Opinion We need our own home ground stadium

[TwinTurbo]

It was actually going to to be $13 mill!

That was for a whole lot more than just upgrading Belmore for football. It included arts, walks, open spaces and lots of other "multicultural" stuff.
The Leagues Club turned over $110m last year ($105m the year before), made $5.2m in profit ($5.3m the year before) and has $237m in non current assets plus $5.6m cash in the bank. No problem whatsoever in finding ~$13m for a grandstand on the hill with facilities (food, merchandise, toilets etc) underneath to raise the capacity to ~20k. Which is plenty for games against the non Sydney teams, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Canberra, Cowboys and Broncos. That's 5 NRL games year which is a solid payback for what would be a 20 year investment.

https://www.bulldogs.com.au/siteassets/documents/2018-annual-report_vfinal.pdf

The refurbishment of SOP, which won't be next year or maybe even the year after, gives 3 years to get it done.

Go Dogs

 

[SKY-DOG]

We just need 2 big brand new grand stands,
Demolish the old one, make it bigger with more new training facilities below with offices of administration and the other to replace the Hill, the northern and southern ends don’t have any room.
I guess the iconic train line and houses will still give it the old school urban vibe.

 

[Spoonman84]

That was for a whole lot more than just upgrading Belmore for football. It included arts, walks, open spaces and lots of other "multicultural" stuff.
The Leagues Club turned over $110m last year ($105m the year before), made $5.2m in profit ($5.3m the year before) and has $237m in non current assets plus $5.6m cash in the bank. No problem whatsoever in finding ~$13m for a grandstand on the hill with facilities (food, merchandise, toilets etc) underneath to raise the capacity to ~20k. Which is plenty for games against the non Sydney teams, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Canberra, Cowboys and Broncos. That's 5 NRL games year which is a solid payback for what would be a 20 year investment.

https://www.bulldogs.com.au/siteassets/documents/2018-annual-report_vfinal.pdf

The refurbishment of SOP, which won't be next year or maybe even the year after, gives 3 years to get it done.

Go Dogs

Why would the Leagues Club pay $13 million on a stand when they don’t even own the ground and what money does it bring in? Absolutely nothing. It’s basicalou throwing $13 million away.

 

[KLil]

The game needs to move past this one stadium per team shit.

The Western Sydney stadium should be Parra, Tigers and our home ground. It is a frigging awesome stadium and it does not make sense for it to be just Parras.

I mean I would love our own version, but it just is not cost effective. Belmore sucks ass (it is fine for us vs Melbourne or Cowboys but not for most games) and ANZ sucks ass but if we don't manage to get to use Western Sydney, those are our only 2 options.

We will never get our own ver of Western Sydney, there is no room in Belmore so we are stuck with ANZ :/

We will most likely be at Parra when they Reno anz..

 

[James zac]

Up grade belmore Rip it all up start from scratch make it a boutique ground nrl a league internationals Matilda’s youth internationals promotion and relegation is comming for the aleague who knows Olympic may be in the aleague one day lots of Greeks still live round there

 

[Kempsey Dog]

Who is going to pay for it? It’s all pie in the sky stuff. The only way I could see a stadium being built by the government is at Liverpool so it can be used by Bulldogs, Tigers and the new soccer team out there.

move tigers to wa or brisbane then its ours haha

 

[TwinTurbo]

Why would the Leagues Club pay $13 million on a stand when they don’t even own the ground and what money does it bring in? Absolutely nothing. It’s basicalou throwing $13 million away.

Pretty simple finance, if we attract say 15k average to the 5 games at $15 (that's what a Flexi 5 costs) that's $1.2m in revenue plus franchise incomes for food and merchandise, say $80k per game (net) that's $1.6m total income per season.
Of course there's costs to be paid, with most sporting facilities running at around 45%, so that's $720k, leaving $880K.
Interest on $13m investment at, say, 5% is $650K.
All of which leaves a profit of $230k.

Obviously corporate boxes, catering etc and other games (not just NRL) played there adds to the income, but worst case scenario assume net zero from them ie; income = costs.

If we make the play offs and play at home against an interstate team and attract say 20k at $20 that's a bonus $165k. Not to mention an incentive to have them help us to make the finals.

Go Dogs

 

[Spoonman84]

Pretty simple finance, if we attract say 15k average to the 5 games at $15 (that's what a Flexi 5 costs) that's $1.2m in revenue plus franchise incomes for food and merchandise, say $80k per game (net) that's $1.6m total income per season.
Of course there's costs to be paid, with most sporting facilities running at around 45%, so that's $720k, leaving $880K.
Interest on $13m investment at, say, 5% is $650K.
All of which leaves a profit of $230k.

Obviously corporate boxes, catering etc and other games (not just NRL) played there adds to the income, but worst case scenario assume net zero from them ie; income = costs.

If we make the play offs and play at home against an interstate team and attract say 20k at $20 that's a bonus $165k. Not to mention an incentive to have them help us to make the finals.

Go Dogs

That is a very simplistic view on things and its never that simple. We need 15k at Belmore just to break even to start with and you are suggesting playing teams that draw low crowds already.

After the Leagues Club renovation dramas dragging on so long currently there is no way they are paying $13 million on a stand. If anything the Leagues Club prefers we don't play at Belmore because it disrupts the all import pokie players and they go else where.

There is plenty of competition around Canterbury/Bankstown now with the pokie players and just because you have the money doesn't mean you should throw it away on something like a grandstand that would get used 5 times a year.

 

[Spoonman84]

We would be stupid not to play the majority of games here with a couple at Belmore. It leaves ANZ for dead.

 

[top-dog]

The game needs to move past this one stadium per team shit.

The Western Sydney stadium should be Parra, Tigers and our home ground. It is a frigging awesome stadium and it does not make sense for it to be just Parras.

I mean I would love our own version, but it just is not cost effective. Belmore sucks ass (it is fine for us vs Melbourne or Cowboys but not for most games) and ANZ sucks ass but if we don't manage to get to use Western Sydney, those are our only 2 options.

We will never get our own ver of Western Sydney, there is no room in Belmore so we are stuck with ANZ :/

No room the way there going there lucky to have 500 supports there .

 

[Chris Harding]

Belmore was fine 20 years ago when there wasn't the urban sprawl and interest in league there is today.

Try packing even 10,000 cars around Belmore for a game and it's a nightmare.

At ANZ whilst it can cope with that number, theres an hour to get out of the carpark after a game, and a soul-less atmosphere inside the venue.

On one hand a venue that's too small to cater for modern day fans but has an atmosphere (despite losing all games there in recent times).
On the other hand is a massive venue that can cater for modern day fans but has zero atmosphere.

If Western Sydney stadium can find a happy medium I see no reason why not to use it.

Leichardt despite it's flaws still works as a venue, as does (dare I say) Brookvale. Panthers and Central Coast Stadiums as well.

Unless Rugby League games are getting over 25-30k every week, suburban grounds still make sense. Better to have an atmosphere crammed full house, than a 20% filled soul-less stadium.

That said, Belmore Sports Ground doesn't have the facilities re parking that other suburban grounds do.

It's close to a train station.

 

[B-Train]

It's close to a train station.

Haha. You couldn't get closer! It has to be one of the few grounds in the world where it's built next to train tracks.

 

[Heckler]

We just need 2 big brand new grand stands,
Demolish the old one, make it bigger with more new training facilities below with offices of administration and the other to replace the Hill, the northern and southern ends don’t have any room.
I guess the iconic train line and houses will still give it the old school urban vibe.

It needs to be completely demolished and rebuilt to suit. However i can't see it happening.

 

[jpneves]

Who is going to pay for it? It’s all pie in the sky stuff. The only way I could see a stadium being built by the government is at Liverpool so it can be used by Bulldogs, Tigers and the new soccer team out there.

Wasn’t this the basic Oasis project? With a basketball stadium for the West Sydney razorbacks? NBL is growing a bit and possibly we could see a second NBL franchise again. We just need to find a supported with a massive billion dollar portfolio to invest in the club

 

[TwinTurbo]

We would be stupid not to play the majority of games here with a couple at Belmore. It leaves ANZ for dead.

I don't a rats arse what the ground looks like, it's in Parramatta FFS, there's no parking and public transport is shit. Guaranteed I won't be going there for any Bulldogs games.

Go Dogs

 

[Spoonman84]

I don't a rats arse what the ground looks like, it's in Parramatta FFS, there's no parking and public transport is shit. Guaranteed I won't be going there for any Bulldogs games.

Go Dogs

I think there will be plenty that will travel to it. Give me a purpose built footy stadium with every seat under cover, brand new facilities, smaller capacity and the best sight lines you can get over ANZ.

 

[KLil]

We would be stupid not to play the majority of games here with a couple at Belmore. It leaves ANZ for dead.

Cant wait to play there..

 

[TwinTurbo]

I think there will be plenty that will travel to it. Give me a purpose built footy stadium with every seat under cover, brand new facilities, smaller capacity and the best sight lines you can get over ANZ.

After the initial novelty wears off the reality of playing in someone else's home ground, no matter how nice it is, will hit home. The lack of transport will impact, it's not even on the same train line as Belmore (have to change at Lidcombe) and then it's a 2 kilometre walk from the station. Really nice in the rain or after a game late at night.

Go Dogs

 

[Spoonman84]

After the initial novelty wears off the reality of playing in someone else's home ground, no matter how nice it is, will hit home. The lack of transport will impact, it's not even on the same train line as Belmore (have to change at Lidcombe) and then it's a 2 kilometre walk from the station. Really nice in the rain or after a game late at night.

Go Dogs

We play at ANZ currently and it’s no ones home ground. I think the opposite will happen once fans experience a proper football stadium that you can actually create a atmosphere in they won’t want to go back to ANZ. A lot of fans don’t live close to Belmore anyway. If it’s raining during you’ll be covered at Parra you can’t say the same about Belmore or ANZ.

 

[TwinTurbo]

We play at ANZ currently and it’s no ones home ground. I think the opposite will happen once fans experience a proper football stadium that you can actually create a atmosphere in they won’t want to go back to ANZ. A lot of fans don’t live close to Belmore anyway. If it’s raining during you’ll be covered at Parra you can’t say the same about Belmore or ANZ.

And WSS will always be Parra's home ground. at worst ANZ is neutral.

I don't know about you but my seat is covered at both Belmore and ANZ. I can catch a bus straight from home to ANZ or drive and there's plenty of parking. There's any number of restaurants and bars at SOP, before and/or after the game. A live band even plays at the Novotel across the road. None of those facilities are available anywhere near WSS, it's totally isolated.

FWIW I used Belmore as an example, could be Punchbowl, Lakemba, Campsie, Canterbury or anywhere else in the Bulldogs area.

Go Dogs