game and the crowd gets anywhere near 15K, its unlikely I will get a decent spot especially if I am taking the kids.

Stand seats are expensive and usually booked out as the stands are not very big.
All the outer ground spots that are not in the corners are classified as premium....and you don't want to be stuck on the hill with a big crowd as it its hard to get a decent view.
The last time I went to Kogarah with a big crowd the announcer asked everyone on the hill to stand.
Pre-booking is also a problem as you can't be sure about the weather.

We definitely need an upgrade more than some of the other clubs that are getting it.
The SFS was fine as it was.
I am sure that Penrith was upgraded around 2009....and they could easily have shared Parramatta stadium for big games.
Manly, Cronulla and Leichhardt are not very central to other NRL clubs.

 

[FlameThrower]

Great topic, but I think it’s too late. We don’t attract crowds at both grounds. We are like nomads and play out of 4 or 5 grounds. Our Board don’t have any political or corporate backers nor clout.
Kogarah is in awkward location with residential surrounding it on all sides. So whatever is done would be low scale anyway. Wollongong has great potential but it’s a big ask to have Sydney folk there every game on Thursday/ Fri games in particular.

 

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

I understand that perspective. I've only been to Wollongong to watch the Dragons twice in 20 years. It's obviously not convenient for fans coming from Sydney - particularly if it is a late game and with no other grades to watch. I think I'm just triggered by seeing successful Sydney clubs that didn't form JVs like Parra, Easts and Penrith playing in modern stadiums while we drift along in mediocrity playing in second rate grounds along with the other JV clubs. And I'm convinced that better stadiums draw better crowds. Anyway - I don't think there is a satisfactory answer to this problem.

Transport is a big issue, particularly when your fan base comes not only from Sydney and Illawarra regions, but from all over the state. Needs a lot of thought because Kogarah's only handy if you live in the St George district, and Wollongong's only handy if you live in the Illawarra. A crap train service or a drive along congested roads are the only options for half of the fan base. Compare our situation with that of the Titans. They have a great home ground right next to the train station. You can catch a train almost to the front door. Pretty easy for any fans they have in Brisbane to make the journey. Unless someone builds a very fast train service between Sydney and Wollongong, we're stuck with the stupid arrangement we have now.

 

[Willow]

Long time lurker, first time poster ....

I was thinking about the poor state of our 2 grounds compared to the modern stadiums that most of our competitors now use. The Tigers have the same issue - 2 very average grounds. My suspicion is that none of these 4 grounds will attract adequate funding while they are only each hosting 6 NRL games per year. For what it's worth, my view is that we should offer to play exclusively in the Gong if they upgrade it to be a modern stadium. Tigers should do the same with Campbelltown especially as they share it with Macarthur FC in the A-League. If the Wolves were to get an A-League license, turning WIN into a modern stadium would make even more sense. Anyway, I say that a little reluctantly as someone from the Saints side of the JV, but it just feels like we are being left behind. Not our biggest issue I grant you.

Otherwise, I look forward to contributing to the debates. And I'm not a Scientologist. It's my personal tribute to Pat Jarvis and Chris Guider.

Welcome.
With respect, how did you come to the conclusion that both the grounds are in a poor state if you rarely go there?

FTR, with 'modern' stadiums, the Club tried going to the larger venue at Homebush during the failed Right Game Right Venue experiment. For five years, and it almost killed off our travelling fanbase, amongst other things. The Homebush promoters gave away free tickets and the place still looked like a soulless and empty cavern.

One of the reasons they gave for the RGRV debacle was that out of all the Sydney-based clubs, Saints had the 5th largest following in the western suburbs. Think about that.

 

[Number of the Beath]

I hate to sound so old fashioned but if we only played out of Wollongong, I wouldn't go to any matches and probably would drop off being a paying Dragons supporter. As it is, i buy a season pass to Kogarah and have been for at least 19yrs. But im a Saints supporter who became a Dragons supporter (for over 60 yrs now). I suspect you'd find there's a hell of a lot of supporters like me who only go to Kogarah too. I remember watching all 3 grades there as a young boy with my father who went to Kogarah for most of his life. I have a connection to Kogarah that i don't have to Wollongong. I guess im like the Tigers supporters who only go to Leichhardt. But thats how i feel and thats how its going to stay.I wish we had 12 games at Kogarah but we dont. I tend to watch far more A grade and Junior football these days as it reminds me of how league used to be. And i really dont care how good/bad the stadium is-its my stadium and I love it

Totally agree with you, Dragonssupporter. For me, Jubilee Oval is the best place in the world to watch a game and it's far too long since I've been there. ( I'm about 6 hours drive away, and that's a fair haul just to watch one game, though I did in past years when there was a Reserve Grade / President's Cup)
I've only been to WIN once, and that was in 1999, but it's also a great venue.
I don't think where we play is a particular problem - we won 9 and lost 3 at home this year - and whether you're at a suburban ground or a stadium you are still going to pay too much for drinks and food and see an insane queue for the lav at half-time.

 

[Inisai Toga]

Welcome.
With respect, how did you come to the conclusion that both the grounds are in a poor state if you rarely go there?

FTR, with 'modern' stadiums, the Club tried going to the larger venue at Homebush during the failed Right Game Right Venue experiment. For five years, and it almost killed off our travelling fanbase, amongst other things. The Homebush promoters gave away free tickets and the place still looked like a soulless and empty cavern.

One of the reasons they gave for the RGRV debacle was that out of all the Sydney-based clubs, Saints had the 5th largest following in the western suburbs. Think about that.

Agree, I think both grounds are great places to watch football.

 

[Draginzaaar]

Totally agree with you, Dragonssupporter. For me, Jubilee Oval is the best place in the world to watch a game and it's far too long since I've been there. ( I'm about 6 hours drive away, and that's a fair haul just to watch one game, though I did in past years when there was a Reserve Grade / President's Cup)
I've only been to WIN once, and that was in 1999, but it's also a great venue.
I don't think where we play is a particular problem - we won 9 and lost 3 at home this year - and whether you're at a suburban ground or a stadium you are still going to pay too much for drinks and food and see an insane queue for the lav at half-time.

I can never understand the 'Food is expensive excuse'. Bring your own.

 

[Dragon David]

I can never understand the 'Food is expensive excuse'. Bring your own.

That's what I used to do - some sandwiches, bickies/cake and a thermos of coffee or tea during the half time break.