Liberal party plan for world-class stadium

[The Karma Bus]

Of course the sanfl expect all that, theyre greedy.. God forbid they lend any cash to invest in the future or put any of their own cash in.. They must be loaded..

 

[Southerntakeover]

The SANFL is pathetic. Just watch, Soccer will get a wikid stadium even closer to the city, attendances will keep going up whilst ours stagnates (even declines...going by port).


Geezers.

Yeah, they're really going to build adelaide united a huge city stadium now.

 

[KingsCrow]

Well to me it would make more sense to build a new soccer stadium for AU considering they are keen to move to a bigger stadium. Also the World Cup and all.

 

[KingsCrow]

Anyway, heres a cool stadium I was looking at. Its the 1936 Olympic Stadium in Germany. When they were building it Hilter came along and said, nope make it bigger, so they dug into the ground to make it bigger.

Would look good in Adelaide, and would not be as visible if the stadium were partly underground. I like it, looks goods. They even used it for the 06 WC

 

[The Karma Bus]

Well to me it would make more sense to build a new soccer stadium for AU considering they are keen to move to a bigger stadium. Also the World Cup and all.

Its a definite chance to happen for soccer, remember the adelaide united chairman had been developing plans to build a city stadium.. He's also an executive at Bianco who are rolling in cash these days and always happy to use it, especially for soccer..

Footy will be left behind and its the bigger sport.. Meh

 

[Redline]

The soccer administrators have more 'balls' than the SANFL who seem stuck on this vision from 30 years ago. As a tax payer I would love to see my taxes go into a 50,000 seat multi purpose stadium or a 25,000 or whatever seat soccer stadium. I will be furious if the Government put good money after bad and put anything towards AAMI Stadium. No matter how much they tip into it the stadium will never be world class and will always be out of date.

 

[The Karma Bus]

The soccer administrators have more 'balls' than the SANFL who seem stuck on this vision from 30 years ago. As a tax payer I would love to see my taxes go into a 50,000 seat multi purpose stadium or a 25,000 or whatever seat soccer stadium. I will be furious if the Government put good money after bad and put anything towards AAMI Stadium. No matter how much they tip into it the stadium will never be world class and will always be out of date.

Totally agree with you.. Nah we will just continue with no vision for years down the track.. Soccer seems full of more robust businessmen with hunger, sanfl is still old fogeys thinking 'it will do'

 

[NikkiNoo]

Anyway, heres a cool stadium I was looking at. Its the 1936 Olympic Stadium in Germany. When they were building it Hilter came along and said, nope make it bigger, so they dug into the ground to make it bigger.

Would look good in Adelaide, and would not be as visible if the stadium were partly underground. I like it, looks goods. They even used it for the 06 WC

When it was originally built, Germany was bankrupt, they had over 5 million unemployed and Hitler spent 42 million Reichmark on building a Stadium! He also forced the unemployed to work on the stadium.

Yes it was used in the world cup - after it had to be refurbished at a cost of about 286 million euros. It took 4 years and was only completed in 2004. Can you tell me where we are going to get the money from to do something similar in Adelaide?

 

[kirky]

Aussie Rules has built AAMI predominantly with its own money. Only in the last 10 years has it got funding from the government for northern stand.

Any stadium in Adelaide needs AFL to make it a commercially viable - end of story. Reality check - have a look at Melbourne, it has 3.5 times our population and yet it only has two stadium of 50k plus (Telstra Dome and MCG). Enough said.

Those that follow soccer have to get real and stop think this Disneyland, they currently have a stadium at Hindmarsh Stadium (which is reasonably close to the city on a main arterial and a train station nearby) and they can't sell it out now! The taxpayers (read Government) are not going to foot the bill for what could be a white elephant (if it doesn't have AFL). If soccer wants it, then soccer can fund it from within its own resources with minimal government funding.

Whilst I think it would be fantastic to hold the World Cup - our time zone and seasons will not see it get the nod (we would have more chance holding the Olympics). To think otherwise is again, fanciful.

 

[Mad Dog]

When it was originally built, Germany was bankrupt, they had over 5 million unemployed and Hitler spent 42 million Reichmark on building a Stadium! He also forced the unemployed to work on the stadium.

Yes it was used in the world cup - after it had to be refurbished at a cost of about 286 million euros. It took 4 years and was only completed in 2004. Can you tell me where we are going to get the money from to do something similar in Adelaide?

probably....

 

[kirky]

Totally agree with you.. Nah we will just continue with no vision for years down the track.. Soccer seems full of more robust businessmen with hunger, sanfl is still old fogeys thinking 'it will do'

Let them use their own money then instead of the government bailing them out! Their sport can't sustain a stadium in its own right. End of story.

 

[Southerntakeover]

Let them use their own money then instead of the government bailing them out! Their sport can't sustain a stadium in its own right. End of story.

Yeah, its amazing that people will praise soccer for demanding that someone else build them a stadium, whilst at the same time bagging football for sticking to the stadium THEY OWN.

 

[brucetiki]

Why does soccer need a new stadium anyway when Adelaide United never fills the relatively centrally-located Hindmarsh? Wouldn't a new stadium at the site of the old Adelaide Gaol/police barricks precint have the same 'location' issues as Hindmarsh?

IF (and I say IF) Australia hosts the 2018 World Cup, then a simple solution for soccer would be to extend the seating at Hindmarsh - as the player and pitch facilties at Hindmarsh are pretty good from what I gather (and aren't they already at FIFA standards). Simply extend the top tier on Holden St around the whole ground (although this is probably not possible at the northern end because it would most likely stretch out well onto Manton St). Could also put in new seating in the corners of the stadium, and possibly extend the current top tier by 5-10 rows. Then install 2 new video scoreboards at either end of the stadium (and put in a proper PA system) and there we have it.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Only problem with that idea is that a stadium has to hold 40,000 to be included as a world cup stadium. Hindmarsh holds about 17,000. You would need to put the two roads under ground to have enough room to build the grandstands and room for people to move etc. Like the WAFC proposed in their 3 stage redevelopment plan of Subi announced a year or 2 ago.

Given all that hassle and cost it probably is more efficient to build a new 40,000+ seater. However could soccer sustain a stadium which would also attract rugby union and rugby league games?? I don't think so, but if AU and the SA soccer federation can get some one who is able to cough up the money good luck to them.

These guys think they can, but that's because they are looking at it from a precinct development rather than just a soccer stadium point of view. And they still want funding from state and federal governments.

Soccers $270m grand Adelaide plan

 

[KingsCrow]

When it was originally built, Germany was bankrupt, they had over 5 million unemployed and Hitler spent 42 million Reichmark on building a Stadium! He also forced the unemployed to work on the stadium.

Yes it was used in the world cup - after it had to be refurbished at a cost of about 286 million euros. It took 4 years and was only completed in 2004. Can you tell me where we are going to get the money from to do something similar in Adelaide?

5 million unemployed, just after the great depression and with a population of 64million. Soon the country was nearly at full employment and one of the most powerful on earth. Didn't make them go broke.

 

[Vader]

http://www.afc.com.au/tabid/4417/Default.aspx?newsid=56357

Crows committed to AAMI Stadium
Author: Calum Young 4:40 PM Fri 14 March, 2008

For the first time in a decade South Australia’s most fierce football rivals are united in one message; AAMI Stadium is the home of football in this State.

The SANFL – in partnership with Adelaide and Port Adelaide today confirmed their commitment to AAMI Stadium and its redevelopment, as opposed to a multi-purpose built stadium in the city.

In a press conference at AAMI Stadium, SANFL Commissioner Leigh Whicker sat beside Port Adelaide Chairman Greg Boulton, Adelaide Chairman Bill Sanders and CEO Steven Trigg in voicing their desire to stay at West Lakes.

“Whilst the Power and Crows are fierce rivals as competitors in the AFL competition, they are as equally as fiercely protective of football and its image in this State,” Whicker said.

“It is with their approval and their support that I can say that both strongly support the retention and continued use of AAMI Stadium as the home of football in South Australia.”

Adelaide CEO Steven Trigg acknowledged that it was unusual for both clubs to be working together and sharing such a strong stance.

“It’s a very rare occasion that we stand side by side with Port Adelaide and if you like in arm and arm,” Trigg said.

“We’ve had a lot of discussion about this topic and what it might mean to our two clubs. We have a very agreed unified position.”

Trigg said AAMI Stadium provides competitive advantage for both the Crows and Power, an issue not yet heavily focused on in the debate.

Both clubs have long held a strong home ground advantage, something Trigg said was not quite the case for tenants of Melbourne’s Telstra Dome.

“I think South Australian’s need to understand how perhaps privileged we are that both clubs are as successful as they have been,” Trigg said.

“In recent years Adelaide and Port rank in the top three with West Coast in winning games and that is about home ground advantage. It’s not all about it but it’s significantly our home ground advantage.

“That competitive advantage is something that our counterparts in Victoria would like to have. And it’s interesting of course that our record at Telstra Dome is arguably as good on a win-loss ratio as some of the tenants there because they don’t train on their ground.

“I have no doubt that a new facility here would mean we wouldn’t train on it, we wouldn’t get the access and competitive advantage would be lost.”

While the AAMI Stadium redevelopment would prove cost effective and provide benefits to public transport via a light rail system also, the clear message is that football needs to stay at AAMI Stadium.

Trigg said it was the best option going forward for the Adelaide Football Club.

“If you bring it back to club land we say that competitive advantage is here, both clubs stand side by side on it,” Trigg said.

“AAMI Stadium is where we aim to be, where we want to be, and we are backing the SANFL and their calls for the stadium redevelopment.”
Source: afc.com.au

Interesting that Triggy puts the home ground advantage down to the ability to train on the ground.

I'd say there are a couple of other fairly significant factors:
The one-sidedness of the crowds, making positive noise for the home team and relative silence for the oppostition. There have been some interesting studies done on the impact crowd noise makes on umpiring decisions.
The frequency with which the team plays on the ground - we play at TD 4 or 5 times per year, Vic teams play Footy Park once per year, twice if they're unlucky (not counting finals).

This is not to say that training on the ground has no effect - I'm sure it does, particularly when it comes to kicking for goal with a fickle breeze blowing.

 

[brucetiki]

With all this talk about stadiums, here's a bit of an odd one about the Georgia Dome receiving some decent storm damage that happened the other night (though why would you be playing a college basketball game in a 150 000 seat arena)

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3294382

ATLANTA -- A severe storm ripped a hole in the roof of the Georgia Dome during the Southeastern Conference tournament Friday, delaying Mississippi State's 69-67 overtime win over Alabama for more than an hour and postponing a game between Georgia and Kentucky.



As Mississippi State led 64-61 with 2:11 left in overtime, a loud blast was heard inside the dome. The girders near the dome's roof began to swing, and a gaping section of the north part of the roof was ripped open, dropping debris that included nuts and bolts.


Players and coaches from the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide were sent to the locker room along with the coaches' wives and children, and stadium officials began to evacuate fans in the upper reaches of the stadium. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the Atlanta area at 9:26 p.m. ET after radar indicated a storm capable of producing a tornado located about six miles west of Atlanta.



Tyler Williams, from Knoxville, Tenn., said he was sitting in section 128, six rows behind the home-team bench.

"It sounded like a freight train," Williams said. "The rafters were swaying, and the roof of the dome was starting to ripple.

"It was a little frightening to say the least."

SEC officials said early Saturday that the Georgia-Kentucky game will be played at noon Saturday at Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The winner of that game will have to return in the evening to face Mississippi State in the semifinals.

The other semifinal between No. 4 Tennessee and Arkansas will be played at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Television production crews had already moved their equipment late Friday night from the stadium to Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The arena seats only 9,100, so ticketing will be an issue, and it can't hold the 200 potential media members who cover the event.


Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie said late Friday that he still didn't know if the Wildcats would be playing Saturday. He said the team was warming up to go on the court when they were told the game wouldn't be played.

Gillispie wasn't in favor of playing two games in a day if the Wildcats won and advanced to the semifinals but said he didn't think any coach would be in favor of that scenario, which he said would be unfair.


An NCAA official told ESPN.com by e-mail from Indianapolis that commissioner Mike Slive, who is on the NCAA tournament selection committee, was monitoring the situation. The tournament bracket has to be done by 6 p.m. Sunday night for the CBS selection show. The NCAA official said it was too soon to talk about a Plan B if the SEC can't provide an automatic qualifier by the time the bracket is announced. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday afternoon on CBS.

Also, an NCAA official e-mailed ESPN.com and said the NCAA will plan accordingly on Saturday morning on how the SEC situation affects the selection, seeding and bracketing process.

Semifinalists Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi State were all likely in the field but at least one of the remaining quarterfinalists -- Kentucky -- needs the games to ensure a berth. Georgia, Kentucky's opponent, must win the tournament to earn a berth.

In addition, Tennessee is in contention for a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament, so not playing games could affect its status in the seeding process.

SEC spokesman Charles Bloom said SEC officials spent time Friday assessing whether the games could be played in the Georgia Dome because of the damage caused by the storm. With more bad weather expected in the area early Saturday morning, it's expected the dome could sustain even more damage.

"That's one of the issues we're talking about, whether we can still be in the building," Bloom said. "There's more bad weather coming and we're not sure what those [storm] cells will bring."

On the exterior of the north side of the dome, long metal panels littered the parking lot and lawns Friday night as the Mississippi State-Alabama game resumed after a 63-minute delay. Full-grown trees lay uprooted, and large, 30-foot traffic signs directing patrons where to park sat turned over.

Eddie Smith, a bus driver who was shuttling media members from the dome to a downtown hotel, said the bus parked in front of him in a Georgia Dome parking lot began rocking back and forth and nearly tipped over during the storm.

"It blew up the hatches on top of the bus," he said. "I thought it was going to tip over."

With crews on hand to fix downed power poles across the street, security personnel began to usher people back inside around 10:20 p.m. as another storm approached.

Next door, at the Georgia World Congress Center, where an ROTC ball hosting 11 high schools was underway before the storm hit, windows were blown out throughout the area and several girls walked without shoes, their feet bleeding.

At the adjoining Philips Arena, the Atlanta Hawks were able to finish their 7:30 p.m. NBA game against the Los Angeles Clippers, a 117-93 win for Atlanta.



Mark Schlabach covers college football and men's college basketball for ESPN.com. You can contact him at schlabachma@yahoo.com. Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.

 

[Mego Red]

Anyway, heres a cool stadium I was looking at. Its the 1936 Olympic Stadium in Germany. When they were building it Hilter came along and said, nope make it bigger, so they dug into the ground to make it bigger.

Would look good in Adelaide, and would not be as visible if the stadium were partly underground. I like it, looks goods. They even used it for the 06 WC

I'm starting to change my tune on all this - and I promise it isn't just because the conversation has devolved to some guys called Hilter and stadiums built in the 30's.

I think the stadium in West Lakes is fine IF there is money spent improving it and its surroundings; there is a strategy to continue to improve getting people in and out of the city and to the stadium; and there is a better strategy about increasing footy's role in a day's entertainment - making it easier for folks to do things before the game and have fun after it (get them to Crows bars or restaurants, etc).

 

[crowie]

I have absolutely no intention of going to AAMI again, at least not regularly. I love watching the Crows but not that much. The hassle of getting to the stadium then having to watch the game in a glorified concrete ashtray just doesn't appeal to me anymore.

Look around the world, Yankee Stadium - 'the house that Ruth built' is just about to be replaced by a new state of the art stadium. Probably the most iconic stadium in America.

The fooball public in this state are being ripped off. South Australia is a joke, I love this state but Pie Floaters and Iced Coffees aren't enough anymore.

I've never voted for the Libs but I'd seriously think about it if a new stadium was in the package.

Build us a new stadium, until then I've got Fox.

 

[relapse]

Looks like ive been completely vindicated.

For what ?

It's not the logical solution its just the solution that the SANFL wants they dont care about what the footy public want or growing the game. How can a group of 60-70 year old people who refuse to acknowledge the plain and simple fact that their vision from 35 years ago has not stood the test of time. They are refusing look any further ahead than until they retire (which is all they care about) they will then leave the next generation of people running the SANFL with this problem. It will eventually become an even bigger problem in the long term.

This is pretty much the same senario as the SANFL joining the AFL everyone knew it was what everyone wanted and would grow football in SA, but the SANFL continued to try and stop it from happening as long as they could.

The only thing which has been confirmed again is how out of touch the SANFL actually are. Eventually this decision will be something that will come back and be a disaster for this state in the long run.

 

[Southerntakeover]

For what ?

It's not the logical solution its just the solution that the SANFL wants they dont care about what the footy public want or growing the game. How can a group of 60-70 year old people who refuse to acknowledge the plain and simple fact that their vision from 35 years ago has not stood the test of time. They are refusing look any further ahead than until they retire (which is all they care about) they will then leave the next generation of people running the SANFL with this problem. It will eventually become an even bigger problem in the long term.

This is pretty much the same senario as the SANFL joining the AFL everyone knew it was what everyone wanted and would grow football in SA, but the SANFL continued to try and stop it from happening as long as they could.

The only thing which has been confirmed again is how out of touch the SANFL actually are. Eventually this decision will be something that will come back and be a disaster for this state in the long run.

Lol, i dont care for the emotive bleating. BTW, this 'the SANFL dont care about football because they wont build a stadium which is near my house' line is crap. Stop whining about having to take a bus, its not that big a deal.

I was vindicated because i spent quite a bit of time pointing out that this plan was poorly thought out, and that none of the major sporting bodies in SA would be interested. (Soccer isnt a major sporting body).

 

[KingsCrow]

Its just that thinking that will ruin Aussie Rules strangle hold on South Australia.


We wont come to you, you come to us!

Time is money, Petrol is money and people expect more and more every year. Soccer isn't a major sporting body, but in 10-20 years it will be, not just because of its own doing, but because of the backward thinking of the Aussie Rules administration.

 

[Southerntakeover]

Its just that thinking that will ruin Aussie Rules strangle hold on South Australia.


We wont come to you, you come to us!

Time is money, Petrol is money and people expect more and more every year. Soccer isn't a major sporting body, but in 10-20 years it will be, not just because of its own doing, but because of the backward thinking of the Aussie Rules administration.

Christ, are you always this hysterical?

I hate to point this out, but the SANFL going into huge debt to move to a stadium where they have an inferior ownership arrangement is NOT whats best for football in this state. You only want them to do this because you're too damn slack to get on a bus and support your team. Thats entirely on you. Claiming the downfall of a sport, because they havent catered to your laziness is amazing. If you dont want to go, there are plenty that do. Sell outs every game.

As far as soccer goes, i love this logic. Firstly, i doubt they get a stadium anywhere, their figures just wouldnt support it. Secondly, if they do, who cares? I love when people act like just having a soccer game near by will make people turn their backs on AFL.

 

[KingsCrow]

Only when I am passionate about something.

Call me lazy or whatever. But if I go to a football game it effectively wipes out an entire night/day. Ofcourse I like to support the Crows, but I also have a life.

owning half a stadium which will exist for as long as Adelaide stands, is something the SANFL would love to hold onto. Incurring a huge debt, well they could pay it off with Government assistance, but from then on, just like the MCG, SCG and Gabba, lots of the upgrades will be paid for by the Government.

Making people choose between a soccer game where they can go to town afterwards or a football game which takes up a whole day/night will persuade a few people to change their sporting priorities.

 

[Southerntakeover]

Only when I am passionate about something.

Call me lazy or whatever. But if I go to a football game it effectively wipes out an entire night/day. Ofcourse I like to support the Crows, but I also have a life.

owning half a stadium which will exist for as long as Adelaide stands, is something the SANFL would love to hold onto. Incurring a huge debt, well they could pay it off with Government assistance, but from then on, just like the MCG, SCG and Gabba, lots of the upgrades will be paid for by the Government.

Making people choose between a soccer game where they can go to town afterwards or a football game which takes up a whole day/night will persuade a few people to change their sporting priorities.

So you want to attend games, but dont actually want to have to put in any effort/commitment to do so? and you beleive that the SANFL owes it to you to go into hundreds of millions of debt to make sure that you can go to games and 'have a life'. Hell, why dont they just move the games to your backyard to make it real easy on you.

Guess what... people go to town after Crows games. I do it after every home game (except sunday day games, those suck). Hell, its even easier this year because they have busses that will take me directly from the shed to town from an hour after the game.

Noone will change their 'sporting priorities' at all, that crap. If you are won over by something like a stadium location, then you really never had the priority to start with.