Comments on: Codes applaud planned revamp of ANZ Stadium

By: NCB619

NCB619 — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:46:33 +0000

Tick for you Springs. To me, they are a waste of time, unless it will actually mean something to the sport, like the one’s at Wimbledon, or any on any Cricket Ground, such as the Telstra Dome (it can hold cricket matches)

By: KB

KB — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:22:58 +0000

MC, we are talking about the world game here, the future holds no bounds for it … What did happened in 2002 there was a FIFA World Cup somewhere I’m sure…

By: KB

KB — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:15:06 +0000

Does the Manchester City FC home ground have a running track around it now?? The old Commonwealth Games venue… Now that’s proper planing for real football, four sides all permanently moved forward close to the touch line…

By: Michael C

Michael C — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:03:40 +0000

was there a soccer tournament?

I only remember Cathy Freeman and some nightmare about boguns pushing lawnmowers……although in more recent times it’s been merged with another nightmare about a goose and a dread fear of Ron Barassi drowning…….

seriously though – soccer overates the value of 3 or 4 games in isolation if they really reckon that’s worth a brand new stadium…..especially back in that lead up to the 2000 Olympics in the NSL era.

By: KB

KB — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:59:30 +0000

yes 2000 it was…

By: Michael C

Michael C — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:54:45 +0000

I thought it was 2000……but, I can’t remember pacificially…..

By: Aljay

Aljay — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:34:40 +0000

“We thought we were going to get one as a legacy after the 2002 Sydney Olympics was won, but as always it was sabotaged by the oval configuration advocates”

You mean like the advocates who wanted a running track for the Olympics???

By: Turner

Turner — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:21:36 +0000

Face it Punter. The world cup is nothing to so so so many Australians. It shouldn’t stop us getting it though. It’s no different anywhere else. As long as there is the passionate few.

By: KB

KB — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:05:52 +0000

good for you…

By: Last Minute Hero

Last Minute Hero — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:45:39 +0000

The ’94 FIFA WC had games played indoors (Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit).

Agree about Sydney being more likely than Melbourne to host the WC Final but I’d be just as happy with either. As long as it’s in Australia …

By: Springs

Springs — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:01:34 +0000

Understand the seats being brought closer but why the roof? The only time it wil be closed is for rain and then it will take away the weather element of Rugby League. With the amount of games played at ANZ it will be terrible to take away the wet weather aspect.

There is no need for a 100 million-dollar roof

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:37:15 +0000

I have heard people pronounce “specifically” as “pacifically” but I have not seen it actually written down until today.

By: Timmypig

Timmypig — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:30:25 +0000

There is a Facebook group “ANZ Stadium is a Total Sh1thole” …. now whilst I concede that this group doesn’t have many members, it’s indicative of the level of disdain that many in Sydney have for the Olympic Stadium.

I’ve basically stopped going to it, I don’t think I’ve been there since the 2006 (?) State of Origin. I live in Sydney’s north west, so it’s easy to get to, but I still go to the SFS for various matches, despite that being an $80 cab fare or over an hour on public transport.

A reconfiguration to make it genuinely football / rugby / rugby league friendly would go a long way to encouraging more people to go to games there. As it is, with occasional AFL & ODIs, it’s neither fish nor fowl, and suffers. A stadium should be rectangular or oval. If it tries to be both it’s a compromise and suits nobody.

So three cheers for a football – friendly reconfiguration of the Olympic Stadium!!! Now, if we could only do something about the cultural wasteland that is Homebush Bay …..

By: Michael C

Michael C — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:25:39 +0000

correct – locked in until 2037.

By: AndyRoo

AndyRoo — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:13:41 +0000

Oh, don;t know what Gatto is going on about I think the AFL final is locked into melbourne for the next 20 plus years or something else ridiculous.

By: M1tch

M1tch — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:12:47 +0000

Great news, hopefully it will be like a bigger suncorp

By: Dom ROmeo

Dom ROmeo — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:10:17 +0000

AFL FInal^^

By: AndyRoo

AndyRoo — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:06:49 +0000

By: AndyRoo

AndyRoo — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:01:53 +0000

The plan is for the ends to become moveable, like the docklands corners.

Comes in for RL and Football goes out for AFL

By: AndyRoo

AndyRoo — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:00:18 +0000

If this is official FFA policy, it appears Mr.Lowy has made his choice – I guess is what we can take from this

Like Brett I think this is the stadium trying to become relevant again.

It’s not as big as the MCG yet it’s oval shape…..but the only times it sell’s out are for rectangular events.

By: KB

KB — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:59:44 +0000

A revamp Olympic Stadium with a roof over head and the movement of the end terraces close to the goal ends is what this ground has been crying out for since it was first built..

Sydney has never had a truly world class football stadium one that should have been a fortress with an intimidating atmosphere of the home team supporters right on the touch lines…

We thought we were going to get one as a legacy after the 2002 Sydney Olympics was won, but as always it was sabotaged by the oval configuration advocates… A result tying to please everyone with an all purpose stadium, to please too many interests, and in the end, a facility that has failed to capture the imagination of any one particular group; particularly the rectangle football codes with its soulless dispassion and sparseness…

Finally now, we have a chance to fix this problem with the pending 2018 FIFA WC to make it truly conducive to rectangle football… All football matches need the patrons close to the side lines on all four sides…

Sydney being the home of Rugby league, Football, and Rugby, the most favoured codes of NSW—we will finally have a chance to rectify a long standing mistake that has plagued us for the past 8 years, which now can finally be rectify with a permanent rectangle retractable roofed stadium; designed and built pacifically for football… Bring on the 2018 FIFA world cup…

~~~~~~~
KB

By: Ken

Ken — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:24:28 +0000

Yeah I’d think that Sydney would be first choice for the final regardless. MCG is a great venue but too comprised for rectangular football codes, Suncorp is a bit small – it pretty much leaves ANZ by default. Also, while I know it’s all been seen before, Sydney brushes up nice and glitters for the international audience. Standard cut shot of the harbour and then into the stadium (yep I know that’s a long swim up the river to Homebush)

By: Ken

Ken — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:05:44 +0000

I don’t think any soccer WC game would be at the SCG, especially the final, it’s current config is around 50k, so it’s not that big, and all the same reasons that it’s terrible for watching rugby league (i.e. it’s an oval) would still be there for soccer. Why do you think they built the football stadium right next door. The NRL play 1 or 2 games a year there solely because of the immense history of the game there. Also apparently being tackled anywhere near the pitch feels like you’re being tackled on concrete, not that big of a deal for soccer I guess with no tackling.

Beautiful old ground to go for a day at the cricket though

By: Midfielder

Midfielder — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:59:07 +0000

Updating Homebush is great… why some have asked because many of the seats have you so far back its not funny… with the roof and the bringing in the ends and increasing seating it will become of of the worlds best grounds to watch Football / Rugby/ & RL….

By: mvfc.lfc.trfc

mvfc.lfc.trfc — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:48:35 +0000

Correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t think FIFA allows the roof to be closed at any FIFA-run game. All World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers played at Docklands have been played with the roof open from good memory. So what’s the point of building a roof over a stadium to win The Final if it can’t be used for The Final.
Somebody better tell the NSW Govt. this or Premier Keneally will be out on her ass quicker than Nathan Rees.
I don’t think Sydney has anything to worry about in regards to the MCG hosting the final.
If the FFA don’t recommend Sydney as the host of the final, then FIFA will.

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:25:31 +0000

Could not agree more Tammy!!!

By: Brett McKay

Brett McKay — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:12:15 +0000

Gatto, I’m reading this as coming from ANZ Stadium themselves…

By: Punter

Punter — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:52:09 +0000

What???

By: dom ROmeo

dom ROmeo — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:44:59 +0000

WHy would sydney wantr to bid for the final??

If they did it would be played at the SCG and still would not be a sell out

By: NUFCMVFC

NUFCMVFC — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:32:19 +0000

Is the same sort of mould as mooted $150 million towards a Rectangular redevelopment of the MCG? Are there other mooted plans for what would be done to ANZ stadium? Presumably they would have to alter the configuration back somewhat to allow for Rubgy League/Union try line areas. Not to mention to adjust the shape to allow for AFL games being played in there (Fitzpatrick will ensure this remains to be the case)

Generally the FFA would do better by the Australian football fraternity by directing money into stadiums that leave a bit more of a lasting legacy, not a temporary one or as was the case with the Gabba with 2000 Olympics one that predominantly suits another code and not football. I would imagine the NRL would be happy to see some kind of redevelopment towards the SFS and some of the Suburban grounds (which can be used to either host a continuing NRL season or be used as training facilities). In this sense, $150 million towards the permanent upgrading of Swan Street Stadium is better than temporary redevelopment of the MCG, or of ANZ stadium that may look pretty in a WC final but would need to be somewhat rolled back

Let’s not forget the AFL had mooted buying ANZ stadium, if that went ahead, can’t see them allowing too much of an adjustment that would infringe AFL’s ability to use the stadium.