I take a keen approach to urban development in the Sydney metropolitan area, considering my education, work and leisure take me from north to south and east to west.
This is pushed further when one is able to see the short comings of various levels of government in approaching the development of Sydney in a sustainable fashion.
It saddens me now though to realise that even sports administrators, possibly some of the best managers of businesses in the country, are having similar issues in terms of development.
I talk, of course, about the proposed Blacktown stadium.
This stadium, built in the Blacktown Olympic precinct (originally designed for baseball and softball), next to the GWS training sites, will be nothing more than a waste of time, space and money, all of which could be dedicated to much more useful ideas.
So what’s my reasoning for this being so unsustainable – both economically and socially?
Think about this: a forty thousand seat stadium, put in Blacktown, the district between two districts (Parramatta and Penrith) next to a couple of training grounds, and in an area which is increasingly being gentrified and developed for residential living, with some parklands.
There will be no other sporting teams based in the area, other than possibly the new A-League side, the Sydney Rovers, who will have to be superseded by a localised Parramatta and Penrith side once the Sydney metropolitan area expands.
It will then be reduced to 26 000 seats – albeit at a time when it’s most probable that Parramatta and Penrith stadium capacities will be increased.
Not only is it noticeable, it’s been done before, albeit for a different sport, with similar distances from metropolitan areas.
Rugby hosted the RWC in Australia in 1987.
With this, a new stadium was built at the home of what is now West Harbour RFC, known as Waratah Stadium or Concord Oval. Seating twenty thousand people, it was close to smack bang between the major business districts of Sydney City and Parramatta City.
How much have you heard of it in the modern era of professional football? A couple of games early on with rugby league, but not much else.
This is what serves as a proof of concept for Blacktown Stadium. It will be slightly different, yes, but there are just too many comparisons to see the possibility (and very high one at that) that yet again, Sydney will have an unused stadium, choking the pockets of its creator.
It would be much better to spend on Parramatta, Penrith, or Homebush.
Joh4Canberra
Roar Rookie
Why do we need to get FIFA to bend the rules? All we have to do is nominate the city of Blacktown as a host city in its own right. Sydney can be one host city, Blacktown another host city.
juju
Guest
"Penrith, Parramatta and Campbelltown are not only much nicer looking" Haven't been to Campbelltown or Parra in a bit then? Seems you just have an irrational dislike of Blacktown.
Dan
Guest
White elephant my @rse. Blacktown city is the 2nd largest council/shire in Australia (in terms of population). Blacktown is an untapped goldfield. Build a train station opposite the complex and you have yourself comprehensive infrastructure to support local and foreign supporters. It will be a very well supported western sydney football team, mark my words.
Sydney Rover
Guest
A brand new 26,000 seater rectangular stadium in blacktown which we get to have all to ourselves... a stadium no-one else wants which we can call our own... completely funded by the taxpayer... perfect. The world cup is a Footballing event, Football should be the sport which benefits most from it. The only sport which will benefit from a rectangular stadium at blacktown is football, and thats the way it should be.
Michael C
Guest
I was at the game on Saturday night and have no idea why anyone would cast doubt on the crowd number. Unless it's people trying to gauge via watching tele, however, the entire ground (rightly or wrongly) was 'open', and the majority of the crowd was spread around the entire 3rd tier. Which illustrates that the majority of attending North fans/members do NOT have reserved seats this year (we're a lower socio-economic supporter base). The AFl in their wisdom.....have given North a shocking run of 'home games' whereby we've so far this year hosted West Coast, Syd, Melb and Adelaide at Docklands. This weekend we get the Doggies and over the next 2 months we finally get to host Carl, Ess and Stk,.....but, we also get to host Bris, Freo and Port!!! So, our home matches at Docklands ALL 6 interstate sides. We get then to host Melb, WBG, Carl, Ess and StK. Could it be any worse for attracting the fans?? How many 5 game members will have pencilled in the 5 'local derbies'?? At any rate - - a nice case for going to the AFL and demanding a redistribution of centralised funds as compensation!!!! (the AFL will NOT fixture us to host Collingwood because Collingwood's 'clash' jumper is not deemed appropriate for a North home game.......so....the AFL just push it aside to the 'too hard basket'). Anyway......whinge over!!!!
Farqwar
Guest
Sydney FC average past 5 seasons = 14 675 Parramatta Eels average past 5 seasons = 14 326 Penrith Panthers average past 5 years = 12 761 Maybe this season will show an increase for league crowds but it will just be an anomaly unless they can sustain it for a period of time. Sydney FC was averaging around 16 000 in its first three seasons, the board made some very poor decisions and the crowds dropped off, expect to see them increase this year. I dont think my claim of averaging about the same as your average Sydney League team is rubbish at all. Come and see me in 5 years when you have some long term averages to back up your story.
Bam Bam
Roar Guru
you must remember keeper that Newcastle were not paying their payments, and the Knights gave them a lot of help and a LOT of time with repayments. The Knights did what most banks would have done weeks (if not months) earlier, they claimed back their entitlements. Now I think credit should be given, most codes wouldn't support a rivalling footy code, and League clubs have helped out where it suits them financially, but you cannot say that about AFL or Union. I get sick and tired of your code did this or that. We need to take a leaf out of each other's book and work on our games. I love the ability of getting a Suncorp Stadium pass because I can watch all games of most codes. I love it and codes should be helping each other. No code can say it sells out stadiums as Aussies are fickle supporters, look at the Lions they were selling out stadiums early in the season, now it is pretty dead. The inverse for the Broncos, early on it was less than half full and now they are winning it fills up a bit more. May be codes should look at retaining crowd numbers a bit more, may be they should look at NFL and copy their techniques, especially the Green Bay Packers.
Bam Bam
Roar Guru
Mate, this isn't an attack on the bid, but an attack on the arena it will be held in. How many League fans do you hear whinge about Homebush! It looks outdated and is never close to capacity except for GF's and Origin. No one wants the stadium there and if NRL clubs had their own stadium they wouldn't use it. Even the SFS is ugly when only 15k fill it. Upgrade a current stadium, Rovers could play at Campelltown or in Penrith. Also, I think the Wallabies still sell more jersey's and merch than the Socceroos, but that is another debate and forever another statistician to prove.
Akazie
Guest
Don't forget a few games at Parramatta and they'll also share Win down in Wollongong when they get a team.
Midfielder
Guest
The A-League & RL share heaps of grounds... North Queensland, Suncorp, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Aussie, Homebush, Swan Street... soon Bluetounge, plus Canberra and soon Perth and one day Blacktown...
Son of a Gun
Roar Rookie
What, like the middle of the road or something ?, then that would be ridiculous, or like you mean at a park, Kids dont, they use posts for all sorts of ball games.
rugbyfuture
Roar Guru
he says it to everyone mate, i've been moderated numerous times, i've had threads shut down on me, but i thought you had been watching for the past 18 months on the sideline, so you should know that already
rugbyfuture
Roar Guru
didn't say ru bloacked AFL in sydney, i don't have a big problem with AFL, i believe australia could have sustainable domestic competitions for three codes, i was disputing some of the facts to do with players
Akazie
Guest
Will you say the same to a few here if I ask them to calm down?
Akazie
Guest
Read bigfooty james, there's a few threads talking about the crowd figures given. Plus since when is 16k watching North higher than 18k average of the NRL? Rugbyfuture, You can find all matter of information about RL/RU and AR back in the day, yes I have read seans site and I have also read it from the AR side and they back up more or less what he says. It's only RU fans that disagree. You say and a few others say RU blocked AFL out of Sydney, yet AFL was the code that let RL use a ground to show its game, you also ignore the fact that the NSWARules was building it's own stadium back then. The fact is as was pointed out, the AFL/VFL had no problem paying players, it was about to swamp RU in NSW, at the time it was more or less on par with union in QLD.
keeper11
Guest
Leaguies see the 10 pages of free PR a day their mates at the Tele giva ethem and somehow that proves howe 'big ' and succesfil it is.. noone said league is dying ...league might one day to stop beleiving its own bs of ever becoming the major national code or a relevant international code....instead league is ALWAYS on the defensive...the AFL's utter indifference to league is proofof that.. itsthe so-called 'N'RL iwill and always be a bloated sydney suburban/ two sate provincial comp...now is creating a fortress in its 'heartland' with the help of its news-limited/ ch9 mates to blitz all other codes and endless PR .... so a football specific ground for soccer in blactown makes sense... we have seen the petty and hostile attitude to a-league clubs from nrl co-tenants...( newcaastle, townsville, win stadium...
rugbyfuture
Roar Guru
i presume you've been reading sean fagans "impartial" works, note the sarcasm
Zac Zavos
Editor
Akazie - please listen to the crowd when they suggest you calm-down with your posting. There's nothing wrong with holding a strong opinion on a sporting issue - this is what The Roar is about. But all posters need to work hard to avoid being deemed offensive or overly aggressive to other Roarers. Continued perceived aggression will see you go on moderation - which is not much fun trust me. Cheers, Zac The Roar
JamesP
Guest
"On a Saturday night in Vic yesterday, a crowd of 16,000 turned up to watch North Melbourne and many many people are saying that crowd was very inflated" Who were the many many people? Sources? I'm not sure what goes on in the NRL and the A-league, but I can assure you the AFL does not need to fudge crowd figures. That 16k crowd (which is of course above avaerage for the A-League and the NRL...lol) is and will be the lowest crowd in melbourne for the season. North has the smallest supporter base and often gets <20k when playing interstate teams. Contrast that with the 28.5k Mel got against West Coast, or the 36k they got against Brisbane and you get my drift.
M1tch
Guest
lol Roosters v Cowboys...think of that as the Demons v Freo or Wellington v Mariners or the Force v Lions type of game ;)