Monday Buzz: Suburban ground boost for NRL fans
If wannabe premier Michael Daley wins next month’s state election it will be a victory for NRL fans who love consuming their footy out of our traditional old suburban grounds.
If wannabe premier Michael Daley wins next month’s state election it will be a victory for NRL fans who love consuming their footy out of our traditional old suburban grounds.
The opposition leader has vowed to abandon the Liberal Party’s $1.3 billion spend on Allianz and ANZ Stadium to spend more money on hospitals and schools.
And while he has stopped short of guaranteeing funding to refurbish the likes of Brookvale, Campbelltown, Leichhardt, Shark Park and Kogarah, he said: “Families must never be denied the opportunity to sit on the hill at a suburban field and watch the action up close as two NRL teams go head to head.
“Surely that’s better than sitting in some huge and lifeless stadium where, after paying for your entry, you can’t afford a beer for yourself and pies for the kids.”
The future of Sydney’s suburban grounds is a big story.
There’s no question this city needs one major-event, 80,000-seat stadium to host NRL grand finals, State of Origin, Socceroos internationals, Liverpool, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.
One, not two. We have to keep up with other major cities or we’ll lose big events.
The soon-to-be-opened Bankwest Stadium will be worth every cent of the $300 million spend.
Yet the state of our suburban grounds are a disgrace and something needs to be done about it.
We’re raising this issue again today because it’s February and the playing surfaces at Brookvale and Kogarah ovals are already considered too dangerous to even host NRL trials.
What will they be like by mid-winter and how can you guarantee members, who have already paid for their season tickets, that more games won’t be transferred this season?
Building a $36 million high-performance facility and a 3000-seat grandstand at Brookvale is hardly the answer.
The Sea Eagles can’t even do ball work there. And they will have to catch a team bus to Narrabeen for skills training.
Every fan survey over the past 10 years overwhelmingly supports the traditional old venues.
We are not Melbourne and we are not the AFL.
The bosses of TV networks Channel 9 and Fox Sports also prefer the suburban ground atmosphere to beaming a backdrop of tens of thousands of empty blue seats into our homes.
“Suburban football grounds are at the heart of communities right across our great city,” Daley said.
“Even when the world is changing before our eyes, we can still identify with our local footy team.
“In recent years, Sydney has grown at a breakneck pace — sometimes it seems barely recognisable anymore. And this is one reason why our local communities are becoming more important than ever. Our neighbourhoods are where we can still feel at home.
“And for me, there is something very special about taking my kids to a game of local footy.”
Whatever happens, there needs to be a long-term plan to save suburban grounds. They all need TLC. They need to be safe for players and comfortable for fans.
At least we know it’s on the opposition leader’s radar.
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