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I love nothing more than attending Parramatta Stadium to watch the Eels. When the stadium is near its 20,500 capacity, the atmosphere is electric: it is our fortress Parramatta.
Parramatta Stadium is a ground the opposition should fear coming to and while the Eels’ win/loss ratio this year is not particularly good, it becomes far more positive when you look at games won and lost at Parramatta Stadium.
The atmosphere is not only electric at Parramatta Eels games – for anyone who watched the march of the Wanderers this year, the stadium atmosphere was incredible as the crowd roared and cheered their team on throughout the season.
For the Wanderers this culminated in a magic run to the grand final in their first year in the A-League.
However, over the past couple of seasons Parramatta has started moving games away from our fortress Parramatta to ANZ Stadium.
Under the current agreement, which goes until 2015, Parramatta is allowed to move four out of 12 home games away from Parramatta Stadium each year.
Just to make it absolutely clear – I hate ANZ Stadium. Parramatta’s record is woeful there. We have lost 12 consecutive games at ANZ Stadium, which is atrocious.
It is not only Parramatta’s woeful record which makes me dislike ANZ Stadium. When Parramatta play the Bulldogs or the Rabbitohs, we are playing at a stadium which is the home ground of our opposition, thus we give away our home ground advantage.
When the Eels played Souths earlier in the year, there was a chorus of boos following the Parramatta Eels from the moment the whistle blew, particularly whenever Chris Sandow touched the ball.
Parramatta’s position on the table at the moment means we cannot afford to give away any advantage – particularly to a team as strong as the Rabbitohs.
ANZ Stadium also feels completely soulless to me. Because it is so big, it is extremely difficult to get a good atmosphere, because the stadium always feels empty.
The only time ANZ Stadium absolutely erupts is when it is at capacity and that usually comes in September, when finals football is on.
The atmosphere at the grand final qualifier between the Bulldogs and the Eels in 2009 was one of the best games I have ever been to. It is for games like this that ANZ Stadium is perfect.
This raises another question and it is whether moving more games to larger stadiums like ANZ Stadium is the way forward or whether clubs should hold onto their home grounds.
There has been meaningful debate this year as to whether NRL crowds are down from last year. Whatever the outcome of this debate, it is clear the NRL is having issues with attendance.
I don’t think this suggests a move to a bigger and more lifeless stadium is the answer. The crowds that have made their way to NRL games this year does not justify even a suggestion we should be moving games away from suburban stadiums.
Rugby league as a sport is tribal in nature – suburban grounds hold tradition and history. While the value of this cannot be measured in monetary terms, its value to fans cannot be understated.
Suburban grounds hold fond memories, particularly for people who have supported their team from birth until now. Each NRL supporter recalls tight games which their team has won/lost at their home ground.
I particularly remember games where it pours with rain and you walk home soggy, wet and freezing after a good night at the football (always made better by a Parramatta win).
While the larger stadiums have greater capacity, better facilities and more undercover seating, they are absolutely devoid of atmosphere.
The Rabbitohs and the Bulldogs have been playing at ANZ Stadium for a couple of years now and have not seen crowds increase to a point where it seems legitimate to justify a movement away from suburban grounds.
Particularly when a crowd of 20,000 means the stadium is only a quarter full, compared to the capacity it would be at a suburban ground.
The larger stadiums can also be difficult for fans to get to – particularly fans travelling from the west and from Wollongong.
Perhaps instead of debating whether to abandon our suburban grounds, we should be moving the discussion to the ways we can improve them.
You can imagine my delight when earlier in the year it was announced that there would be a $30 million refurbishment of Parramatta Stadium.
This refurbishment will not only see facilities improved but add at least 5,000 seats.
This is fantastic news and hopefully means that the Eels will continue to play at Parramatta Stadium for the foreseeable future.
I am clearly a fan of keeping fortress Parramatta, among other suburban grounds, part of our game. I would love to hear your thoughts!