Parramatta to move Dragons blockbuster to Homebush
ADRIAN PROSZENKO
February 24, 2010 - 2:53PM
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Parramatta are set to surrender home-ground advantage for their blockbuster season opener against St George Illawarra, with plans to move the game to Homebush bay.
The
Herald can reveal that Eels chief executive officer Paul Osborne wants the fixture moved from the 20,000-seat capacity Parramatta Stadium to ANZ Stadium, which has a capacity of 82,000.
"I want to move it," Osborne said.
"Sometimes you've got to do things that are in the best interests of the game.
"It's going to be a massive game and we want as many fans to be part of it as possible.
"It's the opening to the NRL season and the match is bigger than our individual club.
"It will be a great opportunity for the supporters of both clubs to turn up in numbers."
Had the game remained at Parramatta Stadium, tens of thousands of fans - including schoolchildren with free passes - would have been locked out from a marquee match to mark the opening of the 2010 season.
The issue came to a head the last time the teams played. The Dragons and the NRL refused to shift their semi-final against the Eels from Kogarah Oval, which has a capacity of just 18,000.
It is estimated that decision cost them 30,000 patrons and up to $1 million in revenue.
Osborne slammed the decision at the time, saying clubs could not afford to be knocking back supporters and revenue during a tough financial time for the code. Two weeks later, the Eels-Bulldogs semi-final attracted a crowd of 74,549.
"That played on my mind a bit, the fact that we criticised [the Dragons] last year," Osborne said.
