NSW plans to spend $2bn on Sydney stadiums, but will that mean bigger crowds?

Melbourne has a culture of people going to sporting fixtures in huge numbers, Sydney doesn’t, and state-of-the-art stadiums are unlikely to change that The New South Wales government, in concert with the powerful SCG Trust, has adopted an “If we build it, they will come” approach to stadium policy, and come up with the curious plan to tear down two existing stadiums and build new ones upon sites that Sydney-siders currently do not relish attending. And it does rather beg the question: why?Will more people attend sports fixtures in Sydney than they currently do if the stadiums are state-of-the-art? Will the quality of contests – the entertainment – that a flash new stadium will apparently draw to Sydney bring in the people to support it? Related: NSW criticised for plan to spend $2bn on replacing two Sydney sports stadiums In Sydney we just fundamentally do not have the culture of attending games. Related: David Squires on . rebuilding Sydney's stadiums Related: Sydney stadiums warm up for pitch battle over $1.6bn prize Related: 'A lonely sea of blue seats': why ANZ stadium is nobody's home ground Related: First Sydney's stadiums, now Hordern Pavilion site slated for redevelopment Related: Sydney stadiums: NSW government faces 'greyhound moment' Continue readingread full article

Source: TheGuardian

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