SCG is home until 2016

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

I can't believe there are people who prefer the SCG to TS - it has to be the worst AFL venue in the country. It's not even the proper size or shape for football, and the stands are some of the most rundown you will find anywhere. We should play maybe 4-5 games at Telstra Stadium each year and get as far away from the SCG as possible.

Beaussie, have you got a new profile nick all of a sudden?

JF

[Cheer Squad]

TS - The Future

Ernie Koala, I've been to the 96 preliminary final, Plugger's 1300, Swans versus Cats semi-final in 05, and as far as I am concerned the result made it memorable, not the venue. TS is so far ahead of the SCG it's not even a contest. I love going to TS - there's a real sense of occasion when the Swans play there. I think it's great for the club that we are starting to pull 60,000+ crowds on a regular basis.

And who cares about the lack of suburban pubs nearby? Most people piss off home after the game anyway. The truth is that the SCG has fallen way behind every other venue in the country. If some people are so in love with the members stand and don't want it bulldozed, the Trust would be better off turning the whole ground into a boutique venue for cricket. Look at what the MCG has achieved when they bit the bullet and bulldozed the old members stand. The only thing keeping us at the SCG are too many people clinging to a dewy-eyed, misty-eyed view of the past.

[reigning premier]

SCG is home....

TS is a hole....

I would gladly move to another ground if it had the proper facilities. And in facilities, I mean:

1. Access - Trains stop at 11:40 and that's it. You're isolated there. No buses no nothing. At least at the SCG you have options.
2. Entertainment - Excepting the brewery, which is god awful at the best of times, there is NOTHING there.
3. Members area - No club rooms or members venue. The sort of things that actually make you want to be a member aren't offered at TS.
4. Location - Too far from the city.

[NMWBloods]

The sooner we move permanently to TS the better. The SCG is a joke of a ground.

[hammo]

The SCG is the worst AFL ground in the country. It's too small and the quality of games suffers.

Because of its size its the easiest to flood so games are geneally a bore. The most space is on the wide wings meaning all teams - Swans included - fall into the trap of going wide rather than the quickest way home. There's no space for forwards to lead into.

Telstra's not perfect but it's a modern stadium with great facilities. I don't know the last AFL game to go beyond 11.40pm at night. If you want to drink yourself stupid afterwards jump in a taxi or get someone to drive you back to the eastern suburbs.

If the AFL established a second Sydney team playing out of Telstra I think you'll find over time they'll attract the biggest crowds because it's far MORE accessible to the majority of Sydneysiders than the SCG.

[reigning premier]

Each to their own....

But I would humbly suggest that at this stage, most supporters are in fact based in the eastern and inner western suburbs....

[Damien]

AFL @ Telstra at the moment works on hype and some good marketing. There is an expectation that our biggest games are there, so people generally respond pretty well to it.

Long, long way off ever moving there full time. Even longer before another 'Sydney' team could play 11 home games out there

The SCG need to look at trying to give the field some extra length over the next few years, but I would say it is a very safe bet we will play the majority of our games there for many, many years to come.

I think the new stand will make a lot of difference at the SCG. I'd actually be really interested in what the result of a vote would be from Sydney based members if the question was "Leave SCG to play all home games at Telstra Stadium"....

[Jewels]

Each to their own....

But I would humbly suggest that at this stage, most supporters are in fact based in the eastern and inner western suburbs....

Your probably quite correct in this suggestion, but the number of western Sydney supporters is growing rapidly, I would suggest, faster than the eastern and inner west.
I live in the Hills area, approx 20 mins from Telstra and I love it when we play there but not only because of the proximity. We sit in the members reserve and because of being so close to the cheer squad, everyone joins in the chants, I LOVE it. I'm in the Noble at the SCG and more often then not, I'm one of only a few that are yelling and screaming and getting excited, and chanting - unheard of. The parking is cheaper and better at Telstra and the food is better.

[monopoly19]

I think Telstra has better facilities (no line for the bathroom!) and it's good to have the extra space when we have a big crowd, but unless the crowd hits 60,000, there is NO atmosphere - it's just too big.

The SCG is within walking distance for me (big plus, obviously) and has a better atmosphere even with only 25,000 and a big chunk of the ground missing.

I think the set-up now is fine. Go to Telstra for a few big games a year + finals, and leave the rest to the SCG. I would actually love to have more finals at the SCG (the atmosphere in that semi against Geelong was unbelievable towards the end) but understand that there are generally too many people who want tickets to do that.

[ernie koala]

Ernie Koala, I've been to the 96 preliminary final, Plugger's 1300, Swans versus Cats semi-final in 05, and as far as I am concerned the result made it memorable, not the venue. TS is so far ahead of the SCG it's not even a contest. I love going to TS - there's a real sense of occasion when the Swans play there. I think it's great for the club that we are starting to pull 60,000+ crowds on a regular basis.

And who cares about the lack of suburban pubs nearby? Most people piss off home after the game anyway.

Problem is, it takes 1 - 2 hours to leave the white elephant.
I was clearly referring to the atmosphere during the said games, not the result. I've been to TS with 110 k for the bledisow cup final, which Aus won in a thriller....The atmosphere was ordinary. Same for state of origin.
The close to the action viewing, and the cauldron type atmosphere of the SCG far out weighs that of TS. TS is crap to get to and from, and ordinary, miles away veiwing, when you get there. BTW I love the history that comes with the SCG....It gives it a soul....something sadly lacking at TS.

[hammo]

Problem is, it takes 1 - 2 hours to leave the white elephant.
I was clearly referring to the atmosphere during the said games, not the result. I've been to TS with 110 k for the bledisow cup final, which Aus won in a thriller....The atmosphere was ordinary. Same for state of origin.
The close to the action viewing, and the cauldron type atmosphere of the SCG far out weighs that of TS. TS is crap to get to and from, and ordinary, miles away veiwing, when you get there. BTW I love the history that comes with the SCG....It gives it a soul....something sadly lacking at TS.

Most time in the Noble Stand you can hear a pin drop - nothing pressure cooker about that! Some patrons have also been known to ask supporters to keep their cheering to a minimum.

[NMWBloods]

Seems to be more discussion about everything but the actual football match...

[BigD]

I, for one, would hate to see the Swans make a permanent move to Telstra, even though it would be closer to home for me. You have to consider that not all our opponents are going to draw 50k + for a regular season game and I think the atmosphere would be crap at Telstra if we only had 25 - 30K. The SCG is the home of the Mighty Swans & should always be that despite the lack of decent facilities. As far as making the SCG bigger, I don't think there is any room for expansion, with the SFS and other facilities on one side & Fox Studios on the other.

[reigning premier]

Seems to be more discussion about everything but the actual football match...

I thought this was a discussion about the venues started by the announcement that the Swans will be playing the SCG as their home ground until 2016?????

[NMWBloods]

Yes - in comparing the venues the actual football played at each one is mentioned least.