The Swans home situation after 2003?

[Sydneyfan]

The Swans are playing 3 matches at Stadium Australia this year and plan to do so next year as far as I know. But, I remember a while back hearing that the Swans had a contract to play a certain amount of games out of the SCG until 2003. I'm pretty sure that the Swans are keen to keep the SCG as their home base and play a couple of games each year out of Stadium Australia (just like this year).

But I was wondering whether anyone knew the Swans precise intentions when it comes to their home ground after 2003?


Cheers,

Ben

 

[TheMase]

I was under the impression that after 2003, they would play around five games a year at Stadium Australia. With the other 6 or 7 to be played out of the SCG.

The SCG as far as I know is still being expanded. I dont know whether they made further developments this summer or not.

The SCG used to have a capacity of 41000. Now it has a capacity of 46000. They plan to extend this out to 56000 by a few years time. I am not exactly sure when the projected date is.

I think in the future we will see a split between the two ground. Half of the games at each ground. I think this is a fairly good idea. I love the SCG, but it just gets me excited to think about seeing a packed SA watching a swans game.

 

[Sydneyfan]

Cool, thanks for that TheMase

It should be good see to the Swans at Stadium Australia, it should also be good to a bigger and better SCG, I like the changes they've recently done to the place, it should be good when they've completed their restructure of the place.

Funny thing is by the time they finish redeveloping the SCG to have a capacity of around 56,000 it won't be incredibly lower than Stadium Australia's capacity for AFL matches, which if memory serves me correctly is around the 72,000 to 75,000 mark.

 

[TheMase]

Originally posted by Sydneyfan
Cool, thanks for that TheMase

It should be good see to the Swans at Stadium Australia, it should also be good to a bigger and better SCG, I like the changes they've recently done to the place, it should be good when they've completed their restructure of the place.

Funny thing is by the time they finish redeveloping the SCG to have a capacity of around 56,000 it won't be incredibly lower than Stadium Australia's capacity for AFL matches, which if memory serves me correctly is around the 72,000 to 75,000 mark.

Well I have heard so many figures about that.

Last time I heard a figure, they said it would be 77,000.
But I have also continually heard 71,000 - 75,000 aswell.

But yes you are right anyway, they will be fairly similar in size.

I think this could really work for the swans here.
Because if support goes up, which it really should as the code develops in NSW. Then the lower profile matches can be played out of the SCG, where they should easily get 56,000 (in the future). The the most high profile matches (fill the stadium more) such as the Essendons and Collingwood matches would be played out of Stadium Australia, and because of the biggest support for these matches, they will probably nearly fill that aswell.

You have to remember, that these are all future predictions though! And I am certainly not a prophet!

 

[Sydneyfan]

The best thing about the increased capacity is that a greater number of non-membership supporters or casual supporters of the Swans (or other clubs playing in Sydney) will be able to go to the matches. I have a couple of mates who are casual supporters of the Swans they go to a couple of games a year and aren't members. A couple of times in the past they're being annoyed since they'd be games which they'd want to go to but didn't arrange to get the tickets in time before they'd run out, which they thought was fair enough, but they'd be annoyed when they'd watch the tv and see plenty of empty members seats.

I also had a couple of mates were annoyed when they'd go to games and be lumped in the crappy seats far from the action but I told them the solution was to become members!

I was wondering whether anyone knew if the Sydney membership figure will not longer be capped since the SCG (and Stadium Australia) are capable of holding more people than in the past?