In 2001 the reward for a nine-year-old who won the Eastern Suburbs Football Association’s unders-10s Division 4 competition with his Mascot Kings teammates was season-long free entry into North Sydney Oval for Northern Spirit games.
The evening car rides with my dad and uncle from the south-east of Sydney which, for a small child, seemed to take an eternity, culminated in football games played against a picturesque setting, with the pleasant aroma of grilled sausages filling the air from the vendors below the stands.
It was my first exposure to professional club football in Australia, and while I wasn’t converted into a fully-fledged Northern Spirit fan, it helped nurture my taste for regular live sport.
Fast-forward to 2017 and, sadly, I’m in the middle of a 16-year North Sydney Oval hoodoo.
This sporting enthusiast spends a good part of the calendar year at both Allianz Stadium and the Sydney Cricket Ground, whether it’s among the Cove serenading Sydney FC, screaming from the members bay at Sydney Roosters games, watching all forms of cricket under clear blue skies or stunning sunsets or cheering on the Sydney Swans.
I could almost call Moore Park a second home. A home which Sydney FC will have to farewell for the better part of two and a half years.
(Image: Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
The New South Wales government today unveiled their ambitious plans to rebuild Allianz Stadium and ANZ Stadium from the end of 2018.
Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow backed the proposal, stressing the importance of having a world-class stadium in harbour city.
“As reigning A-League Champions our players and members deserve world-class facilities, and this announcement will deliver on that,” he said in an official statement.
“I am happy that this decision will benefit our club and football in this country in the long term and I look forward to great times ahead in our new home.
“We will engage with our members and undertake a rigorous consultation process to ensure we achieve the best outcome for the club and our fans during our relocation.”
(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Sydney fans have long been calling for a smaller capacity stadium at Moore Park, and come 2021 they’ll have their wish. Plans envision Allianz with the ability to alter capacity from 30,000 in club mode to 45,000 in championship mode.
But until then the likely home base for the boys in blue from Moore Park Road will be Leichhardt Oval, where earlier this year they defeated Melbourne City on route to a maiden FFA Cup.
The club’s affiliation with the ground stretches further to preseason, W-League and Youth League matches.
In an October report by Fairfax football writer Dominic Bossini Sydney FC identified the inner west due to it being a large catchment region for members.
“While the southern corridor between the airport and Sutherland remains the strongest supporter base for the Sky Blues, the ability to turn the intimate, rectangular Leichhardt Oval into a cauldron-like atmosphere made it the preferred choice over Jubilee Oval at Kogarah. However, under the Leichhardt Oval plan, Sydney FC will play one or two games out of Jubilee Oval,” Bossini wrote.
Excluding finals, Sydney FC’s average home crowd attendance in 2016–17 was 16,001, which makes 20,000 capacity stadiums like Leichardt and Kogarah viable fits. Kogarah holds claim to a significant part of Sydney FC history – in 2011 Brisbane Roar’s 36-game unbeaten run came to an end.
(AAP Image/David Moir)
But the long relocation provides Sydney FC with an opportunity to make its mark on another 20,000-seat ground that hasn’t seen A-League football since 2014: North Sydney Oval.
That game saw host team Central Coast Mariners lose 3-0 to Melbourne Victory and was marred by a poor-quality pitch. But unlike Kevin Muscat’s war on the turf, a real turf war between Sydney FC and the Mariners could reinvigorate the rivalry between these two clubs.
If Sydney FC is willing to play one or two games at Kogarah, then why not one or two at North Sydney? Depending on the draw, there’s a potential to host two home games against the Mariners per season.
Cricket Australia uses North Sydney regularly for its domestic one-day and Test cricket tournaments, and just recently the Women’s Ashes drew well over 10,000 fans. One or two games there per A-League season shouldn’t hurt cricket scheduling.
With the right draw and marketing, what’s to say a Sydney-Mariners clash wouldn’t draw close to capacity? It would be an opportunity for Sydney FC to start a new tradition in a home away from home. Should it be a success, both clubs might want to make an annual game there a regular fixture.
The start date for the Allianz Stadium renovations is still far off, and I myself break my North Sydney hoodoo before that. But the prospect of Sydney FC making a claim to all points on the compass is enticing.
As The Cove sings, “wherever you go, we always follow”. So, if fans will follow Sydney FC to the west and to the south, then why not over the bridge?
George
Guest
Simply untrue. Naming rights purchased at the end of the process does not pay for a stadium. In North London, Emirates contributed only a quarter of the 400 million quid spent on the stadium.
Josh
Guest
Again, exactly how is Sydney FC the biggest club when WSW have 7000 more members ? Fudging crowd averages to include finals which is the only way they eclipsed WSW isn't fooling anyone west of Strathfield either.
Jeff Williamson
Roar Pro
Cessnock Sportsground is probably a better option than North Sydney Oval. Cessnock has a better grandstand and a better playing surface. And it's rectangular. North Sydney Oval is a cricket ground. I know football has been played there, but it is a cricket ground. There would be many better stadiums around Sydney to use when SFS is unavailable.. Brookvale, Shark Park, Belmore, Kogarah would all be better. Leichardt is ok.
Nemesis
Guest
The Terms of Reference for the Crawford Report was: "Review into the the governance & management structures of soccer in Australia." Nothing to do with the football competitions in Australia.
Timber Tim
Guest
Was there in the original crawford report suppose to be 3 sydney teams from the beginning? 1. based West 1. based North 1. based City/South
Josh
Guest
We will not share Parra with East Sydney FC. Ever.
Nick Nolte
Guest
His name is Dominic Bossi. Not Bossini
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
The figures arent sketchy at all. A sum total of 120 million of almost 500 million total was spent by the taxpayer (including Vic Gov money which replaced promised Federal funding for the Northern Stand). The MCC covers far more of the funding through debt than the Government has ever spent. The MCG hasnt been rebuilt since 2002. Only the Northern Stand was rebuilt for the Commonwealth Games at a grand total cost to the taxpayer of $77 million (of more than $400 million total). The remaining money for the redevelopment was picked up by loans taken by the MCC (a private company) - not the MCG Trust (the government stadium owner). There has been another 40 odd million in taxpayer funded upgrades to the Southern Stand, but not a rebuild - the stand dates to 1992.
Lancey5times
Roar Rookie
Nothing will be more exciting for us Mariners fans than a match that is conveniently moved 2 train stops north of the Sydney CBD. This article sounds like its selling the concept of a match taking place in territory split between the Mariners and Sydney FC. Maybe the Mariners could play a match in Woy Woy to return the favour
AR
Guest
This is a truly disgraceful spend of public money. Smash down a 45k stadium to rebuild a 45k stadium. $700m for that one. And there’s two more - all stadiums that are usually less than 1/4 full.
jupiter53
Roar Pro
And me.
LuckyEddie
Guest
Remember Arsenal and Chelsea did not build their Stadiums they were built the the Government - the Govts of the Middle East. Emirates etc. are State Owned Corps.
Rolly
Guest
This state govt has gone mad 2 billion dollars and then some on two oversize stadiums that willl never ever be filled to capacity by any code in Sydney not soccer not league not rugby and Sydney fc reckon they deserve a world class stadium seriously the can't even fill Allianz now not even half fill they lucky to get twelve thousand to a game who are they kidding .all whilst our hospitals are crying out for more funding waitng times in Emergency depts all over the state are getting longer and longer regional hospitals are being forced to privatise becuase supposedly there is no money but plenty of cash for footy stadiums we don't need. our roads are a mess public transport is a mess .its an obscene waste of money .would have been better off with two new stadiums for thirty thousand capacity one at Parramatta and one at Moore park .ANZ stadium should be left alone its impossible to get to transport is a joke ..and then you have sothhern expansion wanting a third Sydney team in the. A league they have no hope of atttracting fans as they will be based in Sydney fc heartland .
Redondo
Guest
That seems like a great idea - AFL fans in Melbourne all travel to the MCG or Docklands for games i.e. several clubs share each ground as a home ground. Why couldn't SFC and Wanderers do the same temporarily?
Buddy
Guest
It seems ironic that in the UK there have been major reconstructions of stadiums of EPL clubs. arsenal,and Tottenham with new stadiums (well nearly) Liverpool massive new grandstand and this is all paid for by the clubs as I understand things. The only club that is supposed to be benefitting from government expenditure is West Ham at the new olympic stadium. Everyone hates it as it is just not designed well for rectangular sport, access is horrible in 2017 and it is soulless. Is this something we really have in common? - trouble is we have to rely on government here as there is not the funds available privately.
Buddy
Guest
I meant to say “revolving pitch”
Grobbelaar
Roar Guru
Although in the case of the MCG, it has been rebuilt brick by brick since about 2002, at huge expense. Who picked up the tab for this billion dollar rebuild? Figures are sketchy. See this page for all the publicly funded stadium redevelopments in Australia since 2001: http://www.footyindustry.com/?p=4083
Vennegor of Tarsus
Guest
Waste of Money . Disgusting that they are having budget cuts at hospitals while they waste money to build stadiums that they already have, the Olympic stadium will have only lasted 18 years then, compared to the MCG which has lasted over 150.
Ken Spacey
Guest
Sydney FC as champs and biggest club in biggest city, football market etc have to improve. I'm repeating my mantra here but you have to live in an AFL stronghold to understand how significant it is to have two major stadia, especially an 80,000 ish one, reconfigured to exclude AFL and cricket use. In effect the NSW govt are making a statement about their belief in the two rugby plus assoc. football trilogy as the mainstay of elite team sport in their state. If the variable capacity at new allianz setting works that would also be great. The Matildas game at AAMI looked a third full as opposed to 2/3rds empty whereas at Allianz the opposite is true.
Nick Symonds
Guest
"$2.3 billion cost with a net gain of 0 playing surfaces." If you include the $200 million buyback of the operating rights for ANZ it jumps to $2.5 billion. Then if you add the standard 20 percent cost overrun then it's closer to $3 billion. Then there could be future costs like rebuilding a TAFE if Southern Expansion get their way at Loftus. And what about a new stadium for Campbelltown if Wests Tigers or a new A-League team move in?