Sportingbet Stadium

[maple_69]

Panthers would like to make the following statement in relation to an article that appeared in the Daily Telegraph earlier this week.

The headline "Panthers threaten to take home games away from Sportingbet Stadium amid poor crowds and farcical schedule" (August 26, 2014) is misleading and somewhat untrue.

Panthers Group has no plans to abandon Sportingbet Stadium. We are looking at moving a maximum of two games a year to alternative venues, one being Bathurst and the second is to be determined.

We recognise that the scheduling of Panthers games this year has not been favourable to everyone, however it is important to understand this is not in our control.

We value every single patron that attends our facilities, both members and non-members and strive to deliver experiences that are second to none (albeit in a less than ideal stadium).

Please be assured that all the decisions that are taken, follow a process of careful consideration with the ultimate objective being that we provide you THE FAN with a successful, competitive and sustainable football team.

Panthers Group
Chief Executive Officer

Warren Wilson

This certainly reads to me like they are not satisfied with Centrebet as our long term home. I would not be surprised if they move to Parramatta if they get the rumoured upgrades and the NRL incentivises rationalising the Sydney teams venues.
Great that they have taken a broadside at the NRL for our schedule this year. Given their membership efforts as well as the progress of the football team, we would be getting 13/14k to these out of town team games if they put them on at a reasonable time.

 

[forby]

Sounds tome like he is reminding everybody that they want to be the upgraded western sydney stadium that Stuart Eyres keeps talking about.

 

[Big Mick]

Yeah I don't see him saying he wants to take games to Parra or anything.

I just think he's saying NRL have f**ked us over.....we have a bad stadium for footy at the moment and we need an upgrade in Penrith for like Forby said...the stadium Stuart Ayres is talking about.

 

[TheFrog]

This certainly reads to me like they are not satisfied with Centrebet as our long term home. I would not be surprised if they move to Parramatta if they get the rumoured upgrades and the NRL incentivises rationalising the Sydney teams venues.
Great that they have taken a broadside at the NRL for our schedule this year. Given their membership efforts as well as the progress of the football team, we would be getting 13/14k to these out of town team games if they put them on at a reasonable time.

What I think they're saying is that if we are going to be the Rainy Monday Night Bitches then the football club is not particularly viable.

 

[umina panther]

Beautiful empty stadium at Gosford.......just next to me

 

[maple_69]

Yeah it could be that. The last paragraph just seems very defensive to me. No one is blaming Penrith for copping a shit draw. Just feels like a 'what we're considering doing is going to piss you off but is for your own benefit' type situation.

Penrith is actually one of the better suburban stadiums in terms of quality of facilities.

 

[Pomoz]

What I think they're saying is that if we are going to be the Rainy Monday Night Bitches then the football club is not particularly viable.

Haha. Good One Frog!

 

[Pomoz]

Yeah it could be that. The last paragraph just seems very defensive to me. No one is blaming Penrith for copping a shit draw. Just feels like a 'what we're considering doing is going to piss you off but is for your own benefit' type situation.

Penrith is actually one of the better suburban stadiums in terms of quality of facilities.

I agree. It has good facilities and wouldn't need much done to it to upgrade it. We don't need too much additional capacity, maybe 30,000 is the most which would add 10,000 seats. A stand where the cricket oval is would do that. A few catering facilities behind the Eastern stand would be good too.

The best thing about centre bet is that you are right on top of the action. There is also plenty of parking in the area and it is easy to get away from the game if you park just a little bit away from the stadium. I usually park behind Kmart and I'm on my way and out of Penrith in 10 minutes without any queues.

 

[roofromoz]

I agree. It has good facilities and wouldn't need much done to it to upgrade it. We don't need too much additional capacity, maybe 30,000 is the most which would add 10,000 seats. A stand where the cricket oval is would do that. A few catering facilities behind the Eastern stand would be good too.

There is a sewer easement that dissects between the southern end and Howell Oval, and the cost of relocating it would be expensive. Well, that was the talk years ago then there was a master plan around the mid-noughties for the stadium which proposed a grandstand at that end (the same plan I think that bought resulted in the upgrades on the western side). The sewer line would be say 10m below ground, but the depth of the footings for a grandstand would surely have to as deep, if not deeper.

The recent upgrades in the southern end section obviously had no impact on this easement, with the depth of footings, etc.

 

[TheFrog]

We have approached the capacity of the existing ground once only this season. Why would you need 10,000 more?

Of course there are reasons for this. I'd suggest the club should work on getting better scheduling and keeping the team competitive, this is what is holding crowds down.

 

[Pomoz]

We have approached the capacity of the existing ground once only this season. Why would you need 10,000 more?

Of course there are reasons for this. I'd suggest the club should work on getting better scheduling and keeping the team competitive, this is what is holding crowds down.

As has been said elsewhere, the club doesn't control scheduling the NRL does. Being angry with the club over what time the games are on is pointless. They just have to cop it.

The reason to upgrade the stand is on the basis that we have better facilities (catering and toilets) and will grow the crowd and probably share the ground with other sports such as soccer.

The sewer easement is a surmountable problem with a bit of extra money. Relocating the sewer line fifty metres can't be that expensive. It might bugger the cricket oval for a bit though.

 

[forby]

This issue started from an article by our favourite journalist Phil Rothfield. I believe it was just part of his vendetta against the club and an attempt to deflect attention away from the events occurring at his shambles of a club. No other media outlet gave it more than a fleeting mention. His article concluded with saying that Parramatta and the Western Wanderers were much more deserving than Penrith for stadium funding. As I said to a mate at least we are a marketable commodity unlike Rothfield's excuse for a club.

 

[Fibroman]

Can someone please change the title of the thread to SPORTINGBET STADIUM?

 

[maple_69]

Sorry,its hard to keep track these days.

 

[TheFrog]

As has been said elsewhere, the club doesn't control scheduling the NRL does. Being angry with the club over what time the games are on is pointless. They just have to cop it.

The reason to upgrade the stand is on the basis that we have better facilities (catering and toilets) and will grow the crowd and probably share the ground with other sports such as soccer.

The sewer easement is a surmountable problem with a bit of extra money. Relocating the sewer line fifty metres can't be that expensive. It might bugger the cricket oval for a bit though.

The NRL doesn't even control scheduling, Channel Nine and News Ltd (the latter of which own two clubs) do. What has happened this year is unfair. One could be forgiven for thinking someone wants to make our existence as difficult as possible. The Penrith club need to make this perfectly clear to the controlling body otherwise we will get the same treatment again next year and every year.

As far as making room for an expansion, it may be easier just to take out Ransley Street and maybe a little bit of the Showground, but really, the last time this ground has needed more capacity was 2003. If we're arguing for our ground to get upgraded ahead of Parramatta, its a losing argument I feel.

What this club really needs is a period of on-field success. We have made the finals 3 years in a row once, twice in a row once, and on single occasions five times (including this year). We need to make the finals five or more years straight, like Manly does. Then and only then will we get the full support of our community and maybe we will be able to make a case for a 30,000 stadium.

 

[maple_69]

Given our season and more importantly our prospects for the next 5 seasons, we should see an improvement next year from the Saturday night/monday night anonymity of the past decade. Between the good looking local junior done good, Moylan, and the electrifying Segeyaro we have some hugely marketable faces of the club to engage the community for once. Outside of knives like brobcos2010, the team has also earned a lot of admirers this year, so I expect we'll be a team people want to watch next year.

In terms of upgrading capacity, we'd be pushing shut uphill. Penrith is too far out to attract the other professional Western Sydney teams out.. If the NRL decides to go for a central stadium policy, it'll be Parramatta or a new facility in Blackthorn. Until then, the club can certainly fight to make our homes facilities as good as possible.

 

[Pomoz]

Frog you make very good points. I would just add that winning is not the only way to grow crowds. The data on this is pretty clear. There are plenty of clubs who don't ever win a lot of trophies that have healthy fan followings. The English Premier League is full of them. And before people say "yeah but they have a bigger population", many of the teams are based in small towns smaller than Penrith (Burnley and Blackpool to name 2). Engagement with the local population is not just about winning, but also about connecting so people feel the team is part of the town.

 

[darkbloom]

I wonder what "somewhat untrue" means.

 

[TheFrog]

I think somewhat untrue applies to the word "threat". They are not threatening. They are stating straight up they are planning to take a second home game elsewhere next season.

 

[Thirsty Panther]

Us taking a game away is not news. It was discussed here last year.

http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/showthread.php?t=429920