The Importance of Stadium Location

[skippy]

Does the location of a stadium influence the attendance? For me, the event experience is influenced by the journey by public transport and number of pubs, restaurants and cafes within walking distance.

Of the major venues, my favourites are:

Suncorp - zero car parking, easy walk to Brisbane CBD, plenty of pubs, bars, restaurants and the XXXX brewery nearby.
Aami Park (Melbourne) - short walk to Richmond having no less than 30 pubs (used to be 99!), only 10mins walk to CBD
Rod Laver Arena - as above
Adelaide Oval - easy stroll to the pubs, cafes and restaurants of North Adelaide and CBD.
SCG - some charm retained, close to Paddington and Surry Hills, bit of a hike to Central station but plenty of pubs along the way.

My least favourites are:

ANZ - vast stadium in an area lacking soul.
AFL (Waverley) Park - similar to ANZ, a big stadium surrounded by a vast car park

[Boba Fett]

I wish people would stop perpetrating the myth that ANZ is in an area that "lacks soul". It might have been like that when it was first built, but there are plenty of residents/shops/businesses/cafes/restaurants at Olympic Park now. Probably more places to eat and drink closer to the stadium than the fabled Paddo pubs of the SCG.

[St James]

Waverley Park???

[dibo]

I wish people would stop perpetrating the myth that ANZ is in an area that "lacks soul". It might have been like that when it was first built, but there are plenty of residents/shops/businesses/cafes/restaurants at Olympic Park now. Probably more places to eat and drink closer to the stadium than the fabled Paddo pubs of the SCG.

People either like the place or they don't. They either think a place has character or they don't.

To me, Olympic Park doesn't have character. It's a train station vomiting customers onto acres of pavers leading to a station and a couple of bars around the outside that are ignored by most. People get off the train, go to the ground and go to the train again. It's nothing like the 20+ pubs within 20m walk of the SCG and SFS and 40+ places to eat besides. It's not a place to make a day of it.

[yob]

I like the ones we win at.

[bazza]

Does the location of a stadium influence the attendance?

Yes - see Adelaide Oval 2014 AFL season

[yob]

Does the location of a stadium influence the attendance?

Yes - see Adelaide Oval 2014 AFL season

Half yes. There was also a big jump in stadium amenity.

[Boba Fett]

I wish people would stop perpetrating the myth that ANZ is in an area that "lacks soul". It might have been like that when it was first built, but there are plenty of residents/shops/businesses/cafes/restaurants at Olympic Park now. Probably more places to eat and drink closer to the stadium than the fabled Paddo pubs of the SCG.

People either like the place or they don't. They either think a place has character or they don't.

To me, Olympic Park doesn't have character. It's a train station vomiting customers onto acres of pavers leading to a station and a couple of bars around the outside that are ignored by most. People get off the train, go to the ground and go to the train again. It's nothing like the 20+ pubs within 20m walk of the SCG and SFS and 40+ places to eat besides. It's not a place to make a day of it.

When people go to a sporting event, very few of them "make a day of it". They try and arrive as close to the start of the game as possible and leave as quickly after the finish as possible. In all my years of going to the SCG I don't know one person who bothers to schlep over to Paddington to drink in a pub before moving on to the SCG. At best they might stop in at the one of the pubs on the walk up from Central, but that's about it. The various bars at Olympic Park are all closer and more convenient than the SCG.

Like I said, the 'lacking in soul' criticism was valid when the stadium was first built, but it's a very different experience now.

[yob]

We need to understand there's no such thing as the sports fan. We're all different. some advocate the traditional match day, some advocate the blockbuster. And millions of others bobble between the two.

Soz carries the tag of being soulless because it just doesn't intersect with ordinary peoples' lives the same way that the local ground with the grandstand poking its head above the trees does. It will not, it can not, it should not. It's there for a reason, and it will deliver on that - for example this Saturday night. But when it tries to extend to the other side, and throws 60,000 empty seats at a league match, it does nothing to further its cause.

Also, nuke the f***ing thing.

[dibo]

I wish people would stop perpetrating the myth that ANZ is in an area that "lacks soul". It might have been like that when it was first built, but there are plenty of residents/shops/businesses/cafes/restaurants at Olympic Park now. Probably more places to eat and drink closer to the stadium than the fabled Paddo pubs of the SCG.

People either like the place or they don't. They either think a place has character or they don't.

To me, Olympic Park doesn't have character. It's a train station vomiting customers onto acres of pavers leading to a station and a couple of bars around the outside that are ignored by most. People get off the train, go to the ground and go to the train again. It's nothing like the 20+ pubs within 20m walk of the SCG and SFS and 40+ places to eat besides. It's not a place to make a day of it.

When people go to a sporting event, very few of them "make a day of it". They try and arrive as close to the start of the game as possible and leave as quickly after the finish as possible. In all my years of going to the SCG I don't know one person who bothers to schlep over to Paddington to drink in a pub before moving on to the SCG. At best they might stop in at the one of the pubs on the walk up from Central, but that's about it. The various bars at Olympic Park are all closer and more convenient than the SCG.

Like I said, the 'lacking in soul' criticism was valid when the stadium was first built, but it's a very different experience now.

My experience of going to Moore Park is exactly opposite. And there might be restaurants at Olympic Park, but there are restaurants in North Sydney too and it's still a wasteland.

[Boba Fett]

And despite the fact that Olympic Park is much further away from my home than Moore Park, I generally find it much quicker and easier to get to and from. Doesn't take much to gridlock Moore Park, particularly on a Friday night.

Once I'm actually at the respective stadiums, I prefer the SCG/SFS, but the getting to and from - it's Olympic Park that wins for me.

[Orel Puppington]

Footy Park was bad mainly because of the shopping center nearby.
Moore Park, so many pubs!
MCG, CBD not too far away
Adelaide Oval, makes Lang Park (Suncorp Stadium) look like ANZ stadium
Subiaco Oval, area around is a ghost town unless an AFL game or other event is at the stadium.

[dibo]

Last night at Homebush was really annoying pre and post game. Transport in and out is "efficient" but unpleasant. It's cattle car stuff. It's just unpleasant. There are still bugger all bars or places to go, so it still feel a like a wasteland. And after the crowd doesn't disperse, it just moves from the stadium to the train, where a farken inane woman would be doing the *lamest* PE teacher encouragement over the PA...

I really just hate going there.

[yob]

The unfortunate thing is the stadium's starting to rack up the greatest achievements in Australian football history things.

First world problem...

[dibo]

Great memories, terrible times. And I haven't mentioned for yonks the fact that from behind the goals you're at least 20m further away than you ought to be.