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How many people does it take to spend $1.6 billion properly? I’m not sure, actually. I haven’t seen it happen yet.
Mike Baird promised a boon for sporting teams and fans in New South Wales with the announcement that $600 million would be spent on stadium infrastructure by his government.
That figure has since blown out to $1.6 billion.
But with three of the state’s biggest sporting clubs – the NSW Waratahs, Sydney Roosters and Sydney FC – condemning the Baird government’s plan to rebuild Allianz Stadium from the ground up, that boon is quickly descending into a nightmare. A very costly nightmare.
The three teams, who will likely be the only permanent tenants of the rebuilt stadium, are worried of the potential damage the reconstruction will have on the clubs. The demolition and construction of Allianz will take four years, meaning all three sides will have to re-locate their matches for almost half a decade.
So does Allianz Stadium really need replacing?
As someone who has visited the stadium often enough – although not on a particularly regular basis – I don’t see the need to completely reconstruct it.
My last trip to Allianz was late last month, to see the Socceroos demolish Jordan in a World Cup qualifier. The crowd was far from a sell-out, yet there was still a good atmosphere at the ground.
There certainly wasn’t anything that screamed ‘renovation required’.
To be fair, some points of the Baird government’s stadium upgrade plan have their merits.
The plan to upgrade Parramatta Stadium, the host of many a full house during the A-League season, is worthwhile. So too is the construction of a new indoor arena close to the CBD, although it should be noted this is only necessary because Barry O’Farrell and Baird rebuilt the Sydney Entertainment Centre without the capacity to host sport.
Then there’s the proposed upgrade to ANZ Stadium. Again, a worthwhile investment.
While ANZ can hold the largest crowd in Sydney, it is currently a ground which is a jack of all trades, yet the master of none. It can cater for sports played on both rectangular or circular fields, but neither feel right at the stadium built for the Sydney Olympics.
Rectangular-field crowds are too removed from the action, whereas AFL and cricket matches aren’t done any justice by the field’s dimensions.
Then there’s the atmosphere. Or rather, the lack thereof.
With any fewer than 50,000 spectators, ANZ feels lifeless, the character of its fans lost amidst the extensive (and often empty) upper reaches of the stadium.
With an increased proportion of NRL fans coming to games from the western suburbs, why not redevelop the ground in that area into a purpose-built rectangular field?
It would certainly seem to make a hell of a lot more sense than spending $1 billion on a new stadium in the CBD to replace one which currently works just fine.
Most NRL clubs favour turning the stadium at Homebush into a rectangular field. With cricket and AFL now being played at the SCG and Spotless Stadium, it’s hard to imagine any complaints from that direction.
Such a decision should also save some money, money which could be spent on slightly more important issues. Because, much as we all love sport, it’s hard to justify a billion-dollar blowout on stadium upgrades when hospitals are understaffed and roads are congested.
Will any of this change? Probably not.
But it doesn’t hurt to point out that there seems to be a common-sense solution to the mess which is unfolding before our eyes.