Telstra Dome Roof Open/Closed for AFL

argee · Post by **argee** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 3:06 pm

Can I ask why Telstra Dome almost always is closed for AFL games during the regular season? I mean I know the weather in Melbourne is unpredictable but seriously is it ever open for games?
I think that it should always be open for games even when it does rain unless its too heavy for the TV cameras to pick up the action....

marcus · Post by **marcus** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 8:04 pm

yob · Post by **yob** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 8:23 pm

argee · Post by **argee** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 12:54 pm

Well, that's pretty stupid

, configuring the Telstra Dome in such a way that sunlight affects the quality of television picture during the day.
Besides, surely wet weather football (or any weather) is appealing to the TV broadcasters because it adds an exciting dimension to the play. Surely if it is not raining at night, the roof can be opened for the game.
I reckon the problem might be that opening and closing the roof is more difficult and costly than first thought. Whoever made that error and blunder in the planning process should be shot.

marcus · Post by **marcus** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 8:33 pm

Jeffles · Post by **Jeffles** » Tue Jan 28, 2003 12:57 pm

I reckon the problem might be that opening and closing the roof is more difficult and costly than first thought.

I doubt it. The TV picture is a bigger issue. It looks shocking when a match is played during the day and the roof is closed.

Wasn't it an issue of space? I don't know the area of the Docklands well but I recall Sam Newman saying on the Footy Show that the goals are positioned in a way that the sun gets in the players eyes and in the TV cameras. I think he said it was because the land the stadium was built on couldn't have fit a stadium with a more traditional and day-friendly design/positioning of goals. Anyone remember this?

tailz · Post by **tailz** » Tue Jan 28, 2003 1:05 pm

sam newman had a real crack at how poorly the ground had been thought out ie the goals facing the wrong way, parts of the ground missing out on sun, others getting too much etc

Jeffles · Post by **Jeffles** » Tue Jan 28, 2003 1:35 pm

Thats it Tailz!!! I think he does have a point. But what if the cameras started filming play from the "outer" side. The reverse angle maybe would take the sun out of view. If it doesn't then forget about it. I only want the roof open if it looks good. Then again, switching the cameras won't switch player comfort. The sun would still be in their eyes. It's a shame.

cam · Post by **cam** » Tue Jan 28, 2003 1:42 pm

The issue with the sunlight and tv cameras is evident at almost every stadium, however it is worse at telstra dome due to the big roof which covers 100% of seats and some of the playing arena on the wings. You know when your watching something on tv, the players are in the sunlight, then they move to a shaded area, and you cant see them unless the camera is showing the shaded area only.

U know what i mean!!

In terms of the way the goals are (North-South), there wasn't room to make the stadium face East-West as it should.

marcus · Post by **marcus** » Tue Jan 28, 2003 1:50 pm

yob · Post by **yob** » Tue Jan 28, 2003 7:40 pm

Jeffles · Post by **Jeffles** » Wed Jan 29, 2003 10:46 pm

So Colonial runs North-South. Funny that. I always thought grounds were supposed to run that way. They all do in Sydney. The idea is that no one face directly West because they aren't running that way. So, you don't get afternooon sun in your eyes.

So this poses the question. How come Colonial has the light problems running North-South but the SCG doesn't. Perhaps it goes beyond this. Maybe the cover of the grandstand at Colonial (roof open) extends too far creating too big a shadow on TV. I don't know. Any ideas?

marcus · Post by **marcus** » Wed Jan 29, 2003 10:50 pm

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Wed Jan 29, 2003 11:02 pm

Jeffles wrote:So Colonial runs North-South. Funny that. I always thought grounds were supposed to run that way. They all do in Sydney. The idea is that no one face directly West because they aren't running that way. So, you don't get afternooon sun in your eyes.

So this poses the question. How come Colonial has the light problems running North-South but the SCG doesn't. Perhaps it goes beyond this. Maybe the cover of the grandstand at Colonial (roof open) extends too far creating too big a shadow on TV. I don't know. Any ideas?

There used to be one ground that ran East-West in Sydney........

Ill give you a chance to answer that one!!!....

cam · Post by **cam** » Thu Jan 30, 2003 12:17 am

I'm 100% sure that Telstra Dome faces North-South. Im looking in the street directory now, and the goals are very slightly just to the west of North.

This seems the right way to face a stadium for sports such as AFL and League as the sun doesn't get in the players as most of the time they are looking up the ground. The reason why the sun problem is so bad at Telstra dome (lets just call it Docklands!!) is because the roof stretches quite a bit over the actual playing arena, it covers 100% of the seats and is straight, unlike the SCG where its much smaller and is the same shape as the boundary.

I would have to say that most ground do face North-South (im thinking of local footy grounds also). Olympic Park, Bob Jane Stadium, Punt Road Oval, just to name a few, face North. I liked Waverley Park, it faced North-East & South-West.