Parramatta Eels resolve dispute over Western Sydney Stadium
FRESH from his club’s 11th hour deal with their new $300m Western Sydney Stadium, Parramatta coach Brad Arthur said his players now had to give fans a reason to fill it.
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“IF you build it, they will come.”
Well, not exactly, according to Parramatta coach Brad Arthur.
Upbeat over the Eels signing a 15-year deal to call the new $300m Western Sydney Stadium home from round six next year, Arthur said his 2019 squad were in no risk of living by the quote made famous in Kevin Costner’s 1989 sports drama Field Of Dreams.
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“Leading into that first game at the new stadium in round six, we need to get the excitement up so that people want to watch us come and play,’’ a realistic Arthur said on Thursday.
“We’ve got to earn the right to drag fans there — not just because it’s a brand new stadium.
“We get the opportunity, with the footy we want to try and play, to generate interest in our team to get the fans there. That’s our responsibility.’’
After 11 months of protracted negotiations with stadium operator Venues Live, the Eels announced that the club will cut the ribbon on the first NRL match at the new WSS on Easter Monday against the Wests Tigers.
Yet Arthur said it was imperative his side were in winning form well before the gala event with a first month schedule that included clashes with Penrith, Canterbury, Sydney Roosters, Cronulla and Canberra.
He added, having received a tour of the spectacular 30,000-seat stadium, that the Eels return to the site of the old Parramatta Stadium would prove an undeniable advantage.
“With a home ground advantage, whether you like it or not, the crowd can help you with those 50-50 calls,’’ Arthur said. “The biggest thing is, it gives us something to be proud of.
“ANZ Stadium has been our home and it’s been good, but it’s not the same and this (WSS) is something we should be proud, something we feel is ours and something we’ll want to protect.
“I’ve walked through the sheds and where the ice baths are, up in the stands, one level I stood at, you feel like you’re on the field. It will be incredible for the fans.’’
The Eels stitched the deal at the 11th hour, avoiding an embarrassing scenario of the NRL announcing in the season draw ‘TBC’ next to each of the club’s home games.
The haggling and crisis talks by the Eels administration polarised fans and members yet club CEO Bernie Gurr said it was all worth it.
He confirmed that the club had reached a better deal than what was on the table 10 days ago when The Daily Telegraph broke news of the stadium stand-off.
“We improved (from 10 days ago) but they (Venues Live) improved also,’’ Gurr said.
“That’s the definition of compromise. We got a bit more and they got a bit more.
“I think where we’ve got to where we needed to in the end, which is a good result for our club.’’
The Eels squad commence pre-season training next Wednesday.