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Improved stadia a focus for NRL: Smith

Roar Guru
28th February, 2015
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NRL boss Dave Smith wants a series of state-of-the-art 30,000-seat stadia accommodating fans throughout Sydney as rugby league moves to grow and consolidate crowds throughout its heartland.

As the cavernous oval-shaped ANZ Stadium, used as a home base by a number of Sydney teams, continues to polarise the opinions of club administrators and fans, Smith has set his sights on emulating the intimate experience on offer at other venues world-wide.

“Strategically we need a footprint of stadiums and there is three criteria,” Smith said.

“The stadiums need to be the right size, they need to be modern and they need to be on transport, principally heavy rail. That is the only thing that does what you need it to in terms of not being stuck in a car park for two hours.

“And it needs to be in a precinct, then it becomes more than sport.

“Melbourne have done a wonderful job. But we are not Melbourne, we have the chance to set a footprint that takes care of generations for years to come and we have to take care of that carefully.”

Smith said he was wowed on a recent trip to see NHL side New York Rangers at their home stadium of Madison Square Garden and was keen to reproduce that across the NRL.

“The fact that there is $600 million allocated (by governments) to rectangular sport for the first time in I don’t know how long is terrific,” he said.

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“But we need a network of stadiums that offer a contemporary experience for our fans, so that when you go there they are the right size – they are not too big, they are not too small, they have WiFi.

“It is today’s version of the wonderful experience you used to get when you sat on the side of the hill.

“If we can recreate that in a modern contemporary way I think you will see crowds grow exponentially.”

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