Sensational-Adelaide.com

Prince George wrote:Look, I am going to spell out my opinion one last time, and then I will remain silent on this thread.

I have thought about this stadium idea long and hard, and the conclusion that I came to is that I'd love to see Adelaide United playing in our own Old Trafford or San Siro, but I would only be able to justify spending the money on the basis that I really want a better place to watch the team and not that there would be a significant flow on effect elsewhere.

I ask you to consider what effect AAMI had on West Lakes, and you all rightly say "There's nothing to do", "There's just the mall", "I can get McDonald's anywhere". So why, I ask you, why has no one thought to themselves "If we build a <bar>|<restaurants>|<whatever> here, we'll have all these people coming to the area and there's no other competition for their business - it'd be a goldmine!" I'm sure that the local residents would like better entertainment in their area too. But in 20 years, it hasn't happened.

Perhaps the football increased the patronage of the mall itself? Well, they have just had an upgrade, but in the time since the Crows joined the AFL Marion became a monster and is going to get bigger still and TTP may have $190M spent on it. So I submit that the upgrade at West Lakes is just part of the normal lifecycle of a Westfield Mall.

People have said "You should see how busy Melbourne is on gamedays", and I don't doubt that it is. But Melbourne is busy anyway, so the important thing is not how busy it is, but how much busier it is. Melbourne has invested in a host of different ways to make their downtown attractive to people, and they've received attention from many corners for it - http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/09/17/m ... e-streets/, http://www.livablestreets.com/streetswiki/melbourne. adam73837 mentioned Swanston St, well that's the street that get's the most attention from planners for the Swanston Street Walk.

Now, here's the crucial part when you're considering Melbourne:

Downtown Melbourne is now a true residential area. The city center has seen an eightfold increase in residents, from fewer than 800 private apartments in in 1994 to around 10,000 private residences in 2005

That probably works out to some 15,000 people living in the area, and probably they are wealthier and younger than average: that sounds to me like a serious energy pump for the area. And unlike, the stadia, that did not require the a vast investment of public money. I submit that the growing population of Adelaide's city center will do far, far more to make Adelaide vibrant than a sport ground will.

Finally, I find the choice of the railyards as a location for a stadium unconvincing. In other forums many people decried the proposed hospital as a "waste of prime waterfront real locations". Well, a stadium is hardly a thing of beauty, its focus is entirely inward with the stands facing the ground and showing their backs to the outside. Adelaide Oval really might be the most attractive ground in the world, but I don't think that it's what people have in mind. That sounds like neither a suitable use of the waterfront views that are supposed to be wasted on the hospital, nor an attractive gateway to the city from the northwest.

If a stadium really was going to get built there, let me make two requests:

First - as much as possible leave the stadium open to the north and south. Do this to at least try to make use of the views that are available in the location.

Second - put little or no parking on site. It seems to me that this is what you have to do if you want to use it as a way to promote activity in the area. Old Trafford, for example, has numerous carparks, but not many actually at the ground; instead they are all "within 0.5 miles of the ground"

There, I've said my peace.

rev wrote: I don't know how anyone can not see that having a few tens of thousands of fans practically every weekend(when our CBD really is open at night for young people), attending sports at a city stadium, and then heading out for a night on the town, would be a big boost for the cbd.
Isn't this what we all want, from the residents of this city to the local city council to the government? More people in the city?

rev wrote:

I will wait until i see the plans that i heard will be released in December about the upgrade before i say it is or isn't a waste of money.

So I guess your not prepared to see plans for an inner city stadium, let alone how much it will actually cost, before making your mind up that it's a waste of money?

Shuz wrote:What exactly is the $100m being spent on?
New grandstand? New corporate boxes? Landscaping? I've yet to discover what it actually is happening with the stadium.

Yeah i can't wait to out into the city and be surrounded by footy bogans.

rev wrote: Seriously I don't get how you "reserve judgment" until you see the upgrade plans, but can't "reserve judgment" until you see plans for a new stadium? Makes little sense, ever consider running for council or government?

rev wrote:
I go to the footy, am I a bogan?
You go too, consider your self one?

Cruise wrote:

rev wrote:
I go to the footy, am I a bogan?
You go too, consider your self one?

Seeing as you also go to the footy often, surely you know what sort of people you get there?

Wayno wrote:

Cruise wrote:

rev wrote:
I go to the footy, am I a bogan?
You go too, consider your self one?

Seeing as you also go to the footy often, surely you know what sort of people you get there?

I wonder if the attendee profile would change if the stadium was next to the city?

Cruise wrote:Would the attendee profile change of the clipsal 500 change if it was held at West Lakes instead?

monotonehell wrote:

Cruise wrote:Would the attendee profile change of the clipsal 500 change if it was held at West Lakes instead?

Ahem >.>

AAMI Stadium will not be the venue for Adelaide United's potential AFC Champions League international club soccer final in November.

The stadium has been ruled insufficient to showcase South Australian soccer's biggest spectacle.

If United makes it to the Asian final, the event will go to the smaller Hindmarsh Stadium, which hosted group stage matches and a quarter final of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Football Tournament.

It means an estimated 23,000 will not be able to watch the final at Hindmarsh Stadiumin November.

Sources have said Asian Football Confederation officials are not impressed with AAMI's configuration despite its 51,515 capacity.

It is understood Football Federation Australia officials have agreed with the AFC's stance on AAMI Stadium's shortcomings as an idealsoccer venue.

United's AAMI snub further undermines Adelaide as a serious contender in Australia's bid for the 2018 FIFAWorld Cup.

An AFC competitions official yesterday confirmed that there was no other venue other than Hindmarsh which was suitable to host the pending Asian final.

And, as reported in The Advertiser on Friday, a soon-to-be released official FFA audit will find the city does not have a suitable venue to host World Cup matches.

Adelaide chief executive Sam Ciccarello said if Adelaide make it past Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor in the Champions League home and away semi-final, Hindmarsh's purpose-built soccer stadium will get the nod unopposed ahead of AAMI and Adelaide Oval.

"AAMI doesn't stack up in the way of configuration or how the pitch would work," Mr Ciccarello said. "The seating and the viewing perspective, we'll get a lot of people there but it will be very challenging in terms of a playing an entertainment spectacle."

Because of the smaller venue, United stands to lose more than $1 million alone in ticket and corporate sales. Adelaide has already lost an estimated $90,000 in ticket sales when the club last week sold out its second leg AFC Champions League quarter-final match at Hindmarsh.

More than 3000 spectators were turned away from last week's 1-0 win over Japan's Kashima Antlers.

Nearly 17,000 spectators crammed into Hindmarsh to witness Adelaide overcome the Kashima Antlers 2-1 on aggregate last Wednesday.

Mr Ciccarello said the club is now trying to create a "fans zone" for those who miss out. "We have formally considered other venue options," he said. "Today we conferred with Aurelio Vidmar and our owner Nick Bianco and chairman Dario Fontanarosa. I would be surprised if we couldn't attract 40,000 to the game.