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Football infrastructure: The next frontier

The RBB has been handed an ultimatum from Wanderers management. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Roar Guru
31st October, 2014
71

This week’s events have made me write this article. This topic is something that I’ve been pushing for quite a while now, and it’s something the code should’ve started planning for a long time ago.

Through either having strong conversations with governments more regularly, or drawing up a plan to build their own stadia, the FFA should have already dealt with their infrastructure problem.

The A-League is only 10 years old, but it is growing quickly, and some stadia need increased capacity to meet the extra demand in the very near future, or those clubs risk losing potential customers for good.

We’ve seen some good news stories on this front already, with the fantastic upgrade of half of Nib Stadium in Perth, which I believe cost $97 million, and that’s come up a treat.

Now, I know capacity there is at 20,000 or so, and Perth Glory have never got anywhere near that as a season average in the last 10 years, but our league is building, and they’ve at least now got a home base they can grow into. And especially with the squad they’ve assembled this season, I can see their crowds growing this year and moving forward.

We’ve also seen Hindmarsh Stadium get a facelift, which only cost $4 million apparently, but the whole ground looks better with the red seats, improved food stalls and change rooms. An increase in capacity and possibly some sort of roof would be nice in future, but for now it’s ok. United are building nicely, both on and off the pitch, so their crowds should continue to grow and push for a sellout almost every second week.

AAMI Park was fantastic for the game in Melbourne initially, but if it wasn’t for the Victory, it would’ve been built with a 21,000 capacity, which would’ve been ridiculous, and a complete waste of Victorians tax payers’ money.

In many respects they’ve already outgrown the stadium, with their first two home games at Etihad this season surpassing 30,000 – a figure that’s never been reached at the ground for any code. I know City can’t even come close to filling AAMI Park yet, but as we’ve seen in their first two home crowds this season, they’re also growing, and at least the seats are there for them to fill.

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Whereas for Victory, with a membership of more than 23,000, there isn’t a lot of room to move. The main issue though is the roof, with speculation flying around that it’d cost more money to remove the roof and expand the stadium, then to actually build a newer, bigger stadium from scratch.

I’m still scratching my head at how this project could’ve been signed off. The less said the better, but let’s just say that it’s town planning at its best.

As has been reported, the AFL haven’t helped (as expected) to accommodate a potential A-League grand final in Melbourne on Sunday May 17 at Etihad next year. And things like this will start happening more and more in future, so the FFA need to work closely with the state and federal governments to find solutions to these problems.

But, for example, if AAMI Park had been built with a 40,000 capacity, I don’t think any of these issues would’ve even come up right now.

In Sydney the issues with the current stadia are even worse, with the sorry looking Allianz Stadium badly needing a facelift, with rumours that something will happen in the near future. But at least the capacity there isn’t an issue. It’s at Parramatta, with the phenomenon that is now the Wanderers, that presents the biggest dilemma for the NSW government.

I still can’t believe that the AFC allowed the Asian Champions League final first Leg to be played at the ground. The place is in terrible condition, and with a 21,000 capacity, it’s way too small, particularly for a continental final.

The government now have a headache on their hands. Do they bulldoze the entire site, and re-build a whole new stadium from scratch, as has been reported in the media recently? Or do they throw substantial money at it for a small increase in capacity and a slight facelift?

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I would love to see a brand new 35,000 seater stadium built, with a reported cost of $400 million. It would pay itself back in no time, with the Wanderers and the Eels both calling it home, plus other events.

Whatever the case may be, the ball needs to start rolling right now, and the A-League and the FFA need to hammer this home as much as they can, as Pirtek stadium is now a liability. It’s keeping many new fans and followers out.

As the sport grows, infrastructure quickly becomes one of the biggest priorities, especially if the code wants to keep growing its fan-base.

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