It's time for ANZ Stadium to become permanently rectangular

It is interesting times for Sydney’s sports stadiums. Just last week, ANZ Stadium unveiled its plans for a $350 mil upgrade, including such improvements as more moving tiers, better facilities, a retractable roof and a thriving precinct of bars and restaurants, to name a few.

ANZ Stadium has been a point of contention for some time as fans lament its supposed lack of atmosphere, among other complaints.

As I have written before, much of this criticism has been aggrandised, however there is no denying that the once glorious Olympic Stadium has dated quickly and could greatly use an upgrade.

Then, over the weekend, the Sydney Swans announced that from 2017 they will no longer play at ANZ, with all home games to take place at the SCG. It appears that this has been a welcome announcement from the Swan’s fan-base, which much prefers the Swan’s spiritual home in Moore Park.

And then on Tuesday came the release of the NSW Government’s stadium strategy, which preserves $600 mil for an upgrade of Allianz Stadium and a specialist rectangular stadium in Western Sydney.

Therefore the question should be asked: is it time for ANZ Stadium to be made permanently rectangular?

Many have claimed that the Swan’s withdrawal from ANZ is a blow to the stadium. I believe it is the exact opposite.

It is a chance for the ground to drop its “jack of all trades, master of none” reputation and become the biggest and best rectangular stadium in Australia.

After all, it’s not just the Swans that are leaving the Olympic venue.

Sydney Thunder BBL team will play two games next door at Spotless Stadium during the upcoming BBL season, with many speculating there will be a more permanent move to the venue once their current lease agreement expires this year.

Moreover, Spotless Stadium’s smaller capacity of 24,000 seems better suited to Thunder’s average crowd of around 15,000.

This leaves International T20 cricket, which only uses the Stadium for one game a year and whose crowds for the fixture have been dropping well below the 83,000 capacity of ANZ Stadium. Is one game of cricket a year worth the investment required for movable seating? Especially when it could be played elsewhere?

Perhaps all that money could be reallocated to bring all the seating in ANZ closer to the action for a permanently rectangular stadium, with spectacular views from every angle.

Sydney currently has one large round stadium in the SCG and one mid-size round stadium in Spotless. Surely this is enough to meet the demand for events that require a round configuration in Sydney.

However, with nine NRL teams, an Origin team, The Kangaroos, two A-League sides (three if you include the Mariners), The A-League All-Stars, The Socceroos, The Waratahs and The Wallabies; Sydney still does not have a purely rectangular stadium that exceeds the 45,000 capacity mark.

It almost seems like a no-brainer to make ANZ Stadium permanently rectangular, and this would likely have a flow-on effect for league, football and union crowds. Sydney deserves a world-class rectangular stadium and it feels like the stars are aligning for ANZ’s time to have come.

There would most likely be some opposition to this idea. After all, the AFL still wants us to believe that the GWS Giants are the sleeping giant (excuse the pun) of Australian sport, and it is only a matter of time before ticket demand will see them move to ANZ. But with average crowds of sub-10,000 we may be waiting some time for this to be the case.

The AFL also maintains that it has the final say on venue for finals games in Sydney. However, the Swans have rarely posted finals crowds above the capacity of the SCG and it is clear that their fans prefer their traditional home ground.

It also doesn’t appear like the Giants will need a finals venue anytime soon, let alone one that seats more than Spotless.

There is also the point that ANZ can currently accommodate an athletics track. But since the last time it needed one was the 2000 Olympics, this may not be a huge concern.

After all, it will be a long time (if ever) before we get to host the Olympics again, and any other athletics meet probably wouldn’t require a stadium of that size.

If required, the athletics track next door could be expanded or the SCG temporarily modified, much like the MCG for the commonwealth games.

With all of these things considered, I believe the best possible option for Sydney (and indeed Australia) is to redevelop ANZ Stadium into a world class rectangular stadium that serves the huge demand for these codes in NSW.

I hope that the NSW government will be waiting, shovel in hand, on the sideline when the Swans play their farewell game.