Newcastle in World Cup Soccer bid

[mighty tiges]

Hunter in World Cup Soccer bid
BY JACQUI JONES
08 Mar, 2010

NEWCASTLE is set to bid for a role in the most watched sporting event in the world, joining a national push to bring the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup, and its billion-dollar benefits, to Australia.

Ratepayers could pay up to $8 million for the privilege, but civic strategists believe the benefits to the city would be widespread and lasting.

Broadmeadow's EnergyAustralia Stadium has already been touted as a venue for a competition match.

Now Newcastle City Council is seeking to bring a piece of the action to up to six other sportsgrounds. Sites earmarked for training and base camps are the No.1 and No.2 sportsgrounds in Newcastle West, New Lambton's Arthur Edden and Harker ovals, Adamstown Oval and Wanderers Oval in Broadmeadow.

Councillors will consider tomorrow whether to sign up to the world cup bid.

Full article at:
http://www.theherald.com.au/news/lo...world-cup-soccer-bid/1769764.aspx?storypage=0

 

[Zidane98]

Hunter in World Cup Soccer bid
BY JACQUI JONES
08 Mar, 2010

NEWCASTLE is set to bid for a role in the most watched sporting event in the world, joining a national push to bring the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup, and its billion-dollar benefits, to Australia.

Ratepayers could pay up to $8 million for the privilege, but civic strategists believe the benefits to the city would be widespread and lasting.

Broadmeadow's EnergyAustralia Stadium has already been touted as a venue for a competition match.

Now Newcastle City Council is seeking to bring a piece of the action to up to six other sportsgrounds. Sites earmarked for training and base camps are the No.1 and No.2 sportsgrounds in Newcastle West, New Lambton's Arthur Edden and Harker ovals, Adamstown Oval and Wanderers Oval in Broadmeadow.

Councillors will consider tomorrow whether to sign up to the world cup bid.

Full article at:
http://www.theherald.com.au/news/lo...world-cup-soccer-bid/1769764.aspx?storypage=0

Good find, EAS is a shoe in for a venue show we win hosting rights; already being redeveloped into a 33K all seater, small cost required to install 7K of temporary seating. Will be a massive boon for Newcastle if they can get the ovals you mentioned upgraded to World Cup training standards.

 

[scotto_01]

very nice newcastle

upgrade EAS, aswell as upto 6 training venues, top stuff

good facilites, and a legacy for footblal (and nrl, who also play there)

take note of that yanks- leave a legacy for the game in your bid.

 

[Admiral Byng]

I don't think it is any surprise Newcastle being included in the bid. The only surprise is that even at this late stage (8 days past the deadline) nothing has actually been committed yet - they are still only talking about it.

 

[Rob]

As I understood it, Newcastle was a given. I didn't even think there was any debate about it.

Why is it going to council so late? And wouldn't a hell of a lot more than $6 to $8 million be needed to get it up to standard? You can't just add 10,000 scaffold seats.

 

[dr strange]

Interesting that they are spending money on training venues close to eas,it would be cheaper and spread the cup if the other local councils where used.Newcastle ratepayers will now have to pay for 6 improved grounds next to each other, what happens to other cities if they all have to supply training grounds within a 10km radius?

 

[Barkly St End]

Of course Newcastle was always going to be part of the bid - we don't have enough decent venues or host cities as it is!

It might only cost $8 million for the local council - but you can rest assured that the NSW State Govt will be up for hundreds of millions of dollars - and that's without even factoring in expenditure on stadiums.

 

[Zidane98]

I don't think it is any surprise Newcastle being included in the bid. The only surprise is that even at this late stage (8 days past the deadline) nothing has actually been committed yet - they are still only talking about it.

The council have come into only to put their hats in the ring for hosting training venues; it's the state governments that take the responsibility of organising each host city, not the local councils. Training venues will only be finalised based upon a successful bid, and probably not for many years to come.

 

[Beaussie]

Meanwhile, another day and another A-League club is set to be wound up for not paying their bills. The A-League is an absolute joke. How can any bid for a world cup by the FFA be taken seriously when the FFA's A-League is in such a financial mess?

"That's the part that hurts the most. They are trying to wind the club up over $300,000.

Constantine, who has never been an official sponsor of the Knights, does not dispute that the Jets owe the Knights money for the use of EnergyAustralia Stadium.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...-con-constantine/story-e6frexnr-1225838896819

 

[Barkly St End]

Every A-League club could disappear tomorrow, and soccer fans would still be on here claiming that it won't affect the bid one bit, that there is zero relationship between winning the bid and having a half-decent domestic comp.

 

[madmug]

Every A-League club could disappear tomorrow, and soccer fans would still be on here claiming that it won't affect the bid one bit, that there is zero relationship between winning the bid and having a half-decent domestic comp.

So if the Taxpayer stumps up the billions required for all this then after the WC event it will again cost probably hundreds of millions again to rectify many venues for other uses, or to be mothballed as white elephants. Obviously as many of us have said, the A-league will never be able to afford to use expensive International stadiums as it hardly attracts crowds now & clearly has a poor prognosis. Our brightest & best will always go off to Europe, Asia etc where the $$$$ are. Our 4th rate comp will struggle to survive. I hope our polititians arent so stupid as to bankroll this prospective blackhole event.

 

[scotto_01]

As I understood it, Newcastle was a given. I didn't even think there was any debate about it.

Why is it going to council so late? And wouldn't a hell of a lot more than $6 to $8 million be needed to get it up to standard? You can't just add 10,000 scaffold seats.

nsw/newcy gov (cant recall which) is currently spending 40-50 mil to rebuild the main grandstand.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

nsw/newcy gov (cant recall which) is currently spending 40-50 mil to rebuild the main grandstand.

The NSW govt has given funding for the upgrade to 30,000 so it can be in the running to host games if Oz win the right to host the 2015 Asian Cup. At the moment we are the only bidder. You need 30,000 seats to be an Asian Cup ground, at the moment they have around 20,000 seats + 10,000 standing.

http://www.austadiums.com/news/news.php?id=364

Newcastle stadium to get $20m upgrade
Tuesday 27th May 2008

Newcastle's NRL and A-League teams have received a boost with the NSW government granting a further $20 million to redevelop and upgrade EnergyAustralia Stadium.

The three-stage development will modernised the dated stadium facilities and replace the existing western grandstand, increasing the crowd capacity from 33,000 to 40,000 by the end of 2010.

http://www.austadiums.com/news/news.php?id=364

Not sure if this was an additional $10mil from the Feds or the story above was incorrect to say that NSW govt gave $20mil as it could be $10mil from each government.

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/mr-yr08-ke-ke006.htm

Joint Release
The Hon Kate Ellis MP
Minister for Sport

Sharon Grierson MP
Member for Newcastle

1 April 2008
KE08/06

The Rudd Government has reaffirmed its commitment of $10 million to help drive upgrades to Energy Australia Stadium in Newcastle.

Visiting the stadium, the Minister for Sport, Kate Ellis, and the Member for Newcastle, Sharon Grierson, said the Government would deliver on its election commitment to contribute towards the redevelopment and upgrade of the stadium.

“Our commitment of $10 million, together with funding from the NSW state government, will help with the development of a new western grandstand and upgrade player change rooms and warm up facilities,” Ms Ellis said.

“The funding will also support improvements to the stadium’s ambulance, police and security areas.”

The funding was provided for in the Appropriation Bill No 3 introduced in the Senate on 11 March, which, once passed by Parliament, will deliver $7 million this financial year, with the remaining $3 million available in 2008-09.

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/mr-yr08-ke-ke006.htm


As Rob said above Newcastle is a given, Oz can't produce 12 venues FIFA have requested and with the current restriction of only one city being able to provide 2 venues, without Newcastle being part of the bid. So this is about the council upgrading local grounds to become training grounds around the city so that one or more teams base themselves in Newcastle during the world cup.

 

[Zidane98]

Meanwhile, another day and another A-League club is set to be wound up for not paying their bills. The A-League is an absolute joke. How can any bid for a world cup by the FFA be taken seriously when the FFA's A-League is in such a financial mess?

That's an old story and Newcastle Jets are rightly refusing to pay the Newcastle Knights anything until they sort out their dispute over ground maintenance & upkeep, which affects the Jets, who sublease the venue from the Knights. Nothing to do with the Jets not being financially viable, Constantine is behind them 100% of the way. For the record, 3 out of 10 A League clubs are making a profit - an excellent result for a league only 5 years old. West Coast Eagles, Adelaide Crows, Collingwood, Hawks, Essendon and Richmond are the only clubs making a profit in the AFL and not bleeding money.

I'd be more worried about the likes of North Melbourne, Melbourne Demons, Port Power & even the Sydney Swans, when the AFL cuts off their lifelines (which they will do in tougher times) they are going to disappear off the face of the earth unless they can find suitable investors. North Melbourne by all rights should have folded and are only kept alive because Demteriou is a North fan.

 

[Barkly St End]

In this Roar article:
http://www.theroar.com.au/2010/03/09/afl-club-finances-for-2009/
with the info sourced from The Sunday Age, this is what we find of the fore-mentioned clubs:

Melbourne: 31,506 members; $0.02 million profit

Port Adelaide: 30,605 members; $1.57 million profit

North Melbourne: 28,340 members; $0.60 million profit

Western Bulldogs: 28,215 members; $0.24 million profit

Sydney: 26,269 members; $0.75 million loss

 

[dr strange]

The issue with the training grounds is that they have chosen to upgrade the 6 closest venues to the stadium and ignored superior less costly venues away from the stadium.If the feds do supply funding for training venues should they all be situated adjacent to the main stadium?

 

[stmookeyj]

The issue with the training grounds is that they have chosen to upgrade the 6 closest venues to the stadium and ignored superior less costly venues away from the stadium.If the feds do supply funding for training venues should they all be situated adjacent to the main stadium?

If they're more easily accessible and will get better facilities than those that are further away I see no problem.

 

[Copernicus]

I wasn't aware this needed an announcement? It's always been my belief that Newcastle was a given, with its large population and a stadium that is one small upgrade away from being basically WC-ready.

 

[Barkly St End]

I wasn't aware this needed an announcement? It's always been my belief that Newcastle was a given, with its large population and a stadium that is one small upgrade away from being basically WC-ready.

Yes - it's a Clayton's announcement - the sort you have when you have nothing else to announce because nothing has happened - being now exactly 12 days over the Minister's original deadline for her Taskforce to have sorted it all out.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

I wasn't aware this needed an announcement? It's always been my belief that Newcastle was a given, with its large population and a stadium that is one small upgrade away from being basically WC-ready.

This isn't about the stadium it's about the training grounds. As you said a Newcastle stadium to play WC games is a given. Anywhere from one to four or five nations might base their campaign out of Newcastle. The FFA bid has to cover training ground facilities but I don't know what government guarantees have to be given in the Bid Book the FFA lodge with FIFA in May.

So if the federal and state government have said they wont provide all or any of the funding for training venues, it will be up to the councils or the soccer clubs in each city to upgrade their facilities to attract teams to base themselves in the town.

So it's the council saying they are going to get games in Newcastle, but why don't we make a contribution to have excellent training facilities so several countries base themselves in Newcastle and spend money there, rather than being based in Sydney and drive/fly up for the day and the city getting minimal spend of the WC largess? Imagine if Germany who probably are favourites to play to the semi final stage, ended up in Newcastle rather than Sydney because they thought the training facilities were fantastic and being in a smaller city was better preparation for the players. The German media would go and base themselves in Newcastle as well as some German fans and the amount of $$$ spent in the town would be greater. If you thrown in another heavyweight like Spain or France or Argentina then the economic impact will be greater again for Newcastle.

Just like the different cities were bidding to host Olympic soccer in 2000 because there was an economic spin off, the cities which have WC stadiums will be trying there hardest to attract as many teams as possible to set up camp in their cities.