New Sydney stadiums a death blow to suburban grounds, writes Phil Rothfield

NRL boss Todd Greenberg says Sydney’s new stadium deal is a “great result for the game’. In reality it will be the death blow for our suburban grounds and the diehard fans who enjoy their Sunday afternoon footy away from Homebush or Moore Park.

NRL Chief Executive Todd Greenberg speaks to the media in Sydney.

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NRL boss Todd Greenberg says Sydney’s new $2.3 billion stadium deal is a “great result for our clubs, for our fans and for the game”.

Your columnist disagrees.

The massive investment into ANZ, Allianz and Parramatta stadiums is the final death blow for Sydney’s diehard fans who prefer their traditional Sunday afternoon football at suburban venues.

Brookvale, Leichhardt, Shark Park, Campbelltown and Kogarah now have no future.

We’re not talking about 2018 but over the next 10 years. By 2030 they’ll be gone.

Clubs will have the choice of moving to the flash new state-of-the-art stadiums or dying.

Simple as that. Just like the AFL did years ago when the MCG and Etihad replaced Windy Hill, Glenferrie Oval and Princes Park.

Sydney's suburban grounds are the big losers in the stadiums deal.

The only difference is the AFL has twice as many members and fans to fill the bigger stadiums plus a transport system that works.

If Allianz Stadium is really the “death trap” they’ve been telling us, can you imagine the condition of our old suburban grounds in a decade’s time now that sports minister Stuart Ayres has chosen not to spend money on their archaic facilities.

They will be unfit to stage NRL games. Poor old Brookvale is almost at that point now.

Don’t get me wrong. The stadium funding deal was a great one for major events.

And the government almost got it right.

It’s just that there was no need to knock down Allianz and start again with a 45,000-seater when the venue rarely attracts crowds north of 20,000.

A smaller venue, similar to the new Parramatta Stadium, which will hold 35,000, would be far more suitable for the Sydney Roosters, Sydney FC, the NSW Waratahs and NRL finals.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has pledged $705 million to rebuild Allianz Stadium. Artist impression.

That way they would save $300 million which could go towards saving our beautiful old suburban venues.

It’s what the fans wanted and what the TV networks wanted. It’s called atmosphere. Tribalism.

These big new stadiums will be wonderful venues for rugby league blockbusters, grand finals, Origin, the Socceroos, Sydney’s A-League derbies, the Bledisloe Cup and rock concerts.

That’s about 20 games and a few shows every year.

It’s the bread-and-butter rugby league fan who will miss out.

Think about the 7.45pm kick-offs on Thursdays or 6pm on Friday in the middle of winter.

Even if ANZ and Allianz can be converted to the 30,000-seat option for smaller games, there will still be thousands of empty seats and no atmosphere.

Todd Greenberg speaks to the media about Sydney’s new stadium plan.

Fans from the Northern Beaches or the Sutherland Shire will not travel.

The same with those from growth areas Campbelltown and Penrith.

They like their footy with a beer and meat pies without having to spend three hours in transit to get to the grounds. It’s an invitation to stay at home and watch Fox Sports.

So instead of growing attendances like the NRL is hoping, it might bring about a decline.

On a personal note, your columnist will always remain a Cronulla Sharks member and season ticket-holder while games are played at Shark Park.

If we had to travel into Moore Park for home games, I’m not sure I would.

Originally published as New Sydney stadiums a death blow to suburban grounds, writes Phil Rothfield