I know this subject has been a hot topic recently, and some will say that it’s been done to death. But particularly at this point in the game’s journey in Australia, I really think it needs to be revisited, and acted upon swiftly.
Football has always had its issues when it comes to infrastructure, and it will continue to do so, but the game and its stakeholders must now help themselves.
With the three other football codes all overlapping into each other’s season at some point in Australia, demand for sports stadia is now at an all-time high.
Last night at the Euros:
» England vs Wales
» Ukraine vs Northern Ireland
» Germany vs Poland
Couple this with the well publicised terrible pitches that our stadiums have dished up for Socceroos friendlies recently, and you can see that there’s a gap in the market, particularly for our game.
The FFA must recognise this and put a plan together to rectify it. It won’t happen by talking to the existing stadium managers around the country, because as we’ve seen in the last month, and for the last 20 years in my experience, nothing will change.
There’s no coincidence that our best surfaces have been at places like nib Stadium in Perth or Coopers Stadium in Adelaide. These are football specific pitches or close to it. The other codes, particularly the two rugby codes, cut up the pitches badly, and the length of grass for AFL is too low for football matches, which means that the ball flies around too quickly, becomes too hard to control and it ruins the game, not to mention that those grounds are ovals.
A pristine surface for football is a must, it should be a given, a non-negotiable, and the FFA can help fix this issue once and for all.
We’ve heard many high-profile media figures such as Francis Leach recently talk up the need for a national stadium, or ‘our Wembley’, most likely to be located in Sydney. Yes, it’d probably mean more games in NSW, but even coming from Melbourne, I’d have no issue with this as the game needs to crawl before it can walk.
A national stadium would help give the game the oxygen it needs. The FFA could fixture Socceroos and Matildas fixtures there, as well as all the junior national teams, both male and female, FFA Cup matches, some A-League matches here and there if need be, and community football programs/tournaments and events.
This should be built as a place for all participants and lovers of the game. A minimum capacity of 40,000 would be enough. This would house our national teams and a football museum to show off the sport’s history in Australia.
The A-League is now nearly 12 seasons old, and it’s a great competition. But the clubs have been all about surviving rather than investing in facilities. Sure, some now have new training bases, which is fantastic, but they’ll always be playing out of the same government-owned stadiums, sharing those with NRL clubs, and having the same issues well into the future.
I know such a project wouldn’t come cheap, but the FFA could look to do a number of things to help fund this. A family like the Lowys with all their contacts could look to get some government assistance, as all the other codes do to great effect.
The FFA could also build a levy, either into the existing registration costs, or at worst add a $20 or $50 levy per year for up to five years into players’ registration fees. Now I know the costs to play our game are already astronomical in many cases, but at least people would know their money was getting re-invested back into bricks and mortar for the sport.
The third option is that Frank Lowy himself could build a national stadium for the game, or even help to part fund the operation, as he certainly has the coin. Not likely, but the game has options, and they should use the large participation numbers, and their year on year growth to their advantage.
Even if nothing comes of it, the games needs to at the very least be having these discussions. Infrastructure is the next frontier for the sport and one which will set the game up for future generations.
What do you think, Roarers? Does the game need a national stadium, how would it be funded and where would you put it?
Punter
Guest
No not delusional, it's much cheaper the a new stadium. If we could have suitable pitches this is much cheaper then spending huge monies ($42M) on stadiums that are not really required. Lets be serious, Sydney did not need a new AFL stadium, only the AFL did. You clearly have the reverse in Melbourne, where we have 4 teams, playing 3 different sports on 1 rectangle stadium. West Sydney could've shared SCG with the Swans.
Stadia Cooperoz
Guest
Yes but by participation numbers more Australian taxpayers are involved in football, directly or indirectly. Most of the money AFL/NRL attract is from within and means another part of the economy misses out. . Football has also been ignored or discriminated against by governments for much of its journey so there is a 'catch up: factor.. Football has a much wider scope of events than an y other code because there are so many levels and events. The AFL at around 23 rounds is the shortest season in any elite sport and they play no cup comps, the odd quasi international and have given up on elite State matches where Origin has boomed (despite WA Aussie Rules inventing Origin idea). There are other measures of economic activity such as global branding to which the AFL contributes bugger all. Investment in a football specific stadia is a far sighted intelligent idea and for there seems to be some over pricing of multi use stadiums, especially the oval ones. .
Mark
Guest
$280 million spent on AAMI Park, for which I would argue the A-League has been the biggest beneficiary. How much did the FFA contribute? $0. All paid by the state government. $267 million spent on Suncorp, for which the Brisbane Roar are a significant beneficiary. Again, no contribution by the FFA. Far fewer people attend professional football matches in Australia than AFL matches and football makes a much smaller contribution to the local economy than the AFL. Ditto for the Roar compared to the Broncos. That is a fact. We've done well to get what we have got.
Midfielder
Guest
Post I read a post some time back that said it was reported in the 2014 AFL annual report that stadiums builds from governments was in excess of 4.2 billion dollars over some years ....
Post hoc
Guest
Separate to the $800 million gift, with gratitude to another site, in 2013 it was released that the AFL was the recipient of over 1.5 billion from state and federal governments. But yes AFL fund all their stuff. http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-27/kennett-correct-on-afl-investment/4983476
Fan
Guest
So many replies about how it won't, can't or shouldn't happen. Far too many comments about the AFL. Not many addressing the problem of HOW to MAKE it happen, or WHERE to put it> The negativity is what is REALLY holding Football back, not the lack of stadiums or a lack of money. A few more CAN DO attitudes would work wonders.
Ahmed
Guest
Instead of looking at the thought that Australian football is a niche sport in Sydney. Look at the fact that the Swans are Sydneys most popular sporting club (in attendance at least). Any government would love to have a second version of them in the team, and brining in all kinds of revenue. With Australian Football having one of the highest average attendances in the whole world, fans bring in large amounts of money each time they travel.
AR
Guest
"Why can’t the government spend some money to ensure the pitches are fit to host Socceroos games..." Oh my goodness. Punter doesn't just want 100% government funding for all stadiums and infrastructure, he also wants government funding for week-to-week ground maintenance! (for the record, that's what the stadium operators and management do) And you're argument about Spotless is pretty ridiculous. A $42M contribution for a new stadium it wholly owns is an absolute pittance when it comes to stadium expenditure. I mean, the NSW Govt has just signed off on $1.6 Billion in upgrades for rectangular stadia...plus a further $200M to buy out ANZ..??!! The delusion of some knows no bounds.
Punter
Guest
There you go the government paid $42M for a club not too many people in the West Sydney care about or a cricket team that hardly ever plays there. Why can’t the government spend some money to ensure the pitches are fit to host Socceroos games, if you read what Ange said, this was what he was after.
Punter
Guest
Perry, it was great during the Asian cup & 30k crowds created amazing atmosphere.
Punter
Guest
Double post!!!!
AR
Guest
Um, yes Punter, that's precisely my point.
AR
Guest
"Why is there a need for the Spotless stadium again? Who paid for it?" That's simple. The need for the stadium was to have a boutique-sized stadium in the Olympic precinct which could host AFL and cricket events, as well as upgraded facilities for the Royal Easter Show, and other events. The NSW Govt paid approx $42M, the AFL $12M, and the RAS $7M. Despite the massive financial contribution from the AFL, the stadium is still wholly-owned by the NSW Govt, and the RAS remains the operator. It was a big price for the AFL to pay for an asset it didn't own, but it probably realised that the stadium was an important part of its Western Sydney strategy, so it stumped up the cash.
BigAl
Guest
Bit late to this topic, but - re. the $800mil ?. . . gift ? to the AFL, what posters such Post hoc, Punter et al... don't seem to be able to come to terms with is that successful and astute businesses/businessmen always seem to make their own luck.
Punter
Guest
Exactly!!! Hey AR, see there are other options!!!!
Punter
Guest
I never suggested another stadium for football AR. I totally agree with your statement that building a brand new stadium just for the national side is out of the question. I tend to agree more with Ben of Phnom Penh where we should be looking to improve the pitch to accommodate the game. However, yes in Sydney Rugby league is no 1. I wouldn't say Football is a niche sport in Sydney, but it doesn't deserve it's own stadium. So back to the my previous post, AFL is a niche sport in Sydney, Swans have a nice following, & they have the SCG. Why is there a need for the Spotless stadium again? Who paid for it?
peeeko
Roar Guru
this is the second article this week about a national stadium due to a few comments by Ange about the terrible pitch. As much as it would be awesome to have its not going to happen, Lowy or the government arent going to fork out hundreds of millions for a football only stadium. as others have said, need to invest in pitch management
Smell the fear
Guest
Hey Mr Lowy , Please give us 300 million to build a stadium that won't be used much. You've got "plenty of coin" Yes it would be great to have but the whole idea is fanciful and probably written by a 14 yo
Smell the fear
Guest
No they don't. Time to look in the mirror Harry or leave ballarat for once in your life
AR
Guest
Punter: "in Sydney that is another matter. AFL is a niche sport and another stadium was not required." So you're suggesting that a) by comparison, professional soccer is *not* a niche sport; and b) another stadium *is* required for soccer? Really? Ok then.