Another day, another attempt by the privately owned ANZ Stadium to subvert the will of a community that wants Parramatta Stadium upgraded.
ANZ Stadium, which was once acquired by a consortium involving current AFL Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick, is pushing yet again for a multi-hundred million dollar upgrade, paid for by the taxpayer yet intended to profit the private companies who own the stadium. Those private companies have generously offered to pay $100 million, and in exchange would receive $250 million in taxpayer funding and an extension to the ownership rights that expire in 2031.
This 'deal' is akin to the teenager promising he'll get a job at Maccas for a few months to save up for a car, as long as their parents put in triple what they save up and never ask them to take their little siblings to the shops. There is no benefit to this plan for anyone but the owners of ANZ Stadium and the politicians wanting to get their hands on the modern form of kickbacks and corruption, the lucrative "directorship" and "consultancies" heaped upon them once they leave Parliament by those who they gave favour to during their time in office.
Powerful lobbyists with a well drilled PR machine in step with a pliant mainstream media have a well worn tactic when anyone should dare to question the logic of handing over what would likely be close to half a billion dollars in exchange for $100 million. They put out another flashy set of photoshopped pictures, a new 3D rendered video along with some quotes about a plan that is "revealed" to a local newspaper.
The press releases cry "It will have a roof! Free wifi! One of the greatest stadiums in the world! It's 15 years old! Moving stands! It must be upgraded to keep attracting major events!"
It's been done four times in the last 2 years.
The problem is that nothing short of a knockdown rebuild into a proper rectangular stadium will give Sydney the marquee stadium it deserves. That is a currently impossible situation. Because of this, I believe that no more money should be spent on ANZ until it returns to public ownership and can be torn down or perhaps set fire to like Cumberland Oval in 1981.
An upgrade won't fix the awful lines of sight.
It won't fix the mountain treks up to the top tier.
It won't fix the fact that Cityrail don't properly cater for major events leaving 1000's waiting ages to leave.
It won't fix the outrageous cost of everything in the precinct.
It won't fix the fact the place has no atmosphere either inside or outside the stadium.
It won't fix the turf from being ruined by AFL, Cricket, monster trucks, music concerts and just generally being one of the worst surfaces in the country.
It won't fix the place being somewhere no-one wants to go for anything but the very biggest events. The press releases re-badged as news reports carefully hide the fact that the full redevelopment will require much more than the $250 million being lobbied for.
ANZ chief executive Daryl Kerry was right when he said "Sydney’s sporting infrastructure has fallen behind other states and major cities in the Asia-Pacific region".
Where he is wrong is the idea that we can fix that issue by putting lipstick on the pig that is ANZ. Instead of spending money on a privately owned half-pregnant 'multi-sport' monstrosity, we can fix the problem of our sporting infrastructure by focusing on local stadiums for teams who actually want to be in their community alongside their members.
One of these local community developments must be to rebuild Parramatta Stadium to the level it deserves. A rectangular stadium that accommodates the two major tenants, the Wanderers & Eels. 35,000 seats, with safe standing that can improve the atmosphere for football matches while bringing back cheaper tickets and an old school "hill" mentality for Parramatta Eels matches.
Parramatta Stadium is regularly filled to capacity, and is far older than ANZ, with inferior facilities. The success of the Western Sydney Wanderers makes upgrading or rebuilding Parramatta Stadium the obvious choice, but not the one the politicians in charge of the country & the state want to offer up to their corporate paymasters.
ANZ Stadium does not need an upgrade. It is up to us to make our voices heard. When the Wanderers were first being formed we rejected the idea of playing at ANZ Stadium for the reasons listed above. The football supporters who pushed view that were proven right with the success and renowned atmosphere that has been built at Wanderers games in just a few short years. It is now time for the Government to invest in a public facility for a change, and to help the Wanderers grow even further at Parramatta.
I call on members of Parliament to once and for all to declare which side of the sporting fence they sit on.
Parramatta Stadium, a facility that is part of our community.
Or ANZ Stadium, a facility which is the very antithesis of community.
http://www.westsydneyfootball.com/_...h-for-more-unwanted-anz-stadium-upgrades-r685