#VIS: Inner-City Stadium/Riverbank Precinct

[monotonehell]

still, wouldnt it be better just to build a train line to football park?

I'm starting to think so. There's a lot of money being pumped into Footy Park, it would make more sense to expand its role to a multipurpose stadium, and put in place some kind of PT that can handle the capacity crowds on footy days, rather than spend more money on an inner CBD stadium that has so many hurdles to jump;
* Are the rail yards big enough?
* What about parking space?
* What about traffic congestion?
* Would a soccer only stadium become a white elephant considering Hindmarsh is a stone's throw away.
* IF we do build a multipurpose stadium what events would we attract? Would they be annual or just once off boom/depression events (like the Olympics/FIFA)?
* What about the other more pressing needs that we have as a city? PT, roads, water, energy, and hospital infrastructure.

Prima facie an inner CBD stadium sounds like a good idea to attract life to the city, and it's certainly a popular idea, but does it make economic and practical sense?

[Norman]

Well, we could just for now build the rail line to AAMI stadium (or possibly a tram link), and then, when we DO have some money in the state coffers, build a Multi-purpose stadium down the track near the city.

[BenJ]

The thing about a city stadium is that you could utilise the existing public transport infrastructure including the train station and tram down North Tce. It's so much easier to get into town on public transport that parking may not be as important as it would be in any other location. If TransAdelaide ran a few express services from the O-Bahn, Marion, Port Road etc this would solve the majority of the problem.

I agree that a soccer only stadium could be risky. It would be much better to build something multi purpose that could therefore be used for almost anything be it AFL, soccer, rugby, Olympics, Commonwealth games, athletics, even cycling (?), music concerts etc.

From a look on Google Earth it seems like there's a heap of space on the Western side of the city close to the river and railyards to develop an entertainment precinct that could include a stadium, a public square, maybe an arts centre with bars and cafes along the river. Given the fact that you're a stone's throw away from Hindley and the West End, that part of the city would take off like nothing else and possibly replace the East end as the main entertainment precinct.

Agreed, we have to consider our hospitals, water, energy infrastructure, roads etc but these are important concerns that frankly will never go away. They should be worked on consistently, every budget, but they are not going to give this city a sense of life or stop the brain drain interstate. The chance to develop an important, city building project like the stadium precinct only comes along every so often. Given the expected mining boom, the amount of current public support and at least some political support (which I believe may be growing), this should be done.

Rant over.

[monotonehell]

Should this thread be merged with http://www.sensational-adelaide.com/for ... f=4&t=1413 I feel like I'm having the same conversation with different people.

[JamesXander]

Ok lads, band together and tell us how we can help pay for this stadium, the benefiets etc. As AAMi is currently 51,000 capacity, the new stadium would have to be bigger then that to justify an AFL team moving into the stadium.

Ideas-
$2 increase in all ticket prices to games from today could go into a fund. Crows Average 43,000 a game, 12 games a year

$500,000 in the bank

Power average 30,000 12 games a year

360,000 in the bank, Include interest thats nearly $1 million a year after 10 years or so we would have $10 million. Thats a start

Cancel all upgrades to AAMI, save nearly $80 million, the selling of land, $100 million. Selling of equipment etc (such as the telly's etc) could possibly raise another $10 million. Thats $200 million from the SANFL straight away. Include possibly $10 million to $20 million from the AFL itself.

Add Adelaide United, with the backing of the FFA could probably muster between 50-100 million. (Money made from the sale of Hindmarsh...minor but still worth consideration)

Add a private consortium to help fund the Venue.


Then Add Local, State and Federal Funding.


But how can we justify this huge spending? Help a brother out!

[Cruise]

OK James Xander i have a hypothetical question for you

You own your house outright, you have lived there for 30 years, it is your home

All of your friends live on the other side of town, they pressure you and pressure you to move closer to them.

but real estate is very expensive there, you cant afford to buy there so you would have to rent to live in that part of town with your friends.

So do you (the SANFL) sell your home (Football Park) to rent one (State governments new whizz bang 1.1 billion dollar stadium) to be near where your friends (the public) want you to live?

Of course due to high rent you would pay means you would less money coming in week in out than you were before.

[The Carabinieri]

This would be great

We would be able to hold international games, and would really be a step forward in the right direction

[talrok]

I see your point Cruise, but seriously .. not many of us have 43,000/30,000 'friends' that come to our house on a weekly basis and spent $20 just to get in the front (or side) door. Nor do they pay me $5 each time I give them a glass of coke or a hot dog. Plus I rarely have interestate and international visitors throwing their hard earned dosh at me just to spend 2.5 hours at my place either!
I wish I had friends like this.
I'm sure if this got built (IN THE HEART OF CITY) then the crowds would be bigger and more regular and any extra expense in moving from AAMI/Hindmarsh would be well worth it in the long run ..
We need to stop thinking about the short term and think long term.
Was in Melbourne on weekend and at the Docklands .. who would have thought 10 years ago the place would have looked like this .. but someone had a long term vision and went for it .. now the state has something more to offer to the public .. sport arena, apartments/housing, restaurants, bars, public area, Disco on Ice .. and very soon the Ferris Wheel, Shopping District etc. etc.
Sure they have the population and growth to back some of these projects up .. however, there was a time when they didn't .. but I am sure the growth and influx of people to Melbourne all started when some major projects started kicking into gear ... again ..
BUILT IT AND THEY WILL COME!!!!

[The Carabinieri]

I see your point Cruise, but seriously .. not many of us have 43,000/30,000 'friends' that come to our house on a weekly basis and spent $20 just to get in the front (or side) door. Nor do they pay me $5 each time I give them a glass of coke or a hot dog. Plus I rarely have interestate and international visitors throwing their hard earned dosh at me just to spend 2.5 hours at my place either!
I wish I had friends like this.
I'm sure if this got built (IN THE HEART OF CITY) then the crowds would be bigger and more regular and any extra expense in moving from AAMI/Hindmarsh would be well worth it in the long run ..
We need to stop thinking about the short term and think long term.
Was in Melbourne on weekend and at the Docklands .. who would have thought 10 years ago the place would have looked like this .. but someone had a long term vision and went for it .. now the state has something more to offer to the public .. sport arena, apartments/housing, restaurants, bars, public area, Disco on Ice .. and very soon the Ferris Wheel, Shopping District etc. etc.
Sure they have the population and growth to back some of these projects up .. however, there was a time when they didn't .. but I am sure the growth and influx of people to Melbourne all started when some major projects started kicking into gear ... again ..
BUILT IT AND THEY WILL COME!!!!

You are 100% correct. Hindmarsh Stadium is a dump.

This new stadium would create a real buzz, as it is in the heart of the city, and not in a hole (like hindmarsh). Not to mention that around the stadium, you could build apartments/hotel, restaurants, nightclubs, sport museums, etc, etc .... This way, it becomes more than just a sporting event, as there are things to do before and after the games.

In addition, stadiums are multi purpose, and can be used for things such as concerts.

[Norman]

Why can't the SANFL slowly pay off the new stadium from the other financees once it's built, and in the end they would own it... or a consortium of the various sports could own it.

[Omicron]

Why can't the SANFL slowly pay off the new stadium from the other financees once it's built, and in the end they would own it... or a consortium of the various sports could own it.

The SACA and Adelaide United would just love the idea of the SANFL owning their multi-purpose stadium outright.

[monotonehell]

Assuming the impossible that Football Park and Hindmarsh Stadium are sold to help fund such an undertaking and the respective codes can work out their differences and etc etc etc...

Where would we put it?

The rail yards site (A) is just too small so forget that...



In each case the blue rectangle represents a multi story car park, which despite PT availability is a must for a grounds this size - less than 10% of Footy Park guests use the network of Footy Express buses laid on each match. The parking arrangements for Adelaide Oval and other Parklands events stretch the Parkland's ability to regenerate in time for the next.

So...

(B) On the playing fields opposite the rail yards? or
(C) On the dust bowl car park behind Ellis Park?
Both have the advantage of being near the train line and also there's a plethora of sporting facilities out on this side of town already.

(D) On the "paddock" near Wayville? Also has the advantage of the car park being able to be used for the Royal Show, instead of the 3 temporary car parks down that part of the Parklands.

(E) My new favourite: On the old Victoria Racecourse site. (Because it's as good as abandoned in my book) This has the advantage of being near(ish) Hutt Street restaurants and the Clipsal track. The car park could be used for Clipsal as well as the stadium, and the roads around that area could be reconfigured to avoid the Britannia roundabout mess as well as to provide a pit straight for Clipsal.

[Pikey]

I would say "A" with the stadium being built on top of the rail lines near the Morphett St Bridge. Then a midrise carpark/hotel/apartment/shopping precinct (Westfield?) just north of that, then finally the Marj.

Totally pie in the sky stuff, but that's my wish.

[monotonehell]

I would say "A" with the stadium being built on top of the rail lines near the Morphett St Bridge. Then a midrise carpark/hotel/apartment/shopping precinct (Westfield?) just north of that, then finally the Marj.

Totally pie in the sky stuff, but that's my wish.

No roooom at the inn!

There's not enough room, even with a lower level rail way, for a stadium on that site. And putting it on top of the rail way would not only make it cost more but make it stupidly tall, it would cast a giant shadow on Elder Park of an evening. I know you love the idea but it's just not practical there.

[Omicron]

If those sites were the options, I'd have to suggest either B or C. They have the closest proximity to existing public transport options (train-line right next door, the tramline likely to be heading that way eventually), and are the most conducive to any necessary changovers (from train to tram, or from Victoria Square/KWS buses to tram. Similarly, the parklands there aren't exactly the most appealing of them all and would be the easiest to convince the community of the acquisition of the land, and it would help drive the redevelopment of the West End.

E exists in a fundamentally residential area, which is part of the justification for leaving AAMI Stadium in the first place, and it doesn't have quite as many existing transport options - the tram isn't all that close and an extension to that corner isn't likely; the train is a fair walk away; and I don't know if that area is patronised by that many buses. Similarly, the walk from that corner to the centre of town isn't ideal, if the aim to to get as many people into town afterwards as possible.

D is a possibility, although the last place I'd want to dump thousands of people after a sporting match is the south-western corner of the CBD. On second thoughts, though, Hindley St. isn't all that much better....