Why Aussie Stadium?

[kmpierce]

two thirds of Sydney live west of Ashfield. So why in the hell play at SFS (Aussie Stadium). From the Hills area it will cost $14 in road tolls & 1 hr drive, Campbelltown & Penrith they want even bother going. Parra Stadium 1st choice or Concord Stadium 2nd choice. This is supposed to be the peoples team so play where the people live.

[agitator]

i guess in time they may base a 2nd team in western suburbs of sydney. on the proviso that the league exeeds expectations, of course.

[mythology1]

perhaps ... because it is the true Sydney FOOTBALL Stadium ... because it is not owned by any Rugby club that would make Sydney FC the second team ... because it is the only tenant during the Football season ... because it is proven that given the right Football talent playing we can get crowds exceeding 20,000 (even Solomon Islands attracted greater than 20,000) ... because it has great corporate facilities that can attract the $ Sydney FC needs ... because with 20,000 the stadium will look full, whereas Homebush (which would have been my preference) with 20,000 looks empty ... bacause it is next to Fox Studios and families may make a day out of it ... because every seat is a 'seat' ... bacause the Football Stadium/SCG works for the other codes well (the Waratahs and the Swans)

Nothing is perfect ... but its not a bad list

[Tommo]

For me the reasons why Aussie stadium was chosen are simple.

1) The SFS is the best stadium to watch football in Sydney-you're always close to the action and the atmosphere is great when the crowd is above half capacity. It means that the club can accomodate 43,000 supporters if it becomes that popular, whereas at Parra or Concord you're always capped at 20,000 (barring major renovation).

2) Although Sydney is geographically centered in Parramatta, all of Sydney bar the furthest of Western suburbs can get to the Sydney CBD very easily-usually by 1 bus or train. Most major road arteries also lead to the city for those looking to bring their car in. I know from experience that Parra can be a bastard to get out to and no major bus or train routes lead directly to Concord.

3) The SFS's parking facilities are only bettered by Telstra Stadium in Sydney. In this regard Concord and Parra simply can't compare.

4) It leaves room for a Western Sydney team in the future, presumably based at Parra or maybe Concord.

5) I assume the corporate facilities leave that of Parramatta and the white elephant Concord for dead.

So, whilst Concord and Parra may seem like better choices with regards to demographic and expected crowds, to me it seems a solid choice and an example of how Sydney FC is a non-exclusionist football club. It may seem a little empty at times as the league is finding its feet, but in the end i think it'll prove a worthwhile choice. Also, with regards to Concord, have you seen it lately? The ground hasn't been used for any major Sporting events for years, has no seating behind goal areas and would require serious renovation if it was to be transformed into a stadium fit for Sydney FC's ambitions.

[Tancred]

The SFS is the best football stadium in NSW, and one of the best in the country.

There is great public transport to central, and then a short bus ride.

It has excellent corporate facilities and plenty of places to party on after the game.

Any team playing at Parra is not a Sydney team. It's a west Sydney team. People from the Inner West/East/North Shore and the south will not travel to Parramatta.

The SFS is our home venue and seats 43,000 so our finals can be played there as well.

Having lived in the Inner West for years, I know there are 1000's of young football fans wanting a team to support.

If the west wants a team a Parramatta, it should start lobbying for a western sydney team.

[Tommo]

Tancred said:

Having lived in the Inner West for years, I know there are 1000's of young football fans wanting a team to support.

If the west wants a team a Parramatta, it should start lobbying for a western sydney team.

Points well made. The Inner West is a place incredibly keen on football, and the SFS suits them, suits me well (although so would Concord-apart from its obscure nobikes noparks location).

[kmpierce]

obviously you have not been too Parra Stadium, you are closer to the field than at SFS, the playing surface was the best in the NSL, it holds 28,000 all seated, it is not owned by a rugby club but by the NSW government & run by the SFS trust & yes all roads & transport go to the SFS but at what cost & how long to get there. The people of the Southern Shire & Northern Beachers want travel out of there area no matter where the games are & the inner west & eastern suburbs are to up them selves to travel to the west. You talk about getting more than 25,000 fans every week, if that happens then the games should be at Homebush. If there is only 10 to 15 thousand the SFS would look empty so Parra Stadium is the the right place.

[CONVERSE]

one big reason i would think why its at the SFS is that all big time sport is played there (or stadium aust). o'neill has made it obvious that he doesnt want crappy little stadiums, but more so, world class stadiums

plus....
parramatta is westy. minus
parra has bad blood (parra power). minus
parramatta isnt the city

[Tommo]

kmpierce said:

obviously you have not been too Parra Stadium, you are closer to the field than at SFS, the playing surface was the best in the NSL, it holds 28,000 all seated, it is not owned by a rugby club but by the NSW government & run by the SFS trust & yes all roads & transport go to the SFS but at what cost & how long to get there. The people of the Southern Shire & Northern Beachers want travel out of there area no matter where the games are & the inner west & eastern suburbs are to up them selves to travel to the west. You talk about getting more than 25,000 fans every week, if that happens then the games should be at Homebush. If there is only 10 to 15 thousand the SFS would look empty so Parra Stadium is the the right place.

Yes, I have been to Parramatta Stadium. I don't have a car. By pubilc transport it takes me just over half an hour to get to the SFS, depending on the traffic. It takes me more than an hour to get to Parramatta if the L20's not running, and just less than an hour if it is. And L20's dont come too often.
Parramatta does not hold 28,000. Not a chance. It holds 20,000.
And you're mad to think anyone from the East, North or South bar the most obsessed will travel to Parra for a game. They won't. It's a logistical nightmare. And who has 2 hours of spare time anyway?

[wolves]

Also, we cannot instantly assume that all the support will come from the west. I know plenty of people from the Illawarra, who are keen on giving Sydney FC a go. The SFS is centrally located, allowing people that are coming from outside the metro areas to get to the game easily. Parramatta stadium is an arse to get too, and harbours so many bad demons of Australian Football. It was like the moon everytime i went there....no atmosphere

[Tancred]

kmpierce said:

obviously you have not been too Parra Stadium, you are closer to the field than at SFS, the playing surface was the best in the NSL,

I have been to Parramatta for International games and the NSL. I can remember all the sand on the pitch when Power played. I can also remember the tiny crowds Power were getting.

it holds 28,000 all seated, it is not owned by a rugby club but by the NSW government & run by the SFS trust

Have you ever been in the players areas at parra? I have. It's covered in league pictures/posters etc. Even Power felt like a 2nd class tennant there. At the moment Parramatta is very much a rugby league ground.

& yes all roads & transport go to the SFS but at what cost & how long to get there.

With the current joke that is the cityrail weekend timetable getting to Parra on the weekend is a complete waste of time. Getting to Central is a little easier.

The people of the Southern Shire & Northern Beachers want travel out of there area no matter where the games are

Do you really believe that people will drive from the Southern Shire to Parramatta to watch a game of football?

& the inner west & eastern suburbs are to up them selves to travel to the west.

Well considering that we have everything we need where we live why should we travel. Most people in the Inner West don't even consider Parramatta part of Sydney so why would we support a team from out there?

You talk about getting more than 25,000 fans every week, if that happens then the games should be at Homebush. If there is only 10 to 15 thousand the SFS would look empty so Parra Stadium is the the right place.

You point make no sense at all. Do you mean the 80K stadium at homebush? Or the round showground? Neither of them are what SFC needs.

Just accept it. The SYDNEY team is going to play at the SYDNEY football stadium. In the future, a WESTERN Sydney may play at Parra, or Penrith.

The SFS is the best football stadium in the state. It makes perfect sense that SFC would play there.

[nickkar]

I think it is a tough choice.
One problem with SFS is when multiple events are on in the area including circus events the thing becomes gridlock.
Some careful scheduling will be needed, when you add soccer into the equation, as there is already a great deal of juggling going on..
You won't have that exact problem elsewhere.
Paramatta Stadium is too far from the station, and
Concord isn't really near a lot of public transport.
There is a real trade off there.
I am not sure about the west being the demographic centre of soccer though. everyone who has contacted me about playing at my afternoon soccer match at Guildford lives more towards the east.

[Tancred]

nickkar said:

One problem with SFS is when multiple events are on in the area including circus events the thing becomes gridlock.

Traffic in the area is never good so I have no idea why people insist on driving to events there. If I lived in the West and for whatever reason refused to catch the train, I would probalby drive to burwood and train from there. That would avoid all the traffic & parking problems around the ground.

[Robbie]

This topic will be debated until the "west" get's a team. First off though it should concentrate on getting SydneyFC right before a second team is even thought of.

Initially I was against SFS and thought Parra was the best choice but I now believe (after being bribed and tortured from other forumites ) that SFS is the better stadium.

There is no point in calling SydneyFC what it is and having it based in Parramatta. Simple as that.

The advantages of SFS: Closer to the city for friday night matches, so ppl can go after work.

I don't agree on the whole public transport thing.
Both places are the same.
You have to catch a bus from either train station.

I actually believe Parra is more accessible.
F3 for Newcastle/Central Coast via Cumberland Highway.
M2 for Hills and North Sydney/Shore.
M4 for Concord/Homebush/Penrith/Blue Mountains and outer west of Liverpool/Fairfield. It's also accessible from Victoria Road, Parramatta Road. Both roads will get you next to Parra stadium. Neither Victoria Road or Parramatta Road will take you direct to SFS. Even though both roads are sh1te.

What SFS has is parking, Parramatta has street parking. So you can have all the roads/motorways/highway's leading to parra. There isn't sufficent parking at the stadium.

I think more familys will travel to parra then SFS. The population in the west is growing and will continue to grow as more land get's released. The sutherland shire/north shore is not going to have the same growth. The west also has more family's growing up and SydneyFC do want to be a family team.

Demographically Parramatta is central to the Sydney Metro population, Geographically Homebush is centre to Sydney.

Did I say that I think SFS is the best choice? Well I do, I feel it can create a better atmosphere then Parra and as I said earlier, no point in having a name labelled Sydney out of Parra. Just doesn't make sense.

Most importantly though there are more pubs to celebrate a win in the city then there is at Parra.
;D

[Blues]

Robbie said:

I don't agree on the whole public transport thing.
Both places are the same.
You have to catch a bus from either train station.

I actually believe Parra is more accessible.
F3 for Newcastle/Central Coast via Cumberland Highway.
M2 for Hills and North Sydney/Shore.
M4 for Concord/Homebush/Penrith/Blue Mountains and outer west of Liverpool/Fairfield. It's also accessible from Victoria Road, Parramatta Road. Both roads will get you next to Parra stadium. Neither Victoria Road or Parramatta Road will take you direct to SFS. Even though both roads are sh1te.

What SFS has is parking, Parramatta has street parking. So you can have all the roads/motorways/highway's leading to parra. There isn't sufficent parking at the stadium.

Have u tried parking there for a big game?? Been there a few times when the Eels used to get 20,000 + crowds and getting parking is beyond bad. The city is central to the north south and west, hell most of the westies head into the city anyway at night, and before you say anything Im born and raised in MT Druitt. But back to the point its crazy thinking Parra for the Sydney team. All train lines lead to central (and then a short bus trip to the ground. Only 1 train line goes to Parra.

And on another note most people dont class Parra as Sydney but as parra (same as penrith).