Bite the bullet on the SCG

[Wazza]

Surely the home ground advantage of playing on the SCG and a larger ground every other week should leave us well prepared to play on any ground?

Even though the financial advantage is better for the club Telstra stadium is the worst ground for atmosphere I have attended, and Ive been to all the current ones.

Leave them at them SCG except for the blockbusters...please

Cheers

Waz

[lescygnes]

vision is a wonderful thing. for those of us that have it, of course.

playing permanently out of homebush with a membership in the many many thousands is where we need to go. you know, being the biggest footy club in the country?!?!

and homebush is only marginally shorter than subiaco. there was a post with the measurements recently that confirmed that. much much much different to playing on the scg even though moore park is wider.

cheers
john

[Dave]

I cant see them clearing out in the near future as they have just built that new facility right on the side of the Brewongle.

If it was a good enough ground to get us to a GF once then there shouldn't be a problem.

I'd be happy enough for them to bulldoze everything bar the Brewongle and O'Reilly. The problem is all the cricketing nuts who would see this as abhorrent!

Maybe we should ban cricket from the SCG and rename it the SFG.

[bricon]

Originally posted by lescygnes
homebush is only marginally shorter than subiaco.

That's a furphy that currently seems to be taken as a fact.
Subiaco is 175.6 metres long, Homebush is 158.7 metres long.

BTW At just under 15,000 square metres, Homebush has the smallest playing area of any ground currently used for AFL.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Re: Re: Bite the bullet on the SCG

Originally posted by Bart
knock the entire thing down and start again. facilities are the worst of any major venue in Australia

Oh my God, I'm agreeing with Bart on something.

Agree, it takes a trip to Telstra Stadium to really appreciate how archaic the facilities at the SCG are. Queing to go to the men's toilet, unheard of at grounds like the Dome Subi Gabba or even Kardinia Park, but a regular occurance at those loos behind the goals under Churchill Stand.

Pete and I had an interesting discussion on this on one of our sojourns to Melbourne. His arguments were they there was heaps more legroom at the SCG than at any other ground. And that considering he never bought food and drink there, it was still perfectly fine.

OK, I'm less organised when it comes to bring bottles of chilled coke to matches like he is (and the City Convenience St at Fox only sells Pepsi ), but the prices of drink alone, I still feel that where we sit the SCG has BY FAR the worst facilities in the league. Even the seats we have in Canberra are far better than the uneven slope we have to sit on in Bay 22.

And from a playing perspective, I think it is time they looked at least lengthening the playing surface. I'm sure the fact we constantly hug the boundary line at ground like the G and Homebush is because we are so used to going wide on the SCG where if the goals were from the Brewongle to the O'Reilly it wouldn't make much difference to the ground dimensions.

I agree. Force the SCG Trust to improve the ground. Or threaten to move to Homebush permanently.

Without their major tenant, the SCG would turn into a white elephant.

JF

[Captain]

The SCG members reserve behind the Nobel is a delight. Lines are short, grassed areas to kick a footy and a lovely veranda to sit and watch the world go by.

[Damien]

Sounds like the concourse areas need a lot of work, because sitting up in the Brewongle Stands, I have not got one complaint about the SCG experience at all.

Would like the ground to be bigger, and the mish mash of stands to be sorted out, but in terms of my view of the match and the service I get, pretty fantastic!.

I find Telstra really uncomfortable to sit at and find it has a bad atmosphere.

[Wil]

Originally posted by Damien
Sounds like the concourse areas need a lot of work, because sitting up in the Brewongle Stands, I have not got one complaint about the SCG experience at all.

Would like the ground to be bigger, and the mish mash of stands to be sorted out, but in terms of my view of the match and the service I get, pretty fantastic!.

I find Telstra really uncomfortable to sit at and find it has a bad atmosphere.

I tend to agree, I have only really enjoyed one or two matches at Telstra. The seats are too close together, I still don't know where to sit to be some interesting Swans fans (that actually care about the game, not their renovations or whatever) and there are no real, great, views of the ground (though I havent sat on level 4.)

I enjoy the O'Reilly stand immensly. I also didnt mind being in the Ladies area, good memories and I like the "old school" of it. I also like we have a bit of a home ground advanage there as well.

When I went to the first game at Telstra I immediatly thought that they should move the game there. After a couple of years now I prefer the SCG. If you are having problems with bad facilities in your area of the SCG, come and sit in the O'Reilly stand, its uhh, better.

Oh and the SCG is an extra 30-45 minute trip for me so I am not being biased by convienience.

[jixygirl]

After being to 1 game each at both of the grounds, they both have their advantages and disadvantages.

The SCG
When I first entered the SCG, the first thought that came into my head was "this ground is the shortest ground that I have ever seen". It was weird to be at a ground that was that short. The SCG is completely different from any of the other grounds in the competition, which is probably why some teams find it difficult to win on the ground. The Swans game plan is perfect for the ground, but needs a bit of adjusting for other grounds that aren't as wide. From a spectator's perspective, the seats were perfectly alright where I was sitting and the food prices were expensive (like every other ground I've been to). There were no queues and the atmosphere was not as good as I expected it to be (poor turnout). I also was surrounded by theatre goers for the first time in my life, which wasn't great for the atmosphere. The tradition of the SCG was fantastic but that could have also been because of my love of cricket.

Telstra Stadium
Telstra Stadium is a much longer stadium and much narrower, which is perfect for the Swans to focus more on moving the football through the middle of the ground. It is definitely vital for the Swans to continue playing games there as a different venue. The Stadium itself was the most amazing stadium that I've ever been to in my life. The structure of the stadium was fantastic and it wasn't difficult to get to my seat. The seating space was almost exactly like the SCG except that I felt closer to the action (both times I sat in the second level).

If was to pick one of the ground as a spectator, it would probably be Telstra Stadium, mainly because it is less congested and the quality of all the stadium is pretty good. However, from the clubs perspective, it would be advisable to play games at both venues because:
1. It caters for Swans supporters in most locations of Sydney.
2. It allows the players to play on different ground dimensions with different atmospheres.

[dimelb]

Re: Re: Re: Bite the bullet on the SCG

Originally posted by JF_Bay22_SCG


And from a playing perspective, I think it is time they looked at least lengthening the playing surface. I'm sure the fact we constantly hug the boundary line at ground like the G and Homebush is because we are so used to going wide on the SCG where if the goals were from the Brewongle to the O'Reilly it wouldn't make much difference to the ground dimensions.

I agree. Force the SCG Trust to improve the ground. Or threaten to move to Homebush permanently.

Without their major tenant, the SCG would turn into a white elephant.

JF

What would it take to get an extra 5 metres at each end? Not impossible, surely?But I still think Telstra is the long-term answer.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Bite the bullet on the SCG

Originally posted by dimelb
What would it take to get an extra 5 metres at each end? Not impossible, surely?But I still think Telstra is the long-term answer.

From an AFL development point of view it virtually has to be.

The open-minded ecclectic inner city area is pretty positive towards the Swans these days.

But once you get past Auburn it is pretty thin pickings AFL-wise.

For the sake of any sort of infiltration of the game into the hearts and minds of the young people of Western Sydney, we must not only maintain our presence at Homebush but increase it.

JF

[blinddog]

Homebush 'sux', there is no 'members area'. The place is not child/family friendly - try taking a two year old but not being allowed to take a pram in. The beer is stinky tooheys new and then they close the beer taps off 10 minutes into the last quarter (and I watched them pour down the sink about 20-30 beers one nite).

You can't relax and have a beer after with friends due to the fact
a/ that there is no place for members to meet and
b/ last train is at 11.30.

Prices for food and beer is more than what you pay in the Noble stand.

If you ask the half poured beer to be topped up at the SCG the staff do it, at Telstra stadium they assume that what they have poured you passes as a scooner.

The SCG has some of the best leg room of any stadium (Visit Subi and you discover a new meaning for tight).

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by blinddog


The SCG has some of the best leg room of any stadium (Visit Subi and you discover a new meaning for tight).

Agree there wholeheartedly. Footy Park is very cramped as well. I even find the seating at the G very squashy to be brutally honest. It certainly was at the Richmond game.

The Telstra Dome is Ok if you do not sit right near the fence in the Cheer Squad area. Down the front it is as cramped as all hell.

But who wants to sit down the front. I guess it stems from the rugby league days where people with flags were told to go to the back of the hill, but it is Sydney thing to stand at the back.

JF

[stellation]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Bite the bullet on the SCG

Originally posted by dimelb
What would it take to get an extra 5 metres at each end? Not impossible, surely?But I still think Telstra is the long-term answer.

I believe part of the issue is that the SCG is one of the few grounds in the world considered the perfect size for cricket. Others are considered too small/too big, the SCG is just right.

[Dave]

Originally posted by Margie
Sitting in the Noble or Ladies Stands leaves anywhere at Telstra for dead.

Unless you are under cover in the Ladies Stand. It's crap. The roof is too low and there are poles obscurring your view.

It and the Members are outdated old shacks that need to be demolished.