AFL committed to Homebush

[TheHood]

The thing with Homebush is that is it fine once you get out there. No doubt about that.

However, getting there is abominable and parking is shocking. Plus it is so easy to get lost in the maze out there.

Then getting home takes even longer, buses to car parks, long cab ques, dolly steps to the train station - I hate it so much.

Don't get me wrong, I don't live in the East either, in fact as the crow flies, I am much closer to Homebush than the SCG but when I have to go or get home from the SCG, I have absolutely no problem at all.

[vagary]

Originally posted by Mike_B
The same has been said of Des....well, maybe something similar, like when he's at Colonial we NEVER win.

we hardly ever win at colonial anyway. (is that why?)

[thommoone]

Personally, i love hombush. So easy to get too and there is no queing anywhere. Just go to the bus stop and there is a bus every 15mins ready to pick me up. get there, walk a few hundred or so meteres and im in the ground. On the way out there is no rush and no squabbling ar pushing as it is not cramped like outside the scg and plenty of open space. Then hop straight onto the bus that is waiting there for me and im home in 20 mins

[vagary]

Originally posted by thommoone
On the way out there is no rush and no squabbling ar pushing as it is not cramped like outside the scg and plenty of open space.

i guess you've never had to wait at the train station then as that always gets crowded waiting for the trains after a game.

[blinddog]

The problem I have with Homebush (and no I don't live in the Eastern Suburbs - but in St Peters) is that I have to catch a train by 11.30pm. So after the game I get at most 1-2 beers at the Novatel bar/pub/brewery (and I use the term loosely) and then I have to catch the last train from the stadium. At the SCG, I can walk out and pub crawl all the way home and if I wanted to catch a train from Central to St Peters I have until till 1.00 am.
The other reason is I don't like cats piss oh sorry Tooheys New and thats all they serve at Homebush (at least at the Novatel they have James Squires).

[cos789]

Why are we always getting screwed financially with stadia ?
In the early days the Swans ere charged $250,000 for 11 games at the SCG when The ARL was charged $100,000 for a whole season plus finals .Now we have two options .they should be competing for our business .Do they want more business ?
How can the NRL afford to host games there with their small crowds ?And what was the idea of paying $3.6 million to get Homebush converted , if we can't afford to play there ?

[EMJ]

We are Sydneysider members and so get parking as part of our membership for both venues. Parking at SCG is great - Homebush we have to walk a fair way - not complaining but it adds to cost of membership - Parking - especially now for some unknown reason I have lost my parking cards for both places. I am very angry and have just had to replace them - a further $120 - how dumb. Oh well there goes the though of attending a function - would love to attend one function but they are out of our pocket.

We originally took up the Sydneysider membership as our youngest daughter works part time and her shifts always seem to finish 1 hr before the game. Driving to both places is no problem - actually we probably are very close to Homebush - living North West as they say.

[swan_song]

This is interesting...the swans would have us believe that homebush is easier to get to than the scg for those in the south and south west...but for us, at least, nothing is farther from the truth. we have 10 mins to the M5 then about 45 mins later (depending on the toll booth congestion) hey presto we come up and out of the Eastern distributor, next to sydney boys high...and parking (helping the school rather than the moore park quango)...nothing could be simpler. To get to homebush means a stack of traffic lights, slow traffic, and a much longer journey.

[Bart]

You need to bear in mind that the losses associated with Homebush were related to marketing the games. The Swans put a tremendous amount of time, effort and $$ into making them big events, which is necessary in this market. I know there are a few cynics on this board who query this approach, but THIS IS SYDNEY! Much and all as I love this city, its fickleness (and not just in sporting terms) is renowned. Sydneysiders love something new and shiny, they are fly by the seat of your pants hedonists, who love cheap quick thrills.

But the AFL is puttimng $500k into the marketing of these games and this should assist enormously (and so they should!)

A pity this $500k is more than off-set by the drop in membership and sponsorships. Rugby World Cup is being blamed (refer to my point above - shiny and new)

BTW for those in Melbourne the Rugby World Cup is going to be a massive event.

[Mike_B]

Originally posted by swan_song
next to sydney boys high...and parking (helping the school rather than the moore park quango

As a Sydney High Old Boy - thanks for supporting the school - the car parking funds are by far the biggest revenue raiser for things within the school and without that money, there are a lot of things that just would not be able to happen due to lack of funds.

[Glenn]

Ahh it had to happen someone had to whinge about the Swans playing at Homebush, like it or not the Swans are trying to expand the game by the taking games closer to the heartland of Sydney, which IMHO is essential if they want long term viability

[Bart]

Originally posted by Glenn
Ahh it had to happen someone had to whinge about the Swans playing at Homebush, like it or not the Swans are trying to expand the game by the taking games closer to the heartland of Sydney, which IMHO is essential if they want long term viability

Totally agree. It is the future.

[Mark]

Interested to note that Paul from marketing mentioned people who travel to melbourne 2/3 times a year for games but complain about Homebush. I suspect i am one of those he was refering to as i had a long chat with him about it.

My problems with Homebush are threefold

1) To break even on games we need 55,000 "paying" attendees, even with freebies of last year we struggled to get that !

2) Apart from crappy Novotel there is nothing out there, footy for me and many other members is a family/friends/social occasion not just the game. distance is not the factor (although convenience for me is nice) If the stadium was in Homebush but had local facilities i would have no problems.

3) Despite previous assertions, transport is not satisfactory and club have admitted this, mainly getting home. No additional trains are rostered by city rail after certain times so you either leave dead on time or sit around for ages at Central !!!

The place is a white elephant foisted on the Swans by the AFL in a bid to ease North Melbournes move to Sydney ! the Homebush games were meant to be shared by he Swans and North HOW QUICKLY WE FORGET

[Bart]

Originally posted by Glenn
Ahh it had to happen someone had to whinge about the Swans playing at Homebush, like it or not the Swans are trying to expand the game by the taking games closer to the heartland of Sydney, which IMHO is essential if they want long term viability

Totally agree. It is the future.

[Mike_B]

Originally posted by Mark
2) Apart from crappy Novotel there is nothing out there, footy for me and many other members is a family/friends/social occasion not just the game. distance is not the factor (although convenience for me is nice) If the stadium was in Homebush but had local facilities i would have no problems.

3) Despite previous assertions, transport is not satisfactory and club have admitted this, mainly getting home. No additional trains are rostered by city rail after certain times so you either leave dead on time or sit around for ages at Central !!!

Agree on both counts, which is why after the Essendon game I made sure to purchase pre-paid parking for the other two games (and have done so for all three this year) so that I can catch up with people after the game without worrying about getting stranded with no publicx transport available to get me home.