Is there a future for ANZ Stadium?
Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 3:09 pm
Future of Sydney’s ANZ Stadium under threat as big-money sports war heats up
John Lehmann Editor at Large
The Daily Telegraph
November 15, 2014 12:00AM
The future of Sydney’s Olympic stadium hangs in the balance, with powerbrokers launching a battle to decide where the city watches live sport for decades to come.
The powers behind Moore Park’s Allianz Stadium, soccer supremo Frank Lowy and western Sydney sports bosses are intensifying their lobbying in a move which could have grave consequences for Sydney Olympic Park’s ANZ Stadium.
ANZ Stadium is expected to soon reveal the details of its ambitious $350 million plan to modernise Sydney’s biggest sports venue.
Allianz, controlled by the government-appointed Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust, has also unveiled a $250 million master plan to transform the out-of-date 44,000 seat stadium into a hi-tech, fully-roofed entertainment facility.
Sport Minister Stuart Ayres is committed to pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into giving Sydney’s stadiums a much-needed upgrade.
But as Premier Mike Baird finalises where to invest, some of Sydney’s biggest names are deciding how best to tip the pot of gold their way.
The Trust is directed by a host of influential business operators, including its chairman Tony Shepherd, “Mr Olympics” Rod McGeoch, Destination NSW chairman and ex-News Ltd boss John Hartigan, top broadcaster Alan Jones and retail guru Katie Page.
The government is also feeling the squeeze from Lowy, one of Australia’s richest men, who is backing a push by Western Wanderers’ owner, Paul Lederer, to have a new Parramatta Stadium developed with at least 32,000 seats.
With Ayres being a Penrith boy, he wants to make sure the west doesn’t miss out and believes a modern stadium will be required to support population growth west of the M7.
The Penrith Panthers, driven by league heavy Phil Gould and ex-TAB chief Warren Wilson, have spied an opportunity to transform the 22,500 council-owned Penrith Stadium into a 30,000 seat venue.
Meanwhile, NRL boss Dave Smith has hardly been a vocal supporter of ANZ, while the Swans are almost certain to move games back to the SCG beyond 2016.
All of this spells danger for the future of Homebush’s 83,500-seat ANZ Stadium, which is operated by the Stadium Australia Group, chaired by Infrastructure Capital Group major shareholder John Clarke. Former ACTU vice-president Michael Easson is also on the three-member board, along with stadium CEO Daryl Kerry.
The key is Parramatta. If the government agrees to significantly increase its capacity, the ANZ operators could demand the government pay out the remaining 17 years on their lease and run the stadium itself.
It has leverage to force this outcome under an agreement signed in 1996 with the government before the stadium was built. It compels the government to “negotiate in good faith” with ANZ to ensure there is no “material adverse effect” if the government lifts the capacity above 25,000 of any stadium within 50km of Homebush.
If the government took back ANZ, one option would be to knock down Allianz and build a new 70,000-seat stadium at Moore Park and then turn ANZ Stadium into apartments.
In one further twist, a consortium led by Page, Gerry Harvey and John Singleton are about to take possession of the Entertainment Quarter next to Allianz and they have big plans.
When I recently asked Singleton to name one thing that could be done to improve Sydney, his response was short: “Blow up Homebush”.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/o ... abc8c4df8f
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If there is one thing that the AFL, ARU, NRL, FFA and CA agree on is that ANZ Stadium is jack of all trades and master of none. Nobody particularly likes playing there, the fact that its capacity is what it is and that it's on a rail-line is really all that keeps people there.
However, its gradient means its sightlines are less than ordinary and if you're on the top-deck then you watch the whole game on the big screen.
It's capacity is really only tested by Wallaby vs. All-Black matches, NSW Origin games and NRL Grand Finals.
Future upgrades to the SCG could see it break the 50,000 capacity mark for AFL and high-40,000s for cricket with the sightcreens in. This is more than sufficient for the Swans, and for any potential GWS semi-final matches. The Sydney Thunder could easily move across to the Showground, and if CA wants international matches in the Western Suburbs, the odd T20 could be played at the Showground too - the match against South Africa the other night attracted just 24,000 people which could comfortably be accomodated there and would have a better atmosphere there with a crowd of that size.
If the above mentioned 70,000 seat stadium at Moore Park were to come to fruition, that would be the ideal venue for Wallabies Tests, the NRL Grand Final and State of Origin Matches. Allianz was built marginally before the modern stadium boom, and is badly lacking in facilities such as club seats and corporate facilities. Its gradient is only slightly better than ANZ, but not a lot. If they were to build a state of the art stadium - in my head, it's based on the Houston Texans' NRG Stadium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NRG_Stadium) - it creates a wonderful sports precinct on the edge of the city, walking distance from all of the pubs and bars in Paddington, as opposed to the post-apocalyptic wasteland that is Homebush. The new light-rail line connecting Moore Park to Central would make access significantly better as well.
If this new precinct was to be coupled with a new ~32,000 seat stadium at Parramatta for the Wanderers, Eels and perhaps the Tigers, Panthers and Bulldogs then Sydney is in much better shape sports wise - Parramatta is a much better spot with pubs, bars and restaurants as opposed to Homebush. Clubs can choose to keep playing out of venues such as Penrith, Campbelltown and co. but it's up to them to find the money to fund them.
The southern and northern Sydney clubs are largely left out here, but it seems we are approaching a period of ground rationalisation. Also, you have to wonder how long all of Sydney's NRL clubs can last in Sydney - its no secret the league wants a few to move on, and the venue rationalisation could be the final straw in getting a club like the Sharks or Tigers to move to Wellington or the like.
There is plenty of precedent for abandoning modern facilities when they aren't up to scratch - the Atlanta Braves are leaving the 1996 Olympic stadium which is not up to their standards, and the Washington Redskins are abandoning the 17 year old 90,000 seat FedExField because of similar reasons to ANZ - poor sightlines, location away from amenties and transport and general dissatisfaction with the overall experience by the fanbase.
I think because of its less than 20 year age, and its capacity its always assumed that ANZ will be a survivor of the impeding ground rationalisation being faced by Sydney, but really should that be the case? Nobody likes playing there, no fans like going there and there is surely an economic case that could be made that crowds would increase with major facilities at Moore Park and Parramatta.
John Lehmann Editor at Large
The Daily Telegraph
November 15, 2014 12:00AM
The future of Sydney’s Olympic stadium hangs in the balance, with powerbrokers launching a battle to decide where the city watches live sport for decades to come.
The powers behind Moore Park’s Allianz Stadium, soccer supremo Frank Lowy and western Sydney sports bosses are intensifying their lobbying in a move which could have grave consequences for Sydney Olympic Park’s ANZ Stadium.
ANZ Stadium is expected to soon reveal the details of its ambitious $350 million plan to modernise Sydney’s biggest sports venue.
Allianz, controlled by the government-appointed Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust, has also unveiled a $250 million master plan to transform the out-of-date 44,000 seat stadium into a hi-tech, fully-roofed entertainment facility.
Sport Minister Stuart Ayres is committed to pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into giving Sydney’s stadiums a much-needed upgrade.
But as Premier Mike Baird finalises where to invest, some of Sydney’s biggest names are deciding how best to tip the pot of gold their way.
The Trust is directed by a host of influential business operators, including its chairman Tony Shepherd, “Mr Olympics” Rod McGeoch, Destination NSW chairman and ex-News Ltd boss John Hartigan, top broadcaster Alan Jones and retail guru Katie Page.
The government is also feeling the squeeze from Lowy, one of Australia’s richest men, who is backing a push by Western Wanderers’ owner, Paul Lederer, to have a new Parramatta Stadium developed with at least 32,000 seats.
With Ayres being a Penrith boy, he wants to make sure the west doesn’t miss out and believes a modern stadium will be required to support population growth west of the M7.
The Penrith Panthers, driven by league heavy Phil Gould and ex-TAB chief Warren Wilson, have spied an opportunity to transform the 22,500 council-owned Penrith Stadium into a 30,000 seat venue.
Meanwhile, NRL boss Dave Smith has hardly been a vocal supporter of ANZ, while the Swans are almost certain to move games back to the SCG beyond 2016.
All of this spells danger for the future of Homebush’s 83,500-seat ANZ Stadium, which is operated by the Stadium Australia Group, chaired by Infrastructure Capital Group major shareholder John Clarke. Former ACTU vice-president Michael Easson is also on the three-member board, along with stadium CEO Daryl Kerry.
The key is Parramatta. If the government agrees to significantly increase its capacity, the ANZ operators could demand the government pay out the remaining 17 years on their lease and run the stadium itself.
It has leverage to force this outcome under an agreement signed in 1996 with the government before the stadium was built. It compels the government to “negotiate in good faith” with ANZ to ensure there is no “material adverse effect” if the government lifts the capacity above 25,000 of any stadium within 50km of Homebush.
If the government took back ANZ, one option would be to knock down Allianz and build a new 70,000-seat stadium at Moore Park and then turn ANZ Stadium into apartments.
In one further twist, a consortium led by Page, Gerry Harvey and John Singleton are about to take possession of the Entertainment Quarter next to Allianz and they have big plans.
When I recently asked Singleton to name one thing that could be done to improve Sydney, his response was short: “Blow up Homebush”.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/o ... abc8c4df8f
========================
If there is one thing that the AFL, ARU, NRL, FFA and CA agree on is that ANZ Stadium is jack of all trades and master of none. Nobody particularly likes playing there, the fact that its capacity is what it is and that it's on a rail-line is really all that keeps people there.
However, its gradient means its sightlines are less than ordinary and if you're on the top-deck then you watch the whole game on the big screen.
It's capacity is really only tested by Wallaby vs. All-Black matches, NSW Origin games and NRL Grand Finals.
Future upgrades to the SCG could see it break the 50,000 capacity mark for AFL and high-40,000s for cricket with the sightcreens in. This is more than sufficient for the Swans, and for any potential GWS semi-final matches. The Sydney Thunder could easily move across to the Showground, and if CA wants international matches in the Western Suburbs, the odd T20 could be played at the Showground too - the match against South Africa the other night attracted just 24,000 people which could comfortably be accomodated there and would have a better atmosphere there with a crowd of that size.
If the above mentioned 70,000 seat stadium at Moore Park were to come to fruition, that would be the ideal venue for Wallabies Tests, the NRL Grand Final and State of Origin Matches. Allianz was built marginally before the modern stadium boom, and is badly lacking in facilities such as club seats and corporate facilities. Its gradient is only slightly better than ANZ, but not a lot. If they were to build a state of the art stadium - in my head, it's based on the Houston Texans' NRG Stadium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NRG_Stadium) - it creates a wonderful sports precinct on the edge of the city, walking distance from all of the pubs and bars in Paddington, as opposed to the post-apocalyptic wasteland that is Homebush. The new light-rail line connecting Moore Park to Central would make access significantly better as well.
If this new precinct was to be coupled with a new ~32,000 seat stadium at Parramatta for the Wanderers, Eels and perhaps the Tigers, Panthers and Bulldogs then Sydney is in much better shape sports wise - Parramatta is a much better spot with pubs, bars and restaurants as opposed to Homebush. Clubs can choose to keep playing out of venues such as Penrith, Campbelltown and co. but it's up to them to find the money to fund them.
The southern and northern Sydney clubs are largely left out here, but it seems we are approaching a period of ground rationalisation. Also, you have to wonder how long all of Sydney's NRL clubs can last in Sydney - its no secret the league wants a few to move on, and the venue rationalisation could be the final straw in getting a club like the Sharks or Tigers to move to Wellington or the like.
There is plenty of precedent for abandoning modern facilities when they aren't up to scratch - the Atlanta Braves are leaving the 1996 Olympic stadium which is not up to their standards, and the Washington Redskins are abandoning the 17 year old 90,000 seat FedExField because of similar reasons to ANZ - poor sightlines, location away from amenties and transport and general dissatisfaction with the overall experience by the fanbase.
I think because of its less than 20 year age, and its capacity its always assumed that ANZ will be a survivor of the impeding ground rationalisation being faced by Sydney, but really should that be the case? Nobody likes playing there, no fans like going there and there is surely an economic case that could be made that crowds would increase with major facilities at Moore Park and Parramatta.