GWS to play at revamped showgrounds

[Jeffles]

Nope. But I guess it's because Olympic Park has better accessability and is used by a wider range of stakeholders, e.g. the RAS. It would have also been cheaper as the Showground already had 5000 more seats than Blacktown.

It is absurd that another AFL compliant stadium is being built. Sydney will have three grounds for two teams. It makes no sense. As yob said, just close the top tiers like they do for RL. 10,000 people won't look great but it wouldn't be that bad. They could sit them on the eastern side like the Swans do.

[yob]

10,000 people won't look great but it wouldn't be that bad.

Playing in front of 70,000 empty seats at the MCG is the rock upon which the AFL was built.

[Boba Fett]

Pretty cool webcam available to keep an eye on progress. You can even take (limited) control of the camera for a short period of time.

http://www.sydneyshowground.com.au/corp ... dates.html

The artist's impressions make it appear to be rather similar to Metricon Stadium up on the Gold Coast.

[Timbo]

I'm still fuming that this much money is being spent on this joke of a facility.

[yob]

I'm still fuming that this much money is being spent on this joke of a facility.

Well, at least they didn't spend money on not building it. See: Sydney Metro.

[Timbo]

I'm still fuming that this much money is being spent on this joke of a facility.

Well, at least they didn't spend money on not building it. See: Sydney Metro.

Fuming about that too.

[Boba Fett]

I'm still fuming that this much money is being spent on this joke of a facility.

Why? In the short-term I'd probably agree - it's not necessary. But thinking long-term it's a good idea to turn something that was not really useful for anything other than parading prize cows around once a year into something that will have a lot more usefulness throughout the year. I actually see this as a more useful development than the facility at Blacktown. Now that was a waste of money.

[Boba Fett]

Now named Skoda Stadium, the ground looks to be getting pretty close to ready (first scheduled game for the Giants in May I think?). Almost all of the seats are in and they're testing the video screen at the moment. Rather odd that they appear to have left the dirt track around the edge of the playing field though...

[Jeffles]

Not odd at all. Virtually every Showground has one and this place is still the Showground.

[Timbo]

Yaaaay. This stadium - across the road from one they could have played at - is approaching completion.

Meanwhile, schools, hospitals and roads are still utterly f***ed in New South Wales. But I'm glad the Giants got a boutique stadium so they didn't look ridiculous playing in front of 70,000 empty seats every week.

Hope O'Farrell does a monorail on this....

[Jeffles]

And upset the RAS? Fat chance.

But I see your other point.

[Simmo79]

Vlad's sold boutique stadiums to Launceston, Geelong and North Haverbrook and by golly it put them on the map

[Boba Fett]

Not odd at all. Virtually every Showground has one and this place is still the Showground.

It's about to become an AFL venue - and no other AFL venue has one. So as it relates to the GIants, it is odd.

I wonder what the AFLPA thinks of it, from a player safety/health and well-being point of view. Maybe it will be covered with artificial turf like Etihad...

[Jeffles]

Maybe. Or they bring in the boundary line sufficiently. I don't know how the track is a health and safety issue. Arguably, it's safer having that 5m behind the boundary line rather than a fence.

[Simmo79]

I think from the plans there'll be a few rows of temp seats on the dirt track. Like the set-up at Eden Park, the Caketin and AMI Stadium (RIP)