The Sydney Swans will play all home games and finals at the Sydney Cricket Ground from the 2017 season.
Swans Chairman Andrew Pridham announced on Monday that the club would not be renewing it’s contract with ANZ Stadium in Homebush, and had instead agreed to a monster 30-year agreement with the SCG Trust to keep the Swans at their spiritual home full-time.
The decision to abandon ANZ Stadium comes just days after the NSW government announced a $250 million overhaul to install a roof over the playing surface among other upgrades.
“We have received a lot of feedback on the current stadium arrangements, and it was clear our members and fans located in Sydney, broader New South Wales and in fact Australia, wanted the SCG to be our one and only home,” Pridham said in an email to club members.
ANZ Stadium has been widely criticised for being unsuitable for AFL fixtures due to the condition of the ground, as well as its distance from the Sydney CBD.
Under the current deal, which expires at the end of 2016, the Swans would play three home and away games at the venue each season as well as any finals games unless the ground was unavailable.
While the GWS Giants have the option of playing games at ANZ Stadium should their home Sydney Showground be unavailable, it is now unlikely that ANZ Stadium will see regular AFL football when the Swans contract runs out.
Without the Swans, the ground will be predominantly used by Rugby League sides Canterbury, Wests Tigers and South Sydney along with the NSW State of Origin side and Super Rugby side the Waratahs during the winter months.
CEO Andrew Ireland believes the ground served his club well, but is now of far greater use for the western-based Giants, who will play finals at the ground.
“We believe playing a number of matches at ANZ Stadium has been important for the growth of the code and helped paved the way for a new team in Sydney’s west,” Ireland said on the Swans website.
“Having a single home ground for our Club is important to us and gives us the opportunity to better work with the SCG on delivering the best possible fan experience.”
Occasional fixtures were held at ANZ Stadium following its construction for the 2000 Olympic Games, yet failed to produce any sentimental value with fans.
2014 fixtures against Carlton, Geelong and Essendon drew crowds in the high 30 000’s, with the Swans v Geelong game in Round 13 cracking 41 000 at the recently renovated SCG.
“We had a number of sell-out matches in 2014 and with a fixture full of big matches in 2015 we are likely to see the same. At the moment fewer than 5000 reserved seat memberships remain for next year,” Ireland said.
“We understand that under this new agreement, there will be more sold-out games than ever before, which means the need to secure seats as a member will be more important than ever before.”
The Swans first played at the SCG in 1980 before their permanent relocation in 1982.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
The AFL Players' Association has come out swinging against the league for their decision to hand Port Adelaide forward a three-match suspension for using…
Overreacting to a single loss is one of the most overplayed scenarios in sport, but it’s important for the Swans to still believe that…
It’s high stakes with five teams having lost their first three games of season 2024, and in desperate need of a win.
It could be a weekend for contenders to emerge, teams to hopefully break droughts, o and overall footy to have a party.
We’ve already seen what Jack Ginnivan is capable of at Collingwood with his ability to grasp big moments - how will he go against his former teammates?
