Gizmo
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By Brett Graham
Australian Rugby League Commission boss Peter V'landys says he wants a new Bankwest-style stadium to be built at Liverpool, naming both the Bulldogs and Tigers as potential tenants.
The New South Wales state government has decided to reallocate more than $800 million in funding that was originally earmarked to upgrade Stadium Australia, with the money to instead be spent on suburban grounds.
Penrith, Brookvale and Kogarah are at the top of the list, with V'landys hopeful work could start in 2022.
"I think we can lock this in," V'landys told Radio 2GB's Ben Fordham.
"As you know there was $800 million set aside to upgrade ANZ (Stadium Australia), that's not going to happen, there will be some funds go to ANZ but the majority will be spent on suburban stadiums, the government has committed to doing business cases for three of them – Brookvale, Penrith and Kogarah.
"They will do that and once they complete (that), and I'm sure they'll be positive, they'll make announcements as to what grounds will be done.
"Hopefully, construction could start within the next 12 months."
While Penrith appears to be the front-runner to re-built first, V'landys explained that any of the three could be the first cab off the rank.
"We haven't decided that, that's a discussion between us and government, I'm not discounting any of them," he said.
While three existing grounds have been nominated for a re-build, V'landys also threw up the possibility of a new ground.
"We also want one out in Liverpool where we can have the Bulldogs and possibly the Tigers," he said.
"By the time the strategy is finished, New South Wales and Sydney should have some of the best sporting facilities anywhere in the world, and we deserve them."
Currently the Bulldogs play out of Bankwest and Stadium Australia, but a move to Liverpool has been touted for decades, as has a return to their spiritual home at Belmore.
The club investigated the possibility of building a stadium at Liverpool in the late-1990's, a move that was abandoned when club legend Steve Mortimer became CEO in 2002.
The Bulldogs Leagues Club already owns a site on the Hume Highway at Liverpool, adjacent to the Whitlam Leisure Centre.
The Tigers situation is even more complex. This season their Sydney home games are split between Leichhardt Oval (three matches in 2021), Campbelltown (three matches) Bankwest Stadium (three matches) and Stadium Australia (one match).
With the Balmain faction unlikely to support a full-time move to Campbelltown, and the Wests side of the joint venture similarly opposed to more games at the run-down Leichhardt Oval, a 'neutral' venue at Liverpool could be the ideal way to solve the impasse and get the club a state of the art home ground.
"The suburban stadium strategy is the right one, you want people walking to the grounds, and more importantly you want to keep the money in the local economy, you want the restaurants and the cafes to benefit from having that stadium in their local precinct," V'landys said.
"It also serves other sports and schools and the theatre. It's a very valuable asset for every community."
Australian Rugby League Commission boss Peter V'landys says he wants a new Bankwest-style stadium to be built at Liverpool, naming both the Bulldogs and Tigers as potential tenants.
The New South Wales state government has decided to reallocate more than $800 million in funding that was originally earmarked to upgrade Stadium Australia, with the money to instead be spent on suburban grounds.
Penrith, Brookvale and Kogarah are at the top of the list, with V'landys hopeful work could start in 2022.
"I think we can lock this in," V'landys told Radio 2GB's Ben Fordham.
"As you know there was $800 million set aside to upgrade ANZ (Stadium Australia), that's not going to happen, there will be some funds go to ANZ but the majority will be spent on suburban stadiums, the government has committed to doing business cases for three of them – Brookvale, Penrith and Kogarah.
"They will do that and once they complete (that), and I'm sure they'll be positive, they'll make announcements as to what grounds will be done.
"Hopefully, construction could start within the next 12 months."
While Penrith appears to be the front-runner to re-built first, V'landys explained that any of the three could be the first cab off the rank.
"We haven't decided that, that's a discussion between us and government, I'm not discounting any of them," he said.
While three existing grounds have been nominated for a re-build, V'landys also threw up the possibility of a new ground.
"We also want one out in Liverpool where we can have the Bulldogs and possibly the Tigers," he said.
"By the time the strategy is finished, New South Wales and Sydney should have some of the best sporting facilities anywhere in the world, and we deserve them."
Currently the Bulldogs play out of Bankwest and Stadium Australia, but a move to Liverpool has been touted for decades, as has a return to their spiritual home at Belmore.
The club investigated the possibility of building a stadium at Liverpool in the late-1990's, a move that was abandoned when club legend Steve Mortimer became CEO in 2002.
The Bulldogs Leagues Club already owns a site on the Hume Highway at Liverpool, adjacent to the Whitlam Leisure Centre.
The Tigers situation is even more complex. This season their Sydney home games are split between Leichhardt Oval (three matches in 2021), Campbelltown (three matches) Bankwest Stadium (three matches) and Stadium Australia (one match).
With the Balmain faction unlikely to support a full-time move to Campbelltown, and the Wests side of the joint venture similarly opposed to more games at the run-down Leichhardt Oval, a 'neutral' venue at Liverpool could be the ideal way to solve the impasse and get the club a state of the art home ground.
"The suburban stadium strategy is the right one, you want people walking to the grounds, and more importantly you want to keep the money in the local economy, you want the restaurants and the cafes to benefit from having that stadium in their local precinct," V'landys said.
"It also serves other sports and schools and the theatre. It's a very valuable asset for every community."
