SCG final....maybe

[erica]

Statement from Andrew Ireland

An important overall update from chief executive Andrew Ireland on the eve of the finals: http://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/2...and-finals-eve

Some very interesting information in this statement.

[BobLog]

Thanks for sharing that. Very interesting regarding the roof at ANZ. Nice work Erica

[Meg]

Statement from Andrew Ireland

Very interesting regarding the roof at ANZ Stadium.

Re roof on ANZ. A roof is a mixed blessing as has recently been discussed in regard to Etihad. While it is terrific for match days when there is bad weather, every day that the roof is closed is another day without sun and wind, two vital elements for grass growth. Given the grass is already a problem at ANZ, particularly as a lot of rugby matches are played there, a roof could further exacerbate the problem.

[Matt80]

The interesting part of the statement I believe was the references to the training and administrative facilities becoming tired. The issues with the training and administrative facilities are as follows:

- Office facilities becoming cramped as the organisation expands.
- Lack of multiple outdoor training facilities and outdoor space.
- A Gym that's too small, requiring the group to be split in three to do weight sessions.
- Lack of a major indoor training facility.

It's a major concern in my opinion. There are very few options in the Eastern Suburbs to have a centre of excellence that has everything if you can't get improvement out of Moore Park.

The club can't go West of Canterbury Road to find space as the players would have to drive too far to training. This would frustrate recruits like Franklin and Tippett who enjoy a leisurely 15 minute drive to work from Bondi. This is one of the benefits they signed up for and forcing them to drive over 40 minutes west to work will leave them feeling disillusioned.

What are the options?

[Doctor]

Plenty of empty office space in my building in the city. They should be able to grab a couple of floors. ?

[barry]

Re the roof. I beleive it will be retractible, so the open area will be the same as it is now.
A roof will allow them to determine how much water the grass gets and not leave it up to the rain gods.

Also, they already use lights to simulate sunshine for the grass.

Wind, you dont need

[barry]

Youre wrong koala

[liz]

A possible conundrum could arise should there be a NRL final scheduled for the Friday night at ANZ on prelim final weekend. (all assuming we beat Freo on Saturday touch wood) Would we have to forgo our earnt right as minor premiers to play on the Friday night and lose the advantage of another day's break or would the match be moved to the SCG instead?

I think the Swans might put a few Hawthorn noses out of joint if they insist on a right to a Friday night final, should they win this weekend. So many Hawks people still haven't shut up about how they were robbed of their right to the Friday night prelim in 2012 and it was further evidence of the AFL conspiring to gift the Swans the premiership. While the highest ranked PFinalist had been granted the Friday game for a few years running up to 2012, it's not a codified right and is subject to other fixturing constraints, including the availability of grounds.

Even though most media pundits and non-Swans fans seem to think the SCG is a far better venue for games, and that finals would be better off there, I can imagine further uproar if we played at the SCG in a Friday PF because ANZ wasn't available then but it was available for a game on Saturday, given the AFL has a contract that gives priority for finals to ANZ if the ground is available.

[mcs]

I think the Swans might put a few Hawthorn noses out of joint if they insist on a right to a Friday night final, should they win this weekend. So many Hawks people still haven't shut up about how they were robbed of their right to the Friday night prelim in 2012 and it was further evidence of the AFL conspiring to gift the Swans the premiership. While the highest ranked PFinalist had been granted the Friday game for a few years running up to 2012, it's not a codified right and is subject to other fixturing constraints, including the availability of grounds.

Even though most media pundits and non-Swans fans seem to think the SCG is a far better venue for games, and that finals would be better off there, I can imagine further uproar if we played at the SCG in a Friday PF because ANZ wasn't available then but it was available for a game on Saturday, given the AFL has a contract that gives priority for finals to ANZ if the ground is available.

I'm sure I've already heard someone from the AFL (McLachlan maybe) say that if the swans win this week, they'll be playing on the Friday night in the Prelim.

[Jewels]

The interesting part of the statement I believe was the references to the training and administrative facilities becoming tired. The issues with the training and administrative facilities are as follows:

- Office facilities becoming cramped as the organisation expands.
- Lack of multiple outdoor training facilities and outdoor space.
- A Gym that's too small, requiring the group to be split in three to do weight sessions.
- Lack of a major indoor training facility.

It's a major concern in my opinion. There are very few options in the Eastern Suburbs to have a centre of excellence that has everything if you can't get improvement out of Moore Park.

The club can't go West of Canterbury Road to find space as the players would have to drive too far to training. This would frustrate recruits like Franklin and Tippett who enjoy a leisurely 15 minute drive to work from Bondi. This is one of the benefits they signed up for and forcing them to drive over 40 minutes west to work will leave them feeling disillusioned.

What are the options?

Ireland says it in the article - EQ, there is a mile of available space there.

[mcs]

Re the roof. I beleive it will be retractible, so the open area will be the same as it is now.
A roof will allow them to determine how much water the grass gets and not leave it up to the rain gods.

Also, they already use lights to simulate sunshine for the grass.

Wind, you dont need

You are mistaken about wind barry - it is seen as essential to healthy growth of turf used at football grounds.

A lot of the big soccer stadiums in Europe (Etihad Stadium in Manchester is one I know well) have some sort of contraption built in (at the Etihad, they have giant flaps in the four corners that can be opened on non match days) that allows for wind flow when matches aren't on. Indeed, Amesterdam Arena (a ground with a retractable roof but no such mechanism to allow wind in) has such trouble with growing turf that they've actually turned to using huge fan ventilators to create 'artificial wind' to help turf grow. Its also the excuse they've given for the open back on the top level of the new stand at the SCG - although I think it could have been solved much better by something similar to what they have at the Etihad in Manchester.

I would have thought though with the shape of ANZ that a retractable roof should be able to retract on top of the existing roof - hence not really impacting on wind or light. If it is kept closed a lot then it could impact on turf growth, but I can't see it having too much of an impact. The poor scheduling of AFL matches close to NRL games, hence creating the awful problems with a poor quality surface in those areas of the ground, due to the retractable stands being moved will remain the key issue of concern at ANZ, roof or no roof.

[liz]

I'm sure I've already heard someone from the AFL (McLachlan maybe) say that if the swans win this week, they'll be playing on the Friday night in the Prelim.

Someone may well have done so. And if the AFL has successfully already made a provisional booking for ANZ on the night, that's fine. I just think the club (or we as supporters) can't insist that we have unequivocally earned that right, since I don't believe it is a right that can be earned. If it is, the Hawks were dudded in 2012.

[Kelpie_X]

After training so hard to acclimatise to the ANZ surface, why should be give up our advantage by transferring the game to the SCG?

Is that Reid?

[Meg]

MCS is correct re the need for wind, and that being the reason for the open back design at top level of new SCG stand. I did a guided tour of SCG earlier this year and both those points were made.

(I also agree that it is surprising that there could not have been a better design for the SCG.)

It is also the reason for those big sail cloth type structures at top of Allianz Stadium. As Allianz is dug in below ground level (for noise reasons as it is built so close to the Paddington residential area), it doesn't get much wind naturally. The sail cloth structure is designed to catch the wind and funnel it up and over the roof into the stadium.

I am not being negative about having a retractable roof on ANZ, I think it would be great. I have though recently read someone from the Etihad administration explaining why they only close the roof there when the weather calls for it. And that was for the reason I originally mentioned - the grass needs the maximum amount of wind and sun as possible.

[ernie koala]

mcs and I read, or heard, the same thing. Either McLachlan or Evans said that if the Swans host a prelim, it will be on Friday night.

So yes, the Hawks were dudded in 2012. Due to the unique situation, of the alternate venue (SCG) being in the middle of re development.

How it all pans out with timing of bookings, as mcs points out, and whether or not that changes precedence this year, I've got no idea