AFL & NRL Asked to take mid season break during World Cup

[gUt]

If you don't like diveball and find the idea of it pushing your favourite sport into the background, if not cancelled altogether, you're an insular bogan.

 

[Jeba]

Well the Sydney Olympics cost us a reported $2.286billion, and there was certainly no financial disaster from that. I have no doubt that the World Cup in Australia would do a lot more good than harm.

 

[Twiztid]

Well the Sydney Olympics cost us a reported $2.286billion, and there was certainly no financial disaster from that. I have no doubt that the World Cup in Australia would do a lot more good than harm.

Yes but the facilities for Sydney Olympics was built in one main area in Homebush and upgrades to facilities already in use. No-one really was disadvantaged compared to what Fifa are expecting from the AFL and NRL comps. It probably won't be a financial disaster. I am more interested in who is going to end up paying for it all. Even more so when it is a sporting event I don't want here.

 

[Kris]

The three Queensland stadiums that will hold the World Cup (IF we get it) are Dairy Farmers, Suncorp Stadium and Skilled Park...

 

[Nashy]

Are any of them big enough?

 

[Black Philip]

Suncorp is one of only like 4 or 5 stadiums that fit requirements currently.

 

[Jeba]

Do you reckon they'd reconsider an upgrade to QEII? There's plenty of space there.

 

[Coxy]

What would be the point upgrading Dairy Farmers to hold 55000 people? It'd never fill it.

 

[Kris]

Are any of them big enough?

If they wanna hold a semi final at any of the three stadiums, then they'd have to be refurbished.

I reckon it'll just be Suncorp that'd hold one anyway because it would be stupid to have 55K seats at Dairy Farmers and Skilled (depending on how the Titans go in the next few years).

 

[Flutterby]

FTR, the NSW govt is still paying off the Sydney Olympics. Yes a number of industries (mainly tourism) did get a huge financial boost and I wouldn't call it a financial disaster, but to still be paying off one event 10 years on is ridiculous. As a spectacle and event, the Soccer WC would be amazing to have here and would bring a number of benefits, but I don't believe it will be a financial windfall and would likely run at an overall loss (most major sporting events do run at a loss with the governments just picking up the excess losses and spreading it over years).

The main problem as far as I see it is that the Soccer WC is traditionally (probably always - I don't follow it that closely) held in countries where Soccer is THE game. In most cases there is no competing football code let alone 2 or 3 as we have here. And in cases where there is another code it is so minor compared to soccer that they really wouldn't get a say in what happens to their season during the WC. Additionally in most of these countries the majority of venues are Soccer venues - they don't share with other sports. A lot of the venues are also used to hosting big soccer matches and wouldn't require as much upgrades as would venues here. IMO a Soccer WC in Australia will cost more than it would in most other countries that would host it.

The fact is that here in Australia at the moment Soccer is the number 3 football code, therefore FFA and FIFA need to realise that if they want to have their WC here, they are going to have to make some concessions that they wouldn't have to even consider in other countries and be more flexible/relaxed in their requirements.

 

[Coxy]

The exceptions are the USA and now South Africa, and to a lesser extent, South Korea/Japan. They weren't really "soccer" nations. So they are trying to expand.

And Flutterby makes a good point. While the businesses may make a profit off it, the governments will end up in deficit - and given we're already with a massive deficit (thanks Uncle Kevin for our plasma tvs) I can't see the justification for spending billions on stadium upgrades.

It'd need to come down to corporate backers to make it happen.

In fact, I'm quite anti government being heavily involved as funders of sporting facilities (as in for professional sports). They should be able to supply grants, but they shouldn't be the majority funder.

 

[Flutterby]

The exceptions are the USA and now South Africa, and to a lesser extent, South Korea/Japan. They weren't really "soccer" nations. So they are trying to expand.

Ahh true - not really soccer nations, but do they have a strong domestic competing code that was going to be affected the way NRL and AFL potentially are? Obviously RU is big in RSA but not really domestically - they can be playing their Super 14/Tri-Nations matches away during Soccer WC period. And I'll bet there was no suggestion of the NFL being put on hold in the USA.

In fact, I'm quite anti government being heavily involved as funders of sporting facilities (as in for professional sports). They should be able to supply grants, but they shouldn't be the majority funder.

I agree with you here. A major sports event needs to see itself as a business and needs to stand on it's own 2 feet and pay for itself. I strong believe that government funding on sport should be directed to the grassroots level and to other more minor sports/national teams that aren't able to attract large corporate sponsorship/support due to their lesser profile (though they should be certainly still trying to get more corporate and less government money).

 

[dukey]

The exceptions are the USA and now South Africa, and to a lesser extent, South Korea/Japan. They weren't really "soccer" nations. So they are trying to expand.

Ahh true - not really soccer nations, but do they have a strong domestic competing code that was going to be affected the way NRL and AFL potentially are? Obviously RU is big in RSA but not really domestically - they can be playing their Super 14/Tri-Nations matches away during Soccer WC period. And I'll bet there was no suggestion of the NFL being put on hold in the USA.

FIFA had the good sense to run the WC outside of the NFL season. I can just imagine the success they'd have had if they'd tried to lock the NFL out of their own venues.

 

[Coxy]

The exceptions are the USA and now South Africa, and to a lesser extent, South Korea/Japan. They weren't really "soccer" nations. So they are trying to expand.

Ahh true - not really soccer nations, but do they have a strong domestic competing code that was going to be affected the way NRL and AFL potentially are? Obviously RU is big in RSA but not really domestically - they can be playing their Super 14/Tri-Nations matches away during Soccer WC period. And I'll bet there was no suggestion of the NFL being put on hold in the USA.

I don't know enough about the RU scene in Sth Africa...apparently it's pretty big though. Not sure what time of year they play it though.

In fact, I'm quite anti government being heavily involved as funders of sporting facilities (as in for professional sports). They should be able to supply grants, but they shouldn't be the majority funder.

I agree with you here. A major sports event needs to see itself as a business and needs to stand on it's own 2 feet and pay for itself. I strong believe that government funding on sport should be directed to the grassroots level and to other more minor sports/national teams that aren't able to attract large corporate sponsorship/support due to their lesser profile (though they should be certainly still trying to get more corporate and less government money).

Absolutely.

Government should be assisting amateur sports to build up their facilities.
I don't mind them contributing to projects like Suncorp Stadium which is used for a variety of sports, but generally I don't think they should contribute more than 20%.

 

[mal]

Here ya go league fans..

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,865 ... 88,00.html

and

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,865 ... 66,00.html

 

[Fozz]

So Campbelltown looks like it will be all seated and they're turning ANZ into a glasshouse?

 

[dukey]

It's still of no benefit for RL or RL fans for the duration of the cup. It's not like FIFA are going to be upstaged by the NRL or AFL, so just allow them to run during the cup and get on with life.

 

[mal]

They are not allowed Dukey, FIFA do not allow it. Something like 4 weeks prior to and during the venues can't be used.