NRL finals policy shows lack of foresight
Roar Guru
By M1tch, 5 Dec 2009 M1tch is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- David Gallop, NRL, NRL finals, Rugby League
It was sad to hear David Gallop say that week 1 finals matches will be at the ‘home’ grounds of teams and not moved to the bigger venues.
This essentially means that if we have another all-Sydney blockbuster, as we did this year between the Dragons and Eels, it will be held at Kogarah for a crowd of 18,000 and not moved the the Sydney Football Stadium, where over 40,000 fans could attend.
It proves, as well, what a strange bunch the NRL is: they do things like have a night grand final just to please the broadcasters, and they have more night games to please the broadcasters, then they lock out fans from attending finals.
Kogarah and Parramatta Stadium are great grounds. But if we have big blockbuster finals in 2010 and beyond, it’s embarrassing for the game to have them played in front of so few people.
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Barking Glider said | December 5th 2009 @ 6:07am | Report comment
The problem is not the Sydney NRL clubs, but western Sydney’s lack of a purpose built rectangular stadium to hold bigger crowds.
Sydney’s inner city has one, Melbourne now has one, Brisbane has one of the best of anywhere, the Gold Coast’s is brilliant, even Newcastle and Canberra have bigger grounds, and Auckland will too soon enough. None of these are all purpose grounds that also cater for AFL or cricket.
But in western Sydney? There should be one that soccer and the rugby codes can use. Homebush is not in western Sydney, is not close seating and rectangular and is hopless to get too on a Friday night.
I know soccer and the rugby codes can be played on an oval, but they are not at their best on ovals are they? Why should all major gounds be oval just so AFL can be catered for? Oval grounds let AFL be enjoyed in full, but diminish the enjoyment of other the codes compared to Suncorp or Robina.
They should look at building a rectangular stadium for 50,000 fans where the Eastern Creek race track is, seeing as the V8s have dumped it.
Kurt said | December 5th 2009 @ 6:53am | Report comment
All major grounds in WS are oval-shaped to cater for the AFL? Really? My memories of Parramatta stadium must be getting a little hazy.
Barking Glider said | December 5th 2009 @ 7:16am | Report comment
Tsk, tsk! Context Kurt, context!
M1tch wrote about moving finals games from Parramatta.
Where did I write that “All major grounds in WS are oval-shaped to cater for the AFL?”
I said there are NO major grounds in western Sydney, and there should be one, and it should be rectangular. 20K capacity at Parramatta is not a major ground.
Kurt said | December 5th 2009 @ 7:32am | Report comment
Well, you did say “Why should all major gounds be oval just so AFL can be catered for?” Perhaps this was a rhetorical flourish on your part, but it did carry the implication that there are various 40K capacity oval-shaped grounds in Western Sydney that by virtue of their shape are inadequate for league, union & soccer. Which there aren’t.
Barking Glider said | December 5th 2009 @ 7:46am | Report comment
I guess I was pointing towards where any debate about building for western Sydney its first ever BIG football stadium.
You can bet the AFL cheerleaders would be wanting a stadium that could cater for AFL, and arguing it is unfair to leave them out by building a rectangular stadium.
While that is understandable, and AFL fans will get to see their game in all its beauty, the same can’t be said for soccer fans and the rugby codes.
My view is that western Sydney and the three “rectangular codes” deserves their own stadium that they can enjoy their codes in full as happens at Suncorp, at the SFS, the new one in Melbourne, the Gold Coast and so on.
I know that soccer and the rugby codes can be played in oval stadiums, but it isn’t the same. The NRL clubs would be making more money if they could give the fans the viewing experience that those at Suncorp get. Homebush doesn’t deliver it.
Making it oval to cater for AFL takes away from fans enjoyment when viewing the other codes from the stands.
While the oval is great for AFL, that compromise comes with a downside to the other codes. In a compromise of an oval stadium, the AFL gets a 100% result, the other codes get a 75% result. Or you get something like Homebush which isn’t perfect for either.
Pippinu said | December 5th 2009 @ 8:14am | Report comment
Good for cricket too – our national game.
Pete said | December 5th 2009 @ 8:19am | Report comment
Agreed Barking Glider. Even a reconfigured Etihad Stadium (rectangular) doesn’t work. We need oval fields for AFL and Rectangular stadia for RL, Union and Soccer. A hybrid stadium just doesn’t work. Western Sydney needs a large rectangular stadium.
Paul J said | December 5th 2009 @ 7:34am | Report comment
Mitch
I totally agree.
It’s another example of clubs putting their interests before the best interests of the game.
Another example of why we need the independent commission.
AndyRoo said | December 5th 2009 @ 8:20am | Report comment
I actualy think it’s agood thing.
Maybe fans will think about getting memberships if their isn’t 10k spare seats for everything that isn’t a final.
Interesting if Dragons membership goes up more relative to other clubs as a result.
I think having a sell out every now and then is good for PR.
Paul J said | December 5th 2009 @ 8:51am | Report comment
Turning 10K fans away from a stadium because it isn’t big enough is VERY bad for the game.
Common sense dictates to put the finals with one or two Sydney teams into a stadium that will cater for all the fans who want to see the game.
AndyRoo said | December 5th 2009 @ 9:45am | Report comment
I don’t recall any other game being a sell out, though I would hope their are some.
I am sure people know it would be sold out in advance so it’s not like people were turned away at the gate was it? For once it was important to be a member rather than a theatre goer.
oikee said | December 5th 2009 @ 11:33am | Report comment
Demand , then supply, so far Sydney crowds have not meet the demand. Anyone can turn up to a game and get tickets. Suncorp normally sells out for big games Via Internet. Demand my good friends, no good building another white elephant for sydney. Fill Parra to the brim every game, same applies to the Dragons and others, but without demand, dont expect anything.
And with demand comes memberships to games, we are only starting to find out about memberships. One day you will have to be a member to see a game, hopefully. The way we are travelling is good, the game is becoming more spectacular and this is enticing bigger crowds. Just because we see maybe 1 sellout game a year, does not mean anything. When we see at least 30 games packed to the rafters, then we can say rugby league is healthy. not before.
But i do agree, a good stadium does intice the fans.
Barking Glider said | December 5th 2009 @ 12:27pm | Report comment
“Demand my good friends” is rubbish. If the quality and comfort of a 50K seater equivalent to Suncorp was in Sydney’s west it would fill up. The transport in Sydney sucks, the road systems sucks, and the stadia is all in the CBD or lost in Homebush.