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Bates Smart architects have released a proposal to build a new stadium over the rail yards at Central Station, which could provide a massive boost in attendance for Sydney FC.
Building a stadium over the rail yards would completely avoid all of the access problems that a new stadium at Moore Park will still continue to have, and idea I think was very short sighted.
The NSW government have said it’s too late to change the plans, but even if it takes a lot of paperwork I think building a stadium over the railyards will be worth any small hassle like that.
It would actually make Sydney competitive with Melbourne for the first time when it comes to integrating sports infrastructure with public transport.
That’s something that any NSW government should want to do.
I think that the Sky Blues and the Roosters need to talk it over with each other and if they both agree that it’s a good idea then they can put out a joint press release supporting the proposal.
It might be a bit of a hassle to change plans and renegotiate things at this late stage but it would be a huge opportunity that will be lost if it is missed now. It’s like the NBN, it’s a long-term investment and you need to get it right the first time.
The long walk from Central could be a thing of the past. (Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images)
Central station is the best connected location in the whole of New South Wales, served by every major railway line in Sydney as well as buses and light rail while being close to dining and bars in Haymarket and Surry Hills. There’s no better location for a new major stadium than Central Station.
No longer would fans have to spend an hour walking to and from the stadium on a cold wet winters’ night with kids in tow after a late finish. It would be a pity to be lamenting how such a good opportunity was lost and thinking of what could have been for decades to come if it doesn’t eventuate.
Getting it approved will be a challenge when a powerful cabal within the SCG Trust that includes Alan Jones, John Hartigan and Tony Shephard will be strongly opposed to it, who no doubt would prefer the new stadium to be built at Moore Park so that they can bring both stadiums under their own management.
But, “win the crowd and you will win your freedom” as a certain NRL owner might say.
That’s the thinking of the design architects who have now decided to make an appeal directly to the public for their proposal after having it rebuffed by the NSW government earlier this year.
If the fans and the public get behind this new proposal then the government might have to think carefully about who’s side they’re seen to be on, so they could still do a backflip under public pressure.
Alternatively, finding government funding may not even be necessary at all. If Steven Lowy and David Traktovenko could come to some sort of arrangement, maybe they could go halves on building the stadium and make it football specific with Westfield as the team’s major sponsor and Sydney FC as the exclusive tenant.
Is this something the FFA should be considering? (AAP Image/Dean Lewins) NO ARCHIVING
A stadium at Central would be very popular with Sky Blues fans from a travel perspective.
Sydney FC might be characterized as a team from the eastern suburbs, but 90 per cent of their members come from other areas of the city, and the long walk to Moore Park can often be a deal breaker for many when they decide whether or not to show up. If Sydney FC have any respect for those fans then they’ll get behind the proposal for the stadium at Central.
For a team that has members so widely dispersed across the city, it’s the only place they should be thinking of. If the proposal goes ahead, I would expect their average attendance to increase by at least 50 per cent in the first season and from there, rapidly continue gaining until they start challenging the Swans as the best supported club in the city.
If the stadium has safe standing at the home end it could even create a ‘Sky Blue Wall’ similar to the famous ‘Yellow Wall’ at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund.
Moore Park may have history but the future lies at Central.
If it is built, the’“Sydney Colosseum’ might even become as iconic as the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and Centrepoint Tower. Imagine that.
Carpe diem!
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