Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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Timbo
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Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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NRL club chiefs will meet to discuss possibility of Sydney derbies being played at Allianz or ANZ Stadium

By Dean Ritchie
The Daily Telegraph
May 10, 2012 9:22AM


Suburbs or Stadiums? NRL CEOs are looking at revenue raising options. Source: Craig Greenhill / News Limited

It may be the historic meeting that injects $30 million a season to be shared into the coffers of every Sydney-based NRL club.

A special conference on Thursday between the nine Sydney CEOs to discuss the financial benefits of taking games away from suburban grounds for city's two main arenas, Allianz and ANZ.

The proposal would entail each club playing three to four Sydney versus Sydney games a season at Allianz or ANZ. The remaining matches would be played at each club's traditional home ground.

An NRL CEO's conference starts this morning before the Sydney CEO's from Manly, Souths, St George Illawarra, Cronulla, Wests Tigers, Sydney Roosters, Canterbury, Parramatta and Penrith gather at 2pm for what is being described as a Stadium Workshop. Insiders insist clubs could reap up to $3 million each season at the larger venues for the four matches through the doubling of crowds, hospitality and corporate facilities. NRL clubs could also model memberships around the big event games.

One well-placed source said: "We need to find the right game at the right venue at the right time."

There is even talk that clubs who play at the major stadiums could split gate takings, prompting both teams to promote the match.

Members could also have reciprocal rights at matches.

"I don't want to comment too much until we all sit down and air our views," Souths chief executive Shane Richardson said. "But it isn't about individual clubs. It's about maximising crowds and revenues and, at the same time, considering members and fans. It is good we are starting the process."

Sydney Roosters chief executive Steve Noyce said the 40,000 crowd at Allianz for Anzac Day was a strong test case.

"That is an iconic event for rugby league but these special events must be a benefit for the game," Noyce said.

"The big stadiums can attract more people, more commercial benefits and more atmosphere."

Asked about suburban grounds, Noyce said: "Less can be more.

"When I was with Wests Tigers, when the draw came out and you circled some dates. It wasn't birthdays or anniversaries but the games at Leichhardt and Campbelltown."

A state government stadium strategy report will be completed next month and is expected to recommend that big money be injected into the two main stadiums - maybe a third - and only minimal cash to help maintain suburban grounds.

Manly continue to seek money to revamp Brookvale but then take a Wests Tigers game to Gosford and now a Warriors match to Perth.

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Hmmmm.

I really don't know what to make of this.

It's all come about because that idiot from the Rabbitohs mentioned a few months back that the AFL's system of centralizing it's stadiums had been beneficial for all concerned.

It completely ignores the fact that whilst the AFL kept its inner-city clubs, the NRL (NSWRL) got rid of the likes of Glebe, Annandale, University and Newtown and brought in clubs from further afield.

This would be a massive injustice to the further out clubs - Manly, Cronulla, Penrith, St. George. It's also grossly unfair to the clubs who have high quality suburban grounds - Parramatta, Penrith, St. George.

Also there seems to be a missing link in their logic. The idea that people who live near these suburban grounds who currently don't go to games, will go to games further away at a greater level of hassle and pay more money to get in? Because it's an 'event'?

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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Timbo wrote: Also there seems to be a missing link in their logic. The idea that people who live near these suburban grounds who currently don't go to games, will go to games further away at a greater level of hassle and pay more money to get in? Because it's an 'event'?
Um, yes. That's exactly right.

Evidence: the games that have been transferred to the SCG over the past few years, and the Roosters/Dragons game a couple of weeks ago.

As I understand it, the idea is that the Sydney based clubs agree on a small number of 'feature' games that could be transferred to the larger capacity stadiums. Put some real marketing muscle behind them and (particularly if the teams are going well), there should be benefits for everyone. More people get to see the games (remember all the fuss when the Dragons refused to move their games from Kogarah a couple of years ago?), clubs get more money and sponsors get more exposure. To me it seems a very positive move.

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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Your 'evidence' is pretty flawed.

The Roosters/Dragons game is the ANZAC Day game which always gets a crowd, and the lone annual game they play at the SCG is well attended because people get to go to the footy at the SCG again.

Play Manly vs. Cronulla or Penrith vs. St. George at Allianz or ANZ and see how many people turn up.

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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Timbo wrote:Your 'evidence' is pretty flawed.

The Roosters/Dragons game is the ANZAC Day game which always gets a crowd, and the lone annual game they play at the SCG is well attended because people get to go to the footy at the SCG again.

Play Manly vs. Cronulla or Penrith vs. St. George at Allianz or ANZ and see how many people turn up.
Thank you for proving my point - they are well attended because they are promoted as EVENTS. This is precisely what the plan is. So, yes, derbies such as Dragons/Sharks, Rabbitohs/Roosters, etc (if promoted well) could certainly draw 30k or more, particularly if the participating teams are going well at the time. The trick will be to get the balance right - if the clubs try to turn too many ordinary games into events, then it won't have the desired effect.

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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ANZAC Day - Event.

One off SCG fixture - Event.

When you have two 'events' every week, they stop being 'events' and become just another match.

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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Timbo wrote:ANZAC Day - Event.

One off SCG fixture - Event.

When you have two 'events' every week, they stop being 'events' and become just another match.
Totally agree. At least to start with they need to be very judicious in introducing this - maybe just another 3 or 4 games scattered throughout the season. Then expand SLOWLY.

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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Which is why it is more about facilities than it is about "events". An event sells one off tickets. A facility sells season tickets. It's naive to think every week will be an event. Look at Canterbury. They are far and away the best drawing Sydney club, reaping the benefit of leaving their suburban venue to play at ANZ Stadium. They still draw a sh*t crowd if at home to the Cowboys, Titans or Penrith but arguably that sh*t crowd is made up by the crowds they get for Parramatta, STGI and WT which often exceeds comfort levels at Belmore.

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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I think that's also a flawed argument. It's fine for Canterbury, Easts and co. to play out of these stadiums because they're proximate to their existing venues.

Not quite so with Manly, Cronulla, St. George or Penrith.

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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Which is why some clubs would be more comfortable to transferring more games than other clubs and these agreements will favour WT, Canterbury, STGI, Parramatta, Souths and the Roosters more than those other clubs. Penrith took their 2004 rematch with the Roosters to Stadium Australia in 2004 and drew around 26,000. But there are not many other circumstances in which you'd imagine a move like that would work.

Even if John Quayle, former NSWRL boss who is predicted to lead a NSW Major Stadiums Taskforce/Authority gets on board and agrees to limit NSW govt $$$ beyond the two major venues you still have Fed Govt $$$ as a potential line of funding and even if that doesn't arrive soon, many venues are operating below capacity, most notably Penrith.

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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Tough for clubs like Manly, but I think it's the right decision..

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6524122584

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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I reckon the mad monk will have some cash for his own electorate come the next election.

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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If suburbs can't hold events then you better demolish just about every english premier league venue. Centralise, centralise, centralise. The suburbs are for pushing out children. Please...

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

Post by kilonewton »

yob wrote:If suburbs can't hold events then you better demolish just about every english premier league venue.
Difference being that Premier league, and lower league, clubs don't go running to central government demanding that the taxpayer upgrade their facilities. Sure, some new grounds have been part funded by local government, but then its the council taxpayer paying for a facility within their own local community, and usually with a caveat that the facilities within are available for community use.
Maybe the NRL clubs need to look at their business models and work out that in order to maintain a venue, and improve it to generate more revenue streams in the future, costs may need to be cut elsewhere. A good example is Leeds. Ken Bates p*ssed off a lot of fans in a lot ways, but investing in the stadium rather than "investing" in the team was one of the big ones. The result, Leeds now has premium facilities in an area of the stadium that was hardly being used, and can charge premium prices for it. Bottom line, Leeds make a profit bumbling along in mid-table.

And the comparison with Melbourne is spurious. If AFL clubs were originally based in Frankston, Lilydale, Epping etc, a la Penrith / Campbelltown, then there would not have been the race to the middle that we have seen.

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

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the crow wrote:I reckon the mad monk will have some cash for his own electorate come the next election.
No he won't. Not to spend on Brookvale Oval anyway...

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Re: Beginning of the end for suburban NRL stadiums?

Post by gyfox »

The Minister's media release is linked below. Don't expect to find any information in it though.

http://www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/assets/pubs/m ... rategy.pdf

More information here:-

http://www.ausleisure.com.au/default.as ... splay=True

Interestingly the 4th Tier 2 stadium in western Sydney is not necessarily an upgrade of Parramatta Stadium but could be a new build.

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