The SFS is a great stadium - it is within walking distance of Central station. It is brilliantly located
Agreed you shouldn't drive - but why anyone drives in town in Sydney is beyond me. Public transport is the way to go
The light rail will go straight past it, so even people who can't walk 1 kilometre or work out how to board a bus from Central will be able to get there from town
Personally, I love going to the SFS. Unlike homebush, it is integrated into the existing urban fabric which means it provides the kind of game day amenity that I revel in. Pubs, food options, vibrant street level experience, etc. ANZAC day will always be my favorite fixture of the year for this reason.
But lets be realistic. That walk is more like 2km, up a hill and the Foveaux st footpaths really aren't wide enough for the post game rush. While the location of the ground wouldn't deter me (as stated, I love it) it's not ideal for all.
When planning for amenity, planners use walkable diametres of 400m and 800m to model how much usage a facility is likely to get. Now obviously, an NRL fixture needs to be modeled differently to a supermarket, local library or swimming pool but the principle is the same. Put things within a short walk or short walk of public transport hubs, and attendance will go up.
As for the light rail. Well for one, we know that statistically, people are less likely to attend events the more times they need to change transport.
The other big thing here is that the light rail may not be useful for Thursday or Friday games (which the Roosters hold a lot of). I read a report recently that said it would likely be running at 130% of capacity during peak hour upon opening.
