Venues NSW boss Tony Shepherd: Sodden Sydney needs roofed stadium to host sport

The head of Venues NSW, which manages the SCG, has outlined why he believes Sydney must put a roof on one of its major rectangular stadiums rather than the cricket ground. DANIEL CHERNY reports.

Covers were on and off at the SCG for the third Test between Australia and South Africa. Picture: Brett Hemmings - CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Venues NSW chairman Tony Shepherd has called for the development of a roofed stadium in Sydney after rain marred yet another day of SCG Test cricket.

While Shepherd said the SCG’s idiosyncrasies meant that adding a roof to the famous venue was impossible, he said Sydney needed a weatherproof stadium that could host sports including cricket.

A combination of rain and bad light limited play on day one of the Test between Australia and South Africa to just 47 overs.

Sydney has been consistently the most weather-affected Test of the Australian summer, with six of the past seven Tests at the venue interrupted by rain. Four of those matches ended in draws.

Poor weather has once again played havoc with the New Year’s Test. Picture: Brett Hemmings - CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Before his death, the legendary Shane Warne called for Sydney to be stripped of the New Year’s Test because of the regularly inclement weather.

Shepherd, whose organisation is responsible for running several of NSW’s major venues including the SCG, adjacent Allianz Stadium and Accor Stadium at Homebush, said the city needs somewhere with a roof to host sport.

“I think there is room for a closed stadium in Sydney, [to] host cricket, host concerts, host AFL, host rugby, host football, rugby league. I think it would make sense,” Shepherd said.

“My candid view is that a roofed stadium in Sydney, given our weather, at least one, would make sense. They’ve got one in Melbourne, and we should look at having a roof in Sydney some time soon.”

Marnus Labuschagne was dismissed for 79 just moments before play was abandoned for the day. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

However the heritage-listed Members and Ladies Pavilions, both more than a century old, are barriers to the addition of a roof at the SCG.

“A roof on the SCG is physically impossible because it’s an old stadium and you really need to reconstruct the whole stadium to make provision for a roof. We’ve looked at a roof at Allianz, the government didn’t go ahead with that,” Shepherd said.

“We are looking at the possibility of a roof at Accor Stadium, Stadium Australia.”

Shepherd did not agree with the assertion that the Sydney Test should be moved from its traditional timeslot.

“We’re so used to it given Sydney’s unpredictable weather. It’s not the end of the world.

“You just put up with it in Sydney, that’s the way it goes. We just put up with it, work around it.”

Rain in Sydney has almost become an expectation for cricket goers. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The bad-light provisions meanwhile drew the ire of Test greats Allan Border and Steve Waugh.

“The light is good with the lights on - you could play in this light in my opinion,” Border said on Fox.

“I‘ve been arguing this case for 20-odd years - the current light rule is too soft. We come off too easily when it darkens up in the afternoon.

“It‘s something the game needs to look at a lot more closely, as to when it does become dangerous when it becomes difficult to see.”

Waugh added on Instagram: “Test cricket needs to realise there is a lot of competition out there and not using the lights when the players are off for bad light simply doesn’t add up. Lots of unhappy spectators who can’t understand the rationale and reason for no play.”