Where is the NRL?

[Frailty]

SWANS star Ryan O'Keefe declared the SCG to be Sydney's only home ground and said the players and fans would be desperate to avoid another trip to ANZ Stadium for an AFL final.
The Swans' 44-point win over Hawthorn at the SCG last Saturday raised hopes Sydney could rally to a sixth-place finish by the end of the season and secure a fairytale home final for retiring coach Paul Roos and skipper Brett Kirk.
But while the players and supporters prefer the club's spiritual home, the SCG, The Daily Telegraph understands the game must be played at Homebush because of a contractual arrangement between the AFL and ANZ Stadium.
The last time Sydney hosted a final at ANZ Stadium it pulled the lowest attendance for an AFL final with a crowd of just 19,127 at the 2008 elimination final with North Melbourne.
The game can only be moved under an agreement between all parties.
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But that would seem highly unlikely given that ANZ Stadium has already cleared the schedule from any NRL fixtures for the final round of the rugby league season and are keen to host the Swans.
It won't please Swans fans or players, and yesterday midfielder Ryan O'Keefe voiced his desire to get the game moved back to the SCG.
"We know where we want to play, we want to play the SCG," he said.
"The SCG is a big advantage for us, we play the ground really well.
"The atmosphere is heaps better, the SCG is our home ground. We don't classify ANZ as a home game.
"I think if you had 60,000 at ANZ and 40,000 at the SCG I think the 40,000 would be better atmosphere. I reckon the ground is the perfect build for AFL."
The Swans have lost their past five games at ANZ Stadium, including all three trips to Homebush this year, but have a 6-1 record at their spiritual home at Moore Park.
Sydney have averaged crowds of 47,950 over the four finals played at the Olympic Stadium, slightly more than the 46,000 capacity at the SCG.
Sydney had 39,079 fans at their most recent 2005 final against Geelong at the SCG and O'Keefe believes that is where the supporters would rather see big finals games.
"You ask the players, fans and supporters what they'd rather do and a lot of people like going to the SCG on a Saturday afternoon," he said. "It's a good day, you can't beat it and the atmosphere is great."
But of course, Sydney have to reach the finals yet and climb one rung higher on the ladder to claim the home advantage.
Their path to September is laced with danger, starting with Saturday's trip to Perth to face a stuttering Fremantle at Subiaco Oval.
Having disposed of premiership contenders Hawthorn, O'Keefe declared the Swans had gained the vital confidence required to beat those top four sides.
"[Hawthorn] have got some real good players, game breakers that can tear a game apart and to put a performance like that up really gives you confidence we can match the better teams," said O'Keefe.
"I don't think our depth is as strong as the top four sides so we need everyone to play well. We can't carry players and that was a good sign.
"If we can make the finals and come in with some good form then at least we can hit the finals with a bit of momentum."

Link: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/swans-demand-anz-bailout/story-e6frexx0-1225902767833


Where is Gallop jumping in and trying to get the AFL out? Get in there and try to get ANZ fixed up to the rectangular field we need! It will be better for NRL, A-League, Rugby, and for the World Cup Bid.

 

[Frailty]

To be fair to sh*tstorm, he didn't post a laughing smiley afterwards so I'm assuming he knew that they were next to each other already (maybe I'm giving him too much benefit of the doubt)...

.. Either way, how was it relevant to the initial post. Don't go hijacking another thread.

So, why aren't the NRL pushing to have ANZ moved to a permenant rectangular stadium.

 

[adamkungl]

Because the NRL are gutless. Would be nice though.

 

[Bulldog Force]

They can push all they want, but the fact is the stadium is owned by Stadium Australia Group, so the NRL can't modify a ground they don't own. If SAG wants the ground to be AFL compatible, the NRL can't do ANYTHING to change it. They can argue their point all they want, but it won't mount to anything!

 

[dragon_around]

I think it would be funnier to see 20k AFL fans in the larger stadium, especially for a final.

 

[ozjet1]

So, why aren't the NRL pushing to have ANZ moved to a permenant rectangular stadium.

how many times does it have to be said that 'renovating' Stadium Australia into a permanent rectangular ground will not improve the facility greatly for spectators.

the core flaw will still be there. the ground was originally built to accommodate an athletics track, so the eastern & western grandstands are set further back from the centre of the arena than would otherwise be the case in a purpose-built rectangular arena built from scratch. this cannot be fixed unless they are pulled down and built closer to the playing arena itself.

the band-aid fixes constantly suggested simply involve moving the ground tier closer to the arena, but the majority of seats in the stadium will stay where they are - out at concord west & silverwater. the stadium needed to be demolished after the olympics (as they did in Atlanta) and rebuilt into a rectangular arena (Atlanta rebuilt a Baseball stadium). you cant just rip up the track, bring in the fence and think it'll have the same effect. although, it's just typical of the way many infrastructure works are completed here.

the rugby league administration was a shambles when opportunity knocked 10 years ago. Now the AFL have got the green light to redevelop the showground. This is what shouldve happened after the Olympics, and the main stadium demolished and rebuilt into a rectangular facility. Instead, a club moved into the former facility which was a poor venue for rugby league, and the wider rugby league community creamed themselves simply because the latter had a large capacity. Today, a majority of sydney siders loathe the entire precinct.

 

[Perth Red]

Don the AFL (in some guise) own ANZ now?

Any stadium management company wants max returns so having a ground that can accomodate both codes is obviously more profitable. What I would like to see is the SFS management get its act together and entice more RL games to the only decent RL stadium in Sydney!

 

[CMUX]

As already mentioned the stadium is owned by its own consortium and as far as they are concerned they want the ground compatible for all sports… league, soccer, rugby…. Cricket and AFL which require oval fields

 

[user_nat]

I think it would be funnier to see 20k AFL fans in the larger stadium, especially for a final.

Almost as funny as how we get to see multiple games like that every week in the NRL?

Swans average 30k anyhow.

 

[fourplay]

Don the AFL (in some guise) own ANZ now?

Any stadium management company wants max returns so having a ground that can accomodate both codes is obviously more profitable. What I would like to see is the SFS management get its act together and entice more RL games to the only decent RL stadium in Sydney!

Yeah and that is why the NRL need to get together with Soccer Australia and the ARU to lobby for it to be made into a rectangular ground. If the three said they will consider boycotting the stadium until it's made into a rectangular ground I think they would act pretty fast. First they will offer to move in the stands behind the posts in a few metres but they need to request the whole ground rebuilt. The angle's of the stands are all wrong.

Demolish it and rebuild it into this.

 

[dragon_around]

Almost as funny as how we get to see multiple games like that every week in the NRL?

Swans average 30k anyhow.

It's not like they have to compete with other AFL Sydney teams when they do play, champ.

<20k for a final is an utter embarrassment.

 

[simostorm]

It's not like they have to compete with other AFL Sydney teams when they do play, champ.

<20k for a final is an utter embarrassment.

nah but they compete with all the Sydney Rugby League clubs in Sydney which is Rugby Leagues heartland.. aperently.. which makes it even more of a joke.

 

[docbrown]

Yeah and that is why the NRL need to get together with Soccer Australia and the ARU to lobby for it to be made into a rectangular ground.

Demolish it and rebuild it into this.

That's exactly right. Stadium Australia was a bowl shaped stadium. In order to fit in 110,000 they need a lower angle for the tiers.

IF - Australia wins the world cup bid, they are going to build a 40,000 seat stadium in blacktown that will be revised down later to 30,000 -

BUT!

IF the NRL can get it's act together, they can pressure the government to either build a new purpose built rectangular stadium next to ANZ or another within the Parramatta-Fairfield-Bankstown triangle to service the Eels, Tigers, Bulldogs, Dragons and possibly Panthers with a 55,000 odd capacity. Also - it can be used for the soccer and union matches.

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

ANZ will never be a rectangular ground and not because of the AFL but because of their push to get international cricket out there.

An ideal stadium would be the one docbrown suggested because ANZ is possibly the worst stadium I have ever been to trying to get in or out when there is atleast 25,000 people in attendance.

The Veltins Arena would be a great stadium to rip off:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veltins-Arena

If a new multi-football purpose stadium was built in Sydney and based off the Veltins Arena it would put that other stadium in Melbourne to shame big time and we wouldn't have to have boggerball crapping up the surface.

Instead of having the big screen hanging from the roof you would have it behind the goals like Suncorp and you're set, great football purpose stadium.

 

[Eels Fanatic]

ANZ stadium is currently owned and operated by ANZ Bank. The naming rights and controlling ownership of the stadium aside, no other investor will put money into redeveloping the site knowing that it is a short term investment with the proceeds of their efforts to be returned to the State Govt when the lease expires - as has been written since the stadium was built. The return for investment with average crowds of a little over 30,000 would be the same as putting all your money on the longest odds dog with a limp and a dollar on the favorite.

As for the AFL and the Swans, I am glad they do not like playing at ANZ. They can always move back to Port Melbourne and die the same death as the Fitzroy Lions, or suck it up and realise the game is bigger then the players. Or maybe they can play Etihad. Either way they are ripping up the hallowed turf at the SCG with their aerial ping pong and I willnot be watching them either on tv at ANZ or Moore Park.

 

[Loudstrat]

WHO F*CKING CARES ABOUT THE SWANS???????

Saints v Chooks almost sold out their home ground anyway.

As long as AR is not played at Leichhardt, Parra or Brookie etc, I don't give a rats about it.

 

[Brutus]

WHO F*CKING CARES ABOUT THE SWANS???????

Saints v Chooks almost sold out their home ground anyway.

As long as AR is not played at Leichhardt, Parra or Brookie etc, I don't give a rats about it.

If you had your way, the Chooks v Dragons game would've been played at the Sydney Sports Ground which of course is now the SFS carpark.