Sydney AFL Stadium Thread

[BeeEmmAre]

Someone at NSWAFL central would need to elaborate on the financials. I believe when the finals were played at Wagener crowds were great and the league made money and a similar story since moving to Henson. I believe a Campbelltown finals series is a financial fizzer. Mac Uni....I dont know. Were the league kicked off here or did they leave of their own accord???? If it was a hit they would never have left i guess.

I always have the feeling the NSWAFL see the Sydney competition as a necessary burden on all levels. The success of footy in Sydney is measured by the number of draftees and nothing else. Seems wrong. On this premise the league would only act on a proposal at mac uni of they thought the boofs in victoria would give them a wrap for doing it....and if it only benefits the local league then i say fat chance

You underestimate a great administrator like Garry Burkinshaw. As you should know by what he did up your way. Give him the same amount of time he took to clean up the Black Diamond and you will see a big difference.
Point 1: 2008 draws are all but out now, rather than in February.

[Coastal Boy]

[/QUOTE]

By far and away Mac Uni's ground is the best in Sydney Football.

I believe there is an opportunity there for the AFL/SFL to take advantage of the Uni funding uncertainty and underwrite an upgrade of the facilities there. Hey, perhaps rafters could even get his pokies there as well (only joking....)

If the NSWAFL was prepared to invest in some serious infrastructure there and base their admin and centres of excellence at North Ryde then they could build a long-term plan for a real home. Night games, Swans trials, U-18 State games, Senior State games, School carnivals, Teal Cup, the list goes on and IMO it is just waiting to be developed. They have the land and need the cash, AFL needs a home and money should be available.

Not saying bugger Blacktown but I see this as a great cost-effective supplement.

Plus, it is centrally located to the game's Sydney heartland (whether you like it or not). Plenty of parking, near the motorway and business districts the location has it all.....

A no-brainer IMO. Get a deal done guys....[/QUOTE]

Someone at NSWAFL central would need to elaborate on the financials. I believe when the finals were played at Wagener crowds were great and the league made money and a similar story since moving to Henson. I believe a Campbelltown finals series is a financial fizzer. Mac Uni....I dont know. Were the league kicked off here or did they leave of their own accord???? If it was a hit they would never have left i guess.

I always have the feeling the NSWAFL see the Sydney competition as a necessary burden on all levels. The success of footy in Sydney is measured by the number of draftees and nothing else. Seems wrong. On this premise the league would only act on a proposal at mac uni of they thought the boofs in victoria would give them a wrap for doing it....and if it only benefits the local league then i say fat chance

[Splinters]

Hey lads, Mac Uni should be vastly improved for the 2008 season. I thought it was pretty good for 2007 and prior, but the oval is now purely for AFL use. The cricketers have been "merged" with Gordon and have no use of it at all whih has allowed it to develop over summer.

Also with Sydney FC moving in, it has put a big cash injection into the ground staff, their "training" etc, as you can imagine the soccer boys only want to play on perfect %'d rye, oats and whatever, so the groundsmen have had to improve on their skills to accommodate so hopefully this will rub off onto Roger Sheeran - which it has already - to a degree that even with all the rain of late in Sydney, we have kept training through and the ground shows no sign of any damage. We have told them though that the far side needs better work as it gets quite heavy.

Wollongong was always gold for the bus trip predominantly which will be good for us as we are doing that now with Camden - so bus trip round 2 it looks like.

Added to that we are scheduling 3 night matches this year (Sharks, Manly and Camden) which should be great nights - lighting isa awesome and we had about 200 people there last year when we played a night match, so hopefully will be good.

By far and away Mac Uni's ground is the best in Sydney Football.

I believe there is an opportunity there for the AFL/SFL to take advantage of the Uni funding uncertainty and underwrite an upgrade of the facilities there. Hey, perhaps rafters could even get his pokies there as well (only joking....)

If the NSWAFL was prepared to invest in some serious infrastructure there and base their admin and centres of excellence at North Ryde then they could build a long-term plan for a real home. Night games, Swans trials, U-18 State games, Senior State games, School carnivals, Teal Cup, the list goes on and IMO it is just waiting to be developed. They have the land and need the cash, AFL needs a home and money should be available.

Not saying bugger Blacktown but I see this as a great cost-effective supplement.

Plus, it is centrally located to the game's Sydney heartland (whether you like it or not). Plenty of parking, near the motorway and business districts the location has it all.....

A no-brainer IMO. Get a deal done guys....

[Hawknik]

Hey lads, Mac Uni should be vastly improved for the 2008 season. I thought it was pretty good for 2007 and prior, but the oval is now purely for AFL use. The cricketers have been "merged" with Gordon and have no use of it at all whih has allowed it to develop over summer.

Also with Sydney FC moving in, it has put a big cash injection into the ground staff, their "training" etc, as you can imagine the soccer boys only want to play on perfect %'d rye, oats and whatever, so the groundsmen have had to improve on their skills to accommodate so hopefully this will rub off onto Roger Sheeran - which it has already - to a degree that even with all the rain of late in Sydney, we have kept training through and the ground shows no sign of any damage. We have told them though that the far side needs better work as it gets quite heavy.

Wollongong was always gold for the bus trip predominantly which will be good for us as we are doing that now with Camden - so bus trip round 2 it looks like.

Added to that we are scheduling 3 night matches this year (Sharks, Manly and Camden) which should be great nights - lighting isa awesome and we had about 200 people there last year when we played a night match, so hopefully will be good.

[Norris Lurker]

I made the trip down, and I didn't think the surface was that bad. Especially once they'd moved the ropes in, I thought it was playable. There were plenty of other games in Wollongong, at vastly inferior facilities, that went ahead; I thought today's cancellation was more about elite crickets being too pampered and precious than about the surface being unsuitable.
Unfortunately the image of the ground copped a battering as a result of today's fiasco, and I doubt there'll ever be another interstate one-dayer scheduled there again. Which is a shame - only Sydney AFL people will see the ground reach its potential. Once the Lions get a good winning streak going, the local Wollongong people will come and will get a better impression of the ground than any cricket people got today.

(I must be a jinx. Last weekend I went to Gosford for the softest soccer cancellation ever, and now this).

[Danny_Widler]

Didnt North Dalton look in good nick today ......NOT

So much for the EXCELLENT drainage ...rain all morning down the Gong and Ford Ranger Cup game to be played there between NSw and SA was abandoned due to flooding of the pitch .

They even moved the boundary in 15 metres cos there was mud all round the boundary ..which is a joke in itself as North Dalton is smallish for top class cricket anyway

[ZAIS]

Currently North Dalton is best ground for playing & improving each day with spectating - many thanks to an amazingly hadworking Lions committee that had it as no 1 priority. Was the main reason why I travelled a few hours every 2nd week to play a game of footy. I enjoyed playing at Drummoyne & it is a good venue to watch from the hill on a sunny blue sky day. Also liked Trumper on dry days (the muddy square was terrible in the wet). Village Green - please see Trumper. Rosedale is a very good ground but viewing spots are limited.

Henson playing surface is terrible & would only be beaten to last position by Gore Hill & Gwawley - the Sharks would have lost many players over the years because of this ground. Ern Holmes is pretty ordinary as well although I didn't mind the skinny ground as the quick fellas couldn't fid enough space to run around me like at Monarch.

Gipps oval changed in mid 90s Shearer with a great facility built there care of the infamous Ros Kelly whiteboard - yes it was one of teh projects on it!! Sadly lack of funds (council & Goannas) coupled with the drought didn't help the surface but I understand significant funds have been found for 2008-09 which includes a bore watering system.

I like Monarch & Mac Uni - well sized grounds that didn't hinder quality players - no matter if they were big or small - but not ideal for viewing.

I think that Sydney Showground is central to all of SYdney & has merit to be considered as a finals venue.

Lidcombe will never have the bicycle track ripped up & they play soccer there during the year so surface would be average - dressing rooms were not modern in 1970s & they haven't been improved on since.

I always wished that Sydney Uni & Erskineville would have aligned the goal posts correctly.

Weldon, Grey Gums & Bensons always seemed to lack "atmosphere" - I think because the grounds are same level as the supporters.

Chaz McLaughlin I liked playing at except for one time in 1988 when the groundsman put a certain type of fertiliser on the ground before a wet match & both sides had to forfeit the following week due to pussie sores on bodies.

Blacktown - played there in the late 80s as a whipper snipper & it seemed so far away ... but if it means our own facility ... akin to the Irish grounds at Auburn ... then I am not foreign to the idea.

100 years of aussie rules in Sydney yet we don't have a) a ground or b) a licenced club to call our own. Its pretty poor.

*******************
If my memory is correct, East Sydney (now UNSWES) had a very successful licenced premises in the 60's-70'-80's (and frequented by the Swans from 1982) and I believe North Shore also had a licensed club in the 70's-80's, but through a combination of things (mainly poor management), those licensed clubs went broke. Those were also the days when big games were played at Erskenville Oval (what a shame AFL can't still use that ground). These days, there's just too much emphasis on (a) auskick, and (b) the Swans, so I can't see any licensed club getting off the ground anytime soon.

[Danny_Widler]

Had the pleasure of playing on the Showground this year ..and it is a great ground to play on . Facilities are sensational ...ground is in tremendous nick nobody else uses it at all and the dressing rooms are top class also . Ticks every box for me . I think the Sydney AFL needs to continue to put games on before Telstra Stadium games to promote our product .

[Rafters]

Currently North Dalton is best ground for playing & improving each day with spectating - many thanks to an amazingly hadworking Lions committee that had it as no 1 priority. Was the main reason why I travelled a few hours every 2nd week to play a game of footy. I enjoyed playing at Drummoyne & it is a good venue to watch from the hill on a sunny blue sky day. Also liked Trumper on dry days (the muddy square was terrible in the wet). Village Green - please see Trumper. Rosedale is a very good ground but viewing spots are limited.

Henson playing surface is terrible & would only be beaten to last position by Gore Hill & Gwawley - the Sharks would have lost many players over the years because of this ground. Ern Holmes is pretty ordinary as well although I didn't mind the skinny ground as the quick fellas couldn't fid enough space to run around me like at Monarch.

Gipps oval changed in mid 90s Shearer with a great facility built there care of the infamous Ros Kelly whiteboard - yes it was one of teh projects on it!! Sadly lack of funds (council & Goannas) coupled with the drought didn't help the surface but I understand significant funds have been found for 2008-09 which includes a bore watering system.

I like Monarch & Mac Uni - well sized grounds that didn't hinder quality players - no matter if they were big or small - but not ideal for viewing.

I think that Sydney Showground is central to all of SYdney & has merit to be considered as a finals venue.

Lidcombe will never have the bicycle track ripped up & they play soccer there during the year so surface would be average - dressing rooms were not modern in 1970s & they haven't been improved on since.

I always wished that Sydney Uni & Erskineville would have aligned the goal posts correctly.

Weldon, Grey Gums & Bensons always seemed to lack "atmosphere" - I think because the grounds are same level as the supporters.

Chaz McLaughlin I liked playing at except for one time in 1988 when the groundsman put a certain type of fertiliser on the ground before a wet match & both sides had to forfeit the following week due to pussie sores on bodies.

Blacktown - played there in the late 80s as a whipper snipper & it seemed so far away ... but if it means our own facility ... akin to the Irish grounds at Auburn ... then I am not foreign to the idea.

100 years of aussie rules in Sydney yet we don't have a) a ground or b) a licenced club to call our own. Its pretty poor.

[The Spoiler]

If the weather's decent I'll be there. Sadly the forecast isn't promising.

North Dalton looks great now. I did a couple of match reports from there this year - it's a great venue, the crowds were the best home & away crowds I've seen in this comp, and the lights are sensational. And during day games, the mountain background is a photographer's dream. Drummoyne is another ground that always looks good on camera, and Ern Holmes isn't bad.

And Oscar, thanks for the update on Bruce Purser Oval. Looking forward to checking that ground out next season.

So we're all agreed Blacktown is a dud idea??

[Norris Lurker]

Without wanting to get into a "my ground is better than your ground" debate, Nth Dalton Park is in awesome nick at the moment. NSW take on SA in a Ford Ranger Cup there this Sunday. It's only $15 to get in if anybody in the footy community wants to make the trip.

If the weather's decent I'll be there. Sadly the forecast isn't promising.

North Dalton looks great now. I did a couple of match reports from there this year - it's a great venue, the crowds were the best home & away crowds I've seen in this comp, and the lights are sensational. And during day games, the mountain background is a photographer's dream. Drummoyne is another ground that always looks good on camera, and Ern Holmes isn't bad.

And Oscar, thanks for the update on Bruce Purser Oval. Looking forward to checking that ground out next season.

[Pekay]

You?in a pub? Now i've heard it all! But as i said i've only had a kick between quarters and watched a few games on Henson,but it just seems way overused and rough as guts. I hope it does improve,it was my dads home ground back in the 50s n 60s. Although i reckon the league could find a better ground to use for finals.

[RPM]

Further to that,i hvnt played on there but i think Henson is a hole of a ground,way overused.holds too much water after rain.no decent drainage. Uni no 1 is great to play on, Village Green also but a bit hard underfoot. Hvnt played on Olds since Baulko days,but always found surface to be soft,that was 10 yrs ago.Gipps has potential but is a dustbowl at present,league should put money into that. Penrith Cronulla Manly need new grounds but local cricket wont share their grounds with them,which is wrong.

Pekay can tell you that i drink at the local pub with a bloke that has just finished re-surfacing Henson with new sprinkler system and taking the lump out of the guts so it should be a lot better oval this next season

[shearer]

p.s. was lucky enough to play on the Sydney Showground this year and it was very very good.OK size, excellent dressing rooms and the surface was spot on. If the league could sort out cheap parking they could play finals there.

[shearer]

Sorry mate to far for me. Add Gore Hill to the worst grounds list, i remember playing there after they put a tonne of sand on it because the sewerage had run down from the hospital.

Spoiler mentioned Jubilee Oval, we(St George) approached them a few years back but we couldnt play there as it was to be a construction site once the league finished for the year and that is the case again now. The ground is oval shape but would be a bit small. Hurstville is still part of the plan though.