Stadiums upgrade: Sports Minister will present plan after failing to secure NRL clubs’ guarantees over fulltime play

EXCLUSIVE: Mike Baird has shot down an SCG Trust proposal to build a new stadium on Centennial Parklands, declaring the new Moore Park stadium will be built on the existing Sydney Football site.

• STADIUM DEAL WOULD END CODE WARS

Premier Mike Baird has shot down an SCG Trust proposal, backed by his sports minister to build a new stadium on Centennial Parklands and says the new Moore Park stadium will be built on the existing Sydney Football Stadium site.

Mr Baird has ruled out any construction of a stadium on the parklands and said the Roosters, Waratahs and Sydney FC will have to move away for three years while the new stadium is built.

He said it was an “inconvenience in the short term” for the clubs but that “in the long term they end up with a fantastic stadium, great for them, great for the city and great for the fans”.

It’s expected the SCG Trust will come to the government with a proposal to build on Centennial Parklands, but Mr Baird said his reply would be “go back and do it on the existing land”.

“And that’s our position. I can’t be clearer on this,” he said in Parramatta today, as he announced the new site for the Powerhouse Museum.

Mr Baird’s comments are a slap down for Sports Minister Stuart Ayres, who has wanted the SCG proposal to get up.

He said a deal with the codes is close to securing content, such as marquee games like the grand final, over many years to ensure the new $1 billion Moore Park stadium can be built.

Sport Minister Stuart Ayres had been trying to convince the clubs to play 65 out of 108 Sydney league games a year at three major stadiums — Allianz, ANZ and Parramatta — to mount the business case to build a $1 billion 55,000-seat stadium at Moore Park.

Artist’s impression of the proposed $250m plan to transform the out-of-date Allianz stadium.

Artist's impression of the Stage 3 redevelopment of the SCG and Allianz Stadium sporting precinct.

Mr Ayres had hoped the Premier would help him finalise the deal with the rugby league, soccer and rugby union codes this week.

Late last year, Cabinet decided to build a new stadium at Moore Park, on existing SCG Trust land, which would mean ripping down Allianz Stadium and building another one on the same spot.

Mr Ayres was then sent out to guarantee the “content” for the site to build a business case, with Infrastructure NSW understood to have asked for 65 rugby league games a year there.

Then Mr Ayres came out publicly at a Committee for Sydney function in February and pitched for the new stadium to be next to ­Allianz Stadium, on Centennial and Moore Park land.

It is understood he was keen to pitch to Cabinet that he could provide “100 pieces of content” a year for the major stadiums, including 42 for the new facility.

Eight of nine Sydney NRL clubs last week resolved on a “five-point plan” which would bury any new stadium at Moore Park.

The move comes after he threatened to take $1 billion of stadium funding away and put it back into the Rebuilding NSW fund last week after eight of nine rugby league clubs refused to approve his plan.

NSW Minister for Sport and Recreation Stuart Ayres / Picture: Brett Costello