Do we all dislike ANZ because of the time it takes to travel by train? Are we demonstrating that the Swans are really a Bondi/Paddington/Coogee/Randwick based Football Club?
Stadium Australia was positioned at the geographical centre of Sydney, so that more Sydneysiders can enjoy sport!
I was a fan of it at first, and it's fairly easy to get to for me. It has really gone downhill in the last 10 years or so though. The surface seems to be regularly substandard, the atmosphere is sterile, the ground staff are surly and inflexible, the post-game options are negligible, they brought kick to kick back and then mysteriously stopped it and the beer is the worst I have ever tasted.
Today's a draft of your epitaph
For me, the reason I hate going there is to do with the angles of the seating. The ground level and the stands slope back too much so that you feel a long way from the play. I've had seats on all levels and at both sides of the ground (don't like sitting behind goals, so haven't tried there) and have experienced this wherever I've been. We are currently on aisle 129 (to the left of the Swans bench) and can't see see the edges of the playing area on our side, even though we are 22 rows back.
If the seating was steeper, like at the SCG, you would be able to see the play better and also feel closer to it.
There are many seats on the ends of the sides of the ground that are actually facing at an angle away from the play. I've sat there, too.
BTW, I live 15 mins from the ground and I think they have a good parking system in P1 carpark. I just HATE the view from the seats (and not impressed with the standard of the surface).
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke
Pretty much sums it up for me. Another aspect is that despite the record membership, a lot of supporters, long and short term, will only ever be general admission types. At ANZ the seating arrangement coupled with the general design has the knock on effect of 'punishing' anyone for not wanting to or not being able to shell out a bit more then say Gold seating. Not the case at any other stadium that I can recall.
That sums is up for me. I've been to many a sporting stadium around the world watching various sports, and few are as lousy to watch games at than ANZ, and the lack of steepness on the bottom level is one of the key contributors to this. The Red Zone seats really are pretty ordinary at ANZ, especially when you compare it to the great seats at the SCG you get in the same membership category.
"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."
Here's the response I got today to my terse email to the Swans about our ongoing requirement to play games away from our home ground to satisfy the AFL's contact with the Stadium:
Thank you for your email.
I can confirm that the current contract between the AFL and ANZ Stadium expires at the end of the 2016 season.
Should they wish to resign, is something you will need to discuss with the AFL. As the club does not determine the location, times or dates of our games, this is solely determined by the AFL.
From a clubs perspective, we look forward to our blockbuster games at ANZ Stadium.
With the opportunity to hold 30,000 more Swans fans at the venue along with the modern facilities and ease of access through the free public transport, the club will continue to enjoy playing our 3 games at ANZ Stadium for the duration of the contract between the AFL and ANZ Stadium.
Kind Regards,
Swans Membership
Playing there vs not playing there is another issue.
All I'm saying is that if we do play there, it's not against the Pies....
SCG is still developing with plans to build new replacement stands at the existing Churchill and O'Reilly Stands. The Swans are especially keen about the former development, with the expansion of administrative quarters planned at the back of the new Grandstand. I understand that by 2020, there will be a tram service from the city to Moore Park, a glass retractable roof for the next door Football Stadium, and capacities of about 53,000 for the SCG and 50,000 for the SFS.
We will never see crowds of 60,000 plus again at Homebush. Even for the 2012 Preliminary against Collingwood, the crowd was less than 59,000. Time for the Sydney Swans and the AFL to throw in the towel with ANZ, and make it a permanent rectangular ground for the the rugby codes and soccer. (And the Sydney Thunder can play their Big Bash cricket next door at Spotless).
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