SCG Northern Stand

[Orel Puppington]

What do you expect? It was due for completion by the baseball matches

[Rob]

Adelaide Oval looks far more advanced and that won't be ready until late March. Wouldn't surprise me if the SCG won't be finished until June or so.

[Boba Fett]

What do you expect? It was due for completion by the baseball matches

The Trust claimed it would be completed before the Ashes Test.

They either lied or the project is running significantly behind schedule.

[cam]

Correct, back when they announced the new stand, they predicted it would be ready by the Ashes test. This from their website, http://www.sydneycricketground.com.au/v ... ital-works

Work commenced soon after the Australia v India One Day International on 26 February 2012 and will be finished ahead of the Ashes Test match between Australia and England in January 2014

[Scott]

The ground extension was always on the cards.

They did the same thing when the Trumper Stand was built, which lengthened it by 3m at that end. Check it out on Google Maps with the slightly odd shape now. The problem will be how they incorporate it with the Members Stand. For the southern end, the cut back started 3 bays around in the Brewongle Stand.

It appears the first 2-3 rows of seats have been removed from the Members Stand

[Boba Fett]

It appears the first 2-3 rows of seats have been removed from the Members Stand

Yeah, which is not that surprising with the lengthening of the ground, but the Trust has been very cagey on whether there will be a loss of seats in the Members Pavilion specifically. To me it seems obvious that there will be a loss, but they don't want to actually admit to that reality. It will also mean the structure won't be aligned properly with the playing field anymore.

[the crow]

Pretty sure it has exactly the same relationship with the wicket.

[yob]

In effect shaving a few rows off some areas fixes a major black spot for aussie rules which, like it or not, is the biggest draw card for the venue. At worst a few patrons might have to turn their head 1 or 2 degrees. Would bang.

[Scott]

The web cam now gives a full view and there is still a lot of work to do. No Christmas closedown for this job. The stand does create a new area of obstructed view for the those sitting on the far left of level 2 - caused by the Members Stand. I would prefer to see the Members & Ladies demolished and new single stand built. I realise it probably won't happen in my lifetime (and hopefully I've got 40+ years to go), but as historic and quaint as they are, IMHO they need to be replaced. I see something that's standalone and unique in design to last over 100 years. Being bookended by the Northern Stand and it's replica, which will update the Brewongle & Churchill stands, I think it could look spectacular.

[Boba Fett]

The only way the Members and Ladies stands will be knocked down is if they represent a health and safety threat to people. Perhaps one option to deal with the problem you've (correctly) identified would be to push them back away from the fence - if this is even possible? I know they moved the old Bob Stand from the SCG to North Sydney Oval, so surely it should be possible to shift the Members and Ladies stands a few metres away from the fence?

But speaking as an SCG member, I would love the old stands to be pulled down (maybe moved somewhere else) and replaced with something that looks great AND provides a good viewing experience (which the current stands don't do).

[Timbo]

Heathens.

[dibo]

The old stands *are* the SCG. They're what makes it special. They take up a tiny fraction of the space and harm very little else, and to replace them with some sterile modern Elevated and Tiered Corporate Entertainment Precinct and Sport Viewing Facility would be to kill off the SCG.

[Boba Fett]

The old stands *are* the SCG. They're what makes it special. They take up a tiny fraction of the space and harm very little else, and to replace them with some sterile modern Elevated and Tiered Corporate Entertainment Precinct and Sport Viewing Facility would be to kill off the SCG.

They might be nice to look at, but they are very poor to view sport from. And considering that's what their purpose is, they are quite frankly sub-standard. They are easily the worst stands in the SCG now - from a spectator's point of view. I do acknowledge that they look great from the outside.

But really, there's no reason the Trust couldn't commission a replacement stand that is designed to both look good from the outside AND provide a top-notch viewing experience. But as I said in an earlier post, the only way this will happen is if the stands deteriorate to a point where they are a threat to health and safety.

[yob]

The Australian obsession with new-ness strikes again. In my years and life experience with family in Europe and what not it's funny to observe the polar opposites. In Australia it must be new, or it's worthless. In Czecho it has to be old, otherwise it's worthless. The SCG is great - there's a bit in it for everyone to get pissed off at.

[Boba Fett]

I don't really care whether something is new or old. All I really want is for my sport viewing at the SCG to not be impeded by pillars. If you're an SCG member, the Members and (particularly) the Ladies stands are in prime position, but they provide the worst spectator experience in the ground.