is the scg to small ??

[footyhead]

Well is it ? it seems that Sydney teams under a variety of coaches tend to play too wide because of a lack of space (especially in the coridoor.) Maybe this has got more to do with the home ground than is currently understood or excepted.
It might be time for the Swans and the AFL to start flexing their ecenomic muscle and power. The scg is after all more a footy venue now than a cricket one (given the number of people who attend and number of fixtures)
Maybe it is time to extend the size of the SCG! (shock horror I know !! how could any one suggest such a thing ??)
I could be done .
It would be a major job also requiring new grand stand seating, as they would have to rip up a few first row seats to accomplish this feat.
IMO it should be done. Part of the reasone the swans are still veiwed as not quite the real deal is because we don't really even have a full size home footy ground, plus we pander to everybody especially the scg trust. And the likes of centenial park lands.
The Swans just kind of landed here twenty years ago and made do.
Admittidley they have some very good facilities, but if the size of the home ground could at all be having a negative affect on the teams execution of the game plan (and I think it is possible) then the Swans need to get tough and start to demand what is required.
The fact that they let that debacle with the training ground carry on all winter shows that they have not yet acheived the power and respect in driver avenue that is neccesary for a top sporting institution.

[hammo]

It would be great to see the ground extended, however I can't see it happening. Seats are $$$ and there simply isn't enough room to extend the ground.

The SCG is also regarded as a perfect size for cricket making any changes politically difficult.

As far the dimensions of the ground affecting the Swans game plan, I think you will find just as many visiting teams get trapped out on the expansive wings.

[j s]

The SCG is wide enough. It would only be the ends that would need extending. If the proposed new stand at the Randwick end ever gets built that would be an ideal opportunity.

[Bear]

I would love to see the SCG extended. It would solve all of my complaints about the ground.

Hard to see how this could be achieved though without many millions spent re-configuring the Churchill stand.

This makes it uneconomic unless it was part of a greater re-development, such as the talk a couple of years ago about a hotel being built into the Fox Studios/scoreboard end.

[Damien]

It would cost millions - but they should certainly look at the length of the ground.

The make up for the loss of seats, all they would need to do is reconfigure how the seats on the hill are, they could put heaps of extra seats there, maybe even two or three tier stand if they wanted to.

[BAM_BAM]

are we really talking about changing the entire SCG just fix our game plan? LMAO

[Schneidergirl]

Originally posted by BAM_BAM
are we really talking about changing the entire SCG just fix our game plan? LMAO

LMAO

[Bart]

Originally posted by BAM_BAM
are we really talking about changing the entire SCG just fix our game plan? LMAO

seriously love to see the whole dinosaur knocked down, boring members and all (hi heritage types/do gooders who believe a dog turd that's five years old is historical), and a new undercover stadium built.

It has to be the most thrown together venue in the country

Where do I send my ten bucks ?

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by Damien
It would cost millions - but they should certainly look at the length of the ground.

The make up for the loss of seats, all they would need to do is reconfigure how the seats on the hill are, they could put heaps of extra seats there, maybe even two or three tier stand if they wanted to.

Well, this was what was originally mooted. Remember a couple of years ago they came out with plans to build a new grandstand that would extend from the Bill O'Reilly Stand right around to the end of the Churchill Stand.

Not only would it be advantageous from an AFL perspective to have the ground re-configured, it would provide the SCG Trust a chance to update and finally look at changing some of the horribly archaic facilities in this area. People these days want more than the turgid variety of food outlets up near the Bill O'Reilly stand and under the Churchill Stand. Queues are long; the staff snarly; the food-DON'T GO THERE! I swear the chips are made of paddle pop sticks!!!!

I'm sure the SCG Trust have something in the back of their minds, as the seats on the hill are still cream as opposed to the newer bluer version. Seriously, with Homebush around they seriously have to get a bigger capacity. Even big one-day cricket matches will be played at Homebush in the near future if the Trust sticks its head in the mud and refuses to made drastic upgrades to its facilities.

They could very easily re-configure the southern end so that the seats go straight up without the 8-10 metre walkway that is presently there. Made the gradient steeper, and create a 2 tier grandstand and capacity is increased rather than decreased. I'm hanging for this, as the huge gap in the walkway behind my seat in the back row of the CS area makes it hard for people in the upstairs bit to want to start chanting with us. (Then again, it doesn't help much at Homebush. :-()

In comparison to just about every ground in Australia (even Football Park and Carlton) the SCG lags WAY behind in terms of spectator amenities (at least at the hill end.) There are several reasons why a complete redevelopment of the ground would be benefitial for it.

And it would help give our team a better crack at playing on a longer surface, where talls get replaced by running types. With practise, I think this would also negate our problems at Homebush, which I feel is a bigger issue than many on this forum realise.

JF

[penga]

Originally posted by JF_Bay22_SCG
Queues are long; the staff snarly; the food-DON'T GO THERE!

they may be snarly around where you are JF, but they are all dead set stoned around where i am!!! youll ask for chips and theyll stare blankly at you for about 30 seconds before the penny drops, then they spend about a minute trying to find the button on the register, OH THE HUMANITY!!!

[dread and might]

Originally posted by JF_Bay22_SCG
the food-DON'T GO THERE! I swear the chips are made of paddle pop sticks!!!!

, I think this would also negate our problems at Homebush, which I feel is a bigger issue than many on this forum realise.

JF [/B]

re the food: ever tried to eat at a north american sports facility. i'm sure the cheese in the nachos is actually plastic explosive.

i always thought our home ground "advantage" at homebush only works with huge crowds, the dimensions don't seem to suit us at all. what's our record there?

[motorace_182]

always thought our home ground "advantage" at homebush only works with huge crowds, the dimensions don't seem to suit us at all. what's our record there?

Are you serious, i thinkwe are something around 0-3 with crowds over 50,000 at that ground, not exactly a good record is it? We play better with a 30,00 crowd against weak teams...

[Thunder Shaker]

Originally posted by hammo
It would be great to see the ground extended, however I can't see it happening. Seats are $$$ and there simply isn't enough room to extend the ground.

The SCG is also regarded as a perfect size for cricket making any changes politically difficult.

Twenty years ago, when balls always had to reach the fence to score a boundary, this argument would have been valid. This is not really an issue with cricket these days, because now they mark the boundaries with ropes at just about every game, so the dimensions of the ground are no longer a factor.

[dread and might]

Originally posted by motorace_182
Are you serious, i thinkwe are something around 0-3 with crowds over 50,000 at that ground, not exactly a good record is it? We play better with a 30,00 crowd against weak teams...

sorry misunderstanding, i meant that the only time it feels like we have a homeground advantage there is with big crowds in terms of atmosphere rather than actual results, i realise our record overall there is terrible but what's the total win loss figures for TS? i missed the first season there through living o/s

[bigdaz]

Would like to see the SCG re-configured but cannot see it happening in the near future.

Re: the food at the Hill end - Last Sunday was the first time this season I actually got HOT chips instead of cold potato sticks.