When I perform stand-up comedy I usually wear the same t-shirt, have done for six years.
It’s like my favourite footy ground, not perfect but I love it. It’s comfortable.
Occasionally, when I do corporate gigs I’ll wear a collared shirt, as there’s nothing quite as satisfying as dressing up to perform for a bunch of businessmen who are drunk and not listening to you.
If my favourite t-shirt – made from cotton by a child somewhere in Asia – can last six years and counting, why do rarely-used engineering masterpieces like ANZ Stadium and Allianz Stadium have to be reconstructed after ten, fifteen or twenty?
On Thursday (today), NSW Premier Mike Baird announced that $1.6 billion would be spent on upgrading various stadiums around Sydney. $1.6 billion is a lot of money in anyone’s book. Even an out of touch politician.
Why are we, the taxpayers paying for this? As individuals we already spend a monetary fortune every year travelling to and from games, entering grounds, buying memberships and clothing our children in club paraphernalia, not to mention paying mentally by having to listen to Ray Hadley or painful advertisements on television and radio.
Let the clubs pay, or whichever sponsor has its name plastered all over the concrete wastelands. Or, subsidise the development with some of the profit made through selling the excruciatingly expensive meat pies I and everyone else buy at the footy.
Clive Palmer or Nathan Tinkler can pay for all I care. Or here’s an idea, increase tax on the filthy and tragic money punters donate to gambling consortiums every year and use that.
These echo-chambers are used on average for a paltry two hours a week. Anything else used so sparsely would be pulled down. There’s nothing wrong with ANZ Stadium or Allianz Stadium except they’re not used enough and are rarely full when they are.
This type of prioritised government expenditure is as stupid as the idiotic defence spending on submarines. Less people live underwater than attend Souths matches at ANZ Stadium. Who the hell are these subs looking for, Harold Holt?
We all know the $1.6 billion could be better spent elsewhere. Anywhere probably, well other than on submarines. Grassroots sport for starters. I’m yet to see how a flashy corporate suite at a football ground, or a state-of-the-art press box has ever helped a kid become a rugby league international.
And don’t for a minute think that the cheap, plastic seats you and I will be sitting on will offer any more legroom or be any more comfortable than they have been for the past hundred years.
Does it really matter how nice a stadium is anyway? If Canterbury are playing you still have to sit among their fans.
The other interesting thing about the debate over which sporting precinct would receive what ludicrous amount of funding, is that there wasn’t one. The issue was never even pitched to the public as, ‘Do we need or want this?’ It was immediately presented as a foregone conclusion that one or more sporting complexes would be getting a refurbishment.
The discussion only ever centred on which ground would get what. We weren’t asked, we were told. Those with vested interests, corporate giants and developers had decided long ago, along with their mates in government. It’s pure and simply cronyism.
How about a plebiscite on whether or not we should spend $1.6 billion on football stadiums that are used for two hours a week? Instead it looks like we’ll be having one about gay marriage, something that at least 70 per cent of the population now believe in.
You reckon 70 per cent of New South Welshmen care about two new stadiums in Sydney?
The Baird Government’s political audaciousness on this matter is staggering for its belligerent contemptuousness for the people, yet is typical and what we expect of our politicians. For them a new stadium is simply something to point at during an election campaign.
When I finally decide to get a new t-shirt, I’ll pay for it. I won’t be asking someone else to. If privately run, professional sporting clubs – who persistently tell us that they are businesses – want new stadiums, they can pay for them too.
The real SC
Roar Rookie
Blame on Colin Barnett for breaking promises to education cuts!
Singa
Guest
NRL averages 10,000 people a game , why not spend 1.6 Billion , for 75,000 seat stadiums so that there will be more empty seats great move
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
PB. I get where you are coming from. Let's be real ,Governments are put in place to serve the people i.e. taxpayers.Not one particularly section . They want infrastructure projects,activity for youth in the form of sport and leisure,as well as hospitals,schools etc. Now three rectangular codes,one with a huge junior base,one with a huge Tv audience,and one with an International appeal utilise AAMI.I would have thought in this country people involved in those 3 mentioned,contribute a hell of a lot toward tax,to help fund also Oval code infrastructure. The people attending these games pay fares,buy food all part of a State economy.The stadiums themselves employ locals,for the ground surface,catering.security.It has an economic multiplier flow on effect,if you will. I have no problem with any code lobbying to secure facilities,regardless should they tip in some money.The pretence somehow that code is just about paying for the lot,is smokescreen stuff.Rugby league was left at teh gate when it came to lobbying,thanks to a pedestrian Gallop. Kennett as I have cited prior.,was quite transparent about monies outlaid by Government,and the small by comparison outlaid by the AFL.That is my point ,nothing more nothing less. I am sure when the RLWC 2017 is held in this country,a few games will be allocated to Melbourne.Getting a few Poms visiting Melbourne and spending can't be all that bad,provided they don't whinge. The return for Government is not the now,but the ongoing.
compo
Guest
I heard Mike Baird and Todd Greenberg (separately) on the Radio yesterday extolling the virtues of the new Stadia (plural) and all they could say was that by revamping the stadia, the crowd would be "closer" to the players, they will hear and almost feel the hits....yadda yadda yadda. yeah right, like hello..... that's exactly what ALL the SUBURBAN grounds are already like and yet you don't want us to watch the footy on the hill or in our membership paid-for seat... NOOOOO you want us to either pay thru the nose and be squashed on uncomfortable plastic seats or otherwise stay-at-home and watch it on TV... you guys have all got rocks in your head....and too much money...naturally !!
Craig
Guest
I think people are missing the point of the argument. All followers of sport would like to see better stadiums, but why should this be the job of government? Other infrastructure or services we pay for are used to a much greater extent than a football stadium - and are more useful. Hospitals and schools are not us fun as sport, but are underfunded. I think to justify public funding of a stadium, we need to see the public/shared benefits to the taxpayer. The NRL is a business. People make a lot of money. Let them pay.
john orr
Guest
A long awaited commentary on why Government should subsidise what is to any purpose just another business 0 flashy, sure, picture opps for pollies, sure. Community benefit - in pure cost/benefit terms - no way known.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
That stadium has only one winter football code as a tenant. Yet stadiums the Government is funding ,cover not only the 3 football(rectangular) codes,but in the case of ANZ rock concerts etc. Overall they provide far more usage than the SCG,which I might had has done extremely well from prior State Govts.
Perry Bridge
Guest
#Crosscoder - Yes - I understand your 3 codes point. And in Melb those 3 codes are spread over 3.5 teams (given MVFC play half their games at Etihad). The oval grounds that you keep picking on cater for football and cricket directly (i.e. the new Perth stadium is intended to host cricket). That's 2 codes directly. We know that in Perth and Adelaide these venues are the ones worth building with high capacities which then allow other codes to come along with their 1 off big events - so, 2 codes directly and the other codes indirectly. Now - consider Adelaide oval - post reconstruction has hosted 46 AFL games over 2 and a bit seasons with average attendance of 45,512. And over summer in the BBL the Strikers have average 41,512 over 10 home matches. So - over a about 30 months roughly you've got 2.5 million people through the gates. And that's without factoring in international cricket. 2.5 million for 56 game days. Not a bad return. When you look at the SFS, and Sydney FC at the venue has an average of under 16,000. The NRL average at the venue over 511 games over 28 years is around 12,400. You look at that and there certainly is no compelling argument for an increase in a venue that on average is 1/3 full - which really makes you wonder about the push that was on. I'm not sure how many A-League game days there have been but for the NRL 511 games days over 28 years for 6.3 million through the gate. It doesn't really matter how many codes you throw at it - if it's an equation of attendance and facility then the number of poorly attended codes doesn't make the argument a lay down. Adelaide Oval - is it the events? Is it the location? the access? Is it money well spent? Quite likely the Adelaide Oval numbers will level off in the future - after all at the old Football Park (AAMI Stadium as it became) the numbers levelled off after starting around 40k average - but, over 23 years and 438 matches the avg attendance was 34,880 for a total of 15.27 million through the gates. That again puts SFS into perspective. 70 odd less games in 5 less years and 2.5 times the attendance. That was a far more compelling argument for investment than the SFS. Another thing to put the SFS into perspective - over the last 21 years the SCG right next door - hosting the 'foreign code' of AFL/Sydney Swans - avg 27.5K with over 5.5 million through the gates. Granted there were some shocking years for the Swans late 80s/early 90s so the 28 year comparison to SFS shows 6.5 million for 288 games at avg 22.6k. Still the irony - in the same 28 year period the NRL had 511 matches at SFS for 6.3 million. The AFL had 288 matches at the SCG for 6.5 million. Now - all of this comes down to the desire to gain a return on investment - profit is achieved once the break even point is achieved. I ponder the break even point of the SCG vs SFS? Now to soccer in Melbourne and the AAMI Park avg att is 12,898. Ironically of course - at Etihad avg is 27,337. But - as it's an oval you probably wouldn't count it as a multi code venue??? The Storm at the M.R.S. (AAMI Park) 68 matches avg 14,072 and need another 43,100 to break the million attendees (so, prob another 3 matches). The Rebels, 32 matches in their 1st 4 seasons drew 430k at avg of 13,457 (although it's levelled out around 11.5 k last 2 seasons). So - what are 3 codes worth at AAMI Park? Quantity of events but ordinary quality (of attendance). Not much bang for your buck. The Rugby Codes alone in the stats I've put there have 100 matches for about 1.4 million attendees. That's a hard slog. How much better value would say - a 3rd Melb AFL capable venue of boutique proportions offer?
OJP
Guest
yep, thats also fair and I accept and agree with your point. Thanks for the 'mature' discourse :)
Bludger
Guest
SCG is different because cricket and AFL get far larger attendances than the NRL. Do not know why NRL does not just play out of places like Kogarah and leave the stadiums alone. Its a cynical political maneuver by a desperate Premier of NSW.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
Mate, I've already ripped your argument to shreds once. Don't make me do it again.
m hughes
Guest
I agree Daniel if anz is transformed into a larger Suncorp with great views everywhere as memberships grow and facilities improve crowds can increase I still believe watching live is a far better than the tv
m hughes
Guest
Actually the parramatta eels play at pirtek as well it's just not the Wanderers
steveng
Roar Rookie
'At work' you are dreaming and it will never ever happen, you will never ever get an increase at ANZ, it hasn't happened until now and it will never ever happen, you could make the seats out of gold and it still won't happen! How can a stadium built for a min 60k crowd ever be filled or made to look full with 20-25k's (at best) crowd for a normal club game at ANZ? Belmore and Redfern are the go both ways and let ANZ be the big venue place for NRL, AFL Rugby or whatever they want to use it for.
steveng
Roar Rookie
Ok 'Mr Smarty Pants Epiquin' you seem to know it all, please tell me, how any people attend a game from either sides (Bulldogs and Rabbitohs) at the ANZ compared to when they had their own grounds??? What I'm saying is that this money (1.6 billion) could be better spent improving 'for a start' 'Belmore Oval' and increasing its capacity and as far as Souths are concerned could be spent renewing 'Redfern Oval' with appropriate capacity because doing these things will be much more beneficial to both club and local businesses in as far as increased business that the home games will bring. The ANZ stadium was built for a min capacity of 60k’s (with reduced seating arrangements) have a look at how empty it look when either of these clubs play their home games, its very lucky that the seats are coloured in an unnoticeable colour otherwise it would look like no one is there and a joke to the NRL as a rugby league venue.
harry houdini
Roar Rookie
You are desperate enough to bag the AFL at every chance, but not desperate enough to support your own code by actually going to a game. The Swans have not wanted to play at ANZ for many years but were made by the AFL.
harry houdini
Roar Rookie
Wah wah wah RL fans upset with the AFL, try something new for a change, perhaps you and your mates if you have any could turn up for a game of RL.
Big Steve
Guest
Im not sure if this serious or not. But thats exactly what the afl did to the swans 2 years ago.
duecer
Guest
To be fair Cathar, you could say the same about the Storm. Both working in foreign markets, pressure on to make sure they will do well. I suspect the Swans are quite rusted on, so they won't lose a huge chuck of their members when they have a few leans years.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Beautifully put Deano...