The charms of the Sydney Cricket Ground are well known: the stands are a delightful mix of old and new, the atmosphere is loud yet intimate, and the history rivals any sports arena on earth.
If asked to name my favourite sporting venue, the SCG is my choice. But geez it can be a frustrating love affair – especially when it comes to Test cricket.
There have been improvements in recent years, but it’s still hard to avoid feeling that the public, especially the non-members, are held in contempt by those in charge.
What follows are my three main gripes with Test cricket at my favourite ground. I’m not actually sure who is to blame – the SCG Trust or Cricket Australia or a combination of both – and I don’t really care. I just want something done to fix them.
1. Ticket prices
The prices for the West Indies Test match are an utter disgrace. A single adult ticket to sit under cover and out of the sun costs either $143 or $163. For this you will have the privilege of seeing a West Indies side in disarray, who are currently at odds of 50-1 to win the Test series.
Tickets prices for the first Test in Hobart have been slashed – but for us poor fools in the big smoke, not a cent has been knocked off last year’s prices.
Of course, you could choose to pay a bit less and sit in the sun. The ‘cheap’ seats will set you back $102, $66 or $51. I dare you to buy one of these – especially the $66 category, which gets you a seat in the blast furnace that is the O’Reilly Stand (if you’re lucky).
It is a ‘bucket list’ sort of day. By about the tea break you’ll have churned through litres of sunscreen and water, and have a headache so intense you’ll actually be proud of it. Or, if you’ve had your shirt off and been drinking beer, you’ll be up the road in St Vincent’s hospital.
And what about if you’re in the concourse and it rains? That brings me to my next point.
2. No pass outs
The SCG Trust have advised The Roar that pass outs will be issued for patrons during the Sydney Test match.
This article originally cited information on the Ticketek and SCG websites that pass outs would not be issued during an event, which is still public but is incorrect. The author also called the SCG, who advised that no pass outs would be issued.
3. The food
I’m not expecting Michelin stars. Indeed, I’d be happy with the standard fare of sportsgrounds – tasty burgers and hotdogs containing a week’s worth of kilojoules.
But in addition to being unhealthy, the SCG food also manages to be horribly unappetising. I’ve eaten fish and chips packs at the ground that warranted a royal commission. And it goes without saying that the prices are almost comically overblown.
The frustrating thing is that over in the members sections reasonable food is served up – not to mention a nice range of beers. But for the plebs – even at $163 a ticket – there’s only one brew on offer, and while I’ve never tasted a beer I haven’t liked, this one comes the closest!
Nevertheless, I’ll be at the ground again this January. And no doubt all my angst will melt the second I step inside and feel the unique buzz. But I wonder how many will be there with me.
If the crowds are indeed among the lowest in recent times, hopefully this will prompt those in charge to start making changes.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Melbourne hosted the 1956 Olympics – it was the site of the first ever test match, and the legendary centenary test. SCG and MCG are both great grounds, but I don’t see how you can say a ground is diminished because it doesn’t have the termite-ridden old wooden stands still surrounding it. I think the MCG is a colossal masterpiece – the fact you can get close to 100,000 people into it gives an atmosphere no other ground can match when it’s at capacity.
Ken
Guest
Your choice is very defensible, the MCG is an icon of Australian sport, I wouldn't say that it's so clear cut though. The SCG & MCG were created at much the same time and have hosted much the same amount of cricket - they were the only two international grounds in earlier years so all tours included both. The SCG has a similarly ridiculous amount of history, probably just shaded by the MCG considering that the SCG was not the centrepiece of Sydney's Olympics (although events were held there). From the 2nd test match, through to the Empire games, Bradmans dad building the famous scoreboard and then that same scoreboard showing his 452 score, the '65 GF with the roofs full of spectators, the first day/night game, Waugh's century on the last ball of the day and the only MLB series ever held in Australia. Stories about either ground could fill books. In the MCG's favour is that it is still the centre of its home football code, where the SCG has been replaced for this purpose in recent decades. Of course, the SCG counter-punches with a more tangible connection to it's history, with the 130+ year old members and ladies stands sitting proudly in the northern corner. As I said, not dismissing your opinion but I see both of these grand old grounds as having huge claims.
Beardan
Roar Guru
The prices you mention are outrageous. Cricket is getting greedy. Cut Sutherlands wages and give back to the people. Greedy cricket australia.
Paul Dennett
Roar Rookie
I agree completely with the difficulty of buying them. Was going to include this in the article but it would have been too long. I once bought tickets to a test match in Durham in the north of England. I think it was only the second test ever held at the venue but they were far far superior to us: you could you choose the exact seat/s you wanted on an interactive mat - and you could also flip perspective and see exactly what your view of the pitch would be in each seat.
Maggie
Guest
By the way, you can take part in a guided tour of the SCG /Allianz stadiums at 10am Mon to Sat (except major match days). Tickets can be bought online on the SCG website. I've done this tour several times (taking interstate visitors) and found it fascinating. It includes both home and visiting team dressing rooms where there are a lot of historical remembrances.
GWSingapore
Guest
With all the sun related seating problems at the SCG, night tests seem ideal.
AR
Guest
Absolutely - the original halls and corridors have a quality that is irreplaceable. Same goes for anything I suppose. The Victorian Supreme Court still feels and looks like it did the 1800s - the domed library is something to behold. To answer your question, the MCC (about a quarter of the stadium) obviously isn't open to the public on regular match days, but it is on other days. None of it is original from the 1850s but the wood panelling, original old honour boards and artifacts are all beautifully housed on display as you walk through. 2 gems inside are the MCC Museum and library. The museum is filled with oil paintings of cricket scenes from the early 1800s, and an unbelievable array of treasures from almost 200 years. The G was, of course, the site of the first ever game of Test Match cricket, the first ever 'Ashes' Test, the first ever ODI game etc, so there's a lot of history there. In the centre of the room stands the grand piano which was used to entertain the players during tea breaks before Bradmans days. As you can probably tell, I'm a bit of a fan.
marron
Roar Guru
Is the MCC open to all to have a wander during games AR? Are the halls the guts of the original halls or are they new and they've put those photos etc in? I've been to the G several times but not had a look. To me it's a bit like grandfather's Axe. Is it really the scene of all those things you mention? You can't see much - if anything - that says, yes. When watching a game at a stadium, I like to be able to soak up the history - I love having a visual reminders that say, yes, generations of people have been through here and sat in - or sat opposite - these very stands. Then, atmosphere is a big part of it, and then sightlines, and then creature comforts at the distant bottom of the pile. I'm always sad to see an old stand knocked over or a whole stadium razed. They contain many many ghosts and connections with the past, and it seems to me that no matter how many objects and photos they hold on to in museums, they're not the same.
Maggie
Guest
As others have already said, the ticket prices at the SCG are exorbitantly high. Add to that the difficulty/near impossibility of buying the tickets I want through the abysmal customer-service of Ticketek (which seems to have the monopoly for SCG ticket sales) has made me decide to go only on the first day of the New Year test this series. While Ticketek now (at last!) allow you to choose online the bay you want to sit in, they still do not allow you to choose the seat you want. (Theatres have online booking technology that allows this, so why can’t Ticketek?) And according to the Ticketek online allocation, ‘best available’ always starts from front row seats – which means sitting in the sun in the bay where I want to go. I am not prepared to pay $168.50 (including the $5 fee Ticketek charge for the privilege of allowing me to print the ticket at home) to sit in the sun. Also, the Brewongle Stand where I want to sit only gets opened up for ticket sales after a high proportion of tickets have been sold elsewhere in the ground. It has been constantly shown as ‘no available tickets’ until only recently when Ticketek opened it up for sales for day 1 (but only for Premium price tickets, the cheaper Gold tickets are still not available). It is still not available at any price for subsequent days. I don’t know if this is the policy of Ticketek or of the SCG, but at $168 a ticket I expect to be able to choose where I want to sit. Re the issue of passouts (now apparently resolved), I have been able to get a passout at the SCG sometime in the last 12 months. I think it must have been at one of the World Cup matches. I sat outside, in what was probably the innings break, to eat my tea. So there has been precedent which hopefully will always apply from now on.
Paul D
Roar Guru
I know, haven't made it down there for Boxing Day yet as it would require me to ditch my family - they're not great cricket buffs, it must be said. But I'll get there one day, hopefully when they're out here next.
AR
Guest
Awesome. Pencil in Day 1 of a Boxing Day Ashes Test as a bucket item. In terms of noise and electricity at the cricket, Starc's opening over in the World Cup Final was incredible.
Paul D
Roar Guru
I was there for Lockyer's last Origin game - incredible atmosphere. It is truly deafening inside when there's a full house. That QUEENSLANDER chant thunders around the ground, impossible not to get caught up in it.
AR
Guest
Lucky enough to have been to Suncorp for Origin. Great stadium.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Yeah, I'd have to agree there. Going to the MCG is always an event for me, although given I live in Brisbane and only get down there once every year or two, that does amplify it for me. MCG is the best circular stadium in the country, Suncorp the best rectangular ground.
AR
Guest
The MCG is, by some distance, the best stadium in Australia. It's the largest, most historic, most storied, and most attended sporting facility in the country. It has hosted an Olympics, a Comm Games, almost every major sporting event conceivable, and is a 2 min walk from the heart of Melbourne's CBD. It's the home to Australia's National Sports Museum and is the 10th largest stadium in the world. Walking around the corridors of the MCC section, the honour boards, murals, hundreds of photos from the 1800s, the trophy cabinets - it's a very special place.
spruce moose
Guest
I happen to frequent that bridge a lot, but will concede that unless you live in Waterloo or Redfern (which I do), then that bridge is a waste of time.
spruce moose
Guest
Bottom of the top tier for AFL is awesome. It's designed for AFL now...and not much else.
Julian King
Roar Guru
You're right Kaks. These are issues with most stadiums. Glad to hear the SCG Trust will issue pass outs. To be fair, a number of sports are trying to redress the issue of exorbitant ticket prices. We've seen that with State of Origin for 2016. For those complaining about the cost and quality of food, pack your own.
Nambawan
Guest
Nogat!
Kaks
Roar Guru
Lets be honest, all of the issues here arent only issues with the SCG. They are general issues with stadiums in Sydney, and unless fans dont go to the matches and pay extortionate prices for mediocre tickets, food and drink then these stadiums will continue to fleece the fans. Having been to all stadiums as a general public and a member, it's easy to see that the stadiums would be able to provide decent refreshments for the general public if they wanted to. But why would they when they can provide an average product for a high price when people still pay for it?