Walter Burley Griffin Stadium?

A stadium by the lake would be an eyesore. Please fix the potholes, public transport, children’s playgrounds, schools and everything else before you spend $200 million on a white elephant.

The best place to build a stadium would be on the ovals near the indoor hockey centre. Think about it, it is within a mile of Gininderra drive for Belconnenites, the GDE for Gungahlinites and Southerners, the Federal Highway for Flemington Drive and Northbourne Ave for the inner South. For pre match drinks there’s the Old Canberra inn, Suburban or the Irish pub in Dickson and there are myriads of restaurants in Dickson or, for those who eat plastic, Maccas and KFC.

Woden is central – it is irritating that southsiders always have to travel a long way to Bruce Hawker, Lyneham, UC. Or, if they really want a lake, there is plenty of land around Lake Tuggeranong.

pete09 said :

Hang on, people really think Bruce is in the middle of no where?

It is!

should be built in the city near the CBD.. and built with adjoining CARPARK!

Double use multistory CARPARK
They should dig it out .. rather than build it up.

Hang on, people really think Bruce is in the middle of no where?

Bails said :

As it stands, we have a sub-par facility (terrible for viewing, awful access to/from the ground)…

Have to disagree with the access part. Unless you are talking public transport, which is really a case of organising buses, not building stadia. Bruce is surrounded by pretty good (some even two lanes each way…) roads, and the site has heaps of parking?

If we had a big, new stadium the Moonies could use it to stage mass weddings, or could the fact that they don’t believe in gay weddings be a problem?

Perhaps if we called it the Westfield Stadium, shopping centre tycoon Frank Lowy might chip in a few bob. Oh, sorry, it was TAXPAYERS who were on the hook for the $45M it cost to bid for the Soccer World Cup, let alone the cost of building and/or upgrading stadiums if we’d been unfortunate enough to “convince” the FIFA Executive of the merits of our case…

Bails said :

1. “What qualifies you you’ while trying to sound intellectual. Plus your ignorant opinion

2. Everyone likes hospitals. What a ridiculous question, seeking to achieve nothing.

3. Perhaps if Canberra had a world class stadium, it would be in a position to attract a higher calibre of sporting fixture. As it stands, we have a sub-par facility (terrible for viewing, awful access to/from the ground) that doesn’t seat enough people to accommodate anything other than second tier sports. If Canberra built a world class, high capacity modern stadium, perhaps with a retractable roof to negate Canberra winters, then we might attract elite level sport, which will generate tourism, and revitalise the depressing Canberra CBD. This might even generate enough income and focus to land the Raiders and Brumbies some decent sponsors, allow them to compete for players, and generate enough revenue to build more of your precious hospitals.

Inferiority complex much? Yep I made a typo (insert rolling eyes emoticon here). I am also allowed to have an opinion, it isnt particularly “ignorant”. My questions were intended to extract some sense of the post that was really unconstrcutive to the argument.

I am well aware that a larger stadium “may” attract more tourist dollars into Canberra but really what are the priorities here? Football or health/schools? Public transport?

What if it doesnt? SFS still cant fill all the seats in a grand final. The whole Homebush complex has been redesigned so it doesnt become a white elephant & it is only 10 years old.

Light rail would be a better proposition than a new stadium, ACTION is aparrently crap so why not channel the money that way?

By your logic your argument is “ignorant” as it doesnt really take in the consideration of the needs of the city.

dungfungus said :

NO! We don’t need another stadium or a convention centre underwritten by the ACT Ratepayers. What is wrong with Barr – all he wants to do is spend, spend, spend. These pipedreams cannot be justified in a city the size of Canberra. The Arboretum is turning into a bottomless pit and TransACT just cost us $50 million or more. Barr’s government lost millions through Rhodium Asset Solutions and Barr just gave $500K to the NGA to promote (yawn) another “blockbuster”.
Please Mr. Barr, if there is a quid to be made in building another convention centre and another football stadium then a private investor would have been onto it already. Stick to politics, same sex marriage and surrender the credit card – WE CAN”T AFFORD YOU ANYMORE.

Actually the plan is for a new stadium in the 2020’s because the existing one will be pushing 50 by then. So yes we do need a new stadium in the future. Just like we need everything else. Its called balance. I want new health faciulities and new schools etc, but I also don’t want to live somewhere without decent sporting facilities, arts facilities etc etc. Why do people move to other cities? Without these things, people won’t want to live in Canberra.

Phillip Oval is more centrally placed.

http://the-riotact.com/ovals-open/24957

Plenty of empty, flat, vacant, redevelopable carparks next to it, too.

Why am I an idiot pray tell?

What qualifies you you to make such a judgment when you have never met me?

What real world justification could you give that Canberra needs another stadium when the one we have services the community so well?

Do you not like Hospitals?

The only time we have attracted any world class events is the Rugby World Cup (the olympic soccer was a debarcle) & one cricket game a year. Did I go yes & I loved it but Canberra does not need another stadium. Maybe, just maybe if GWS can attract more than 5,000 people to a game then maybe we should look at it.

Melbourne has such an over abundance of the things that some of them now sits relatively disused. Complete waste of money.

I actually think our public art is a more appropriate way to sepn money than this.

Please answer my questions without resorting to 3rd grade name calling.

1. “What qualifies you you’ while trying to sound intellectual. Plus your ignorant opinion

2. Everyone likes hospitals. What a ridiculous question, seeking to achieve nothing.

3. Perhaps if Canberra had a world class stadium, it would be in a position to attract a higher calibre of sporting fixture. As it stands, we have a sub-par facility (terrible for viewing, awful access to/from the ground) that doesn’t seat enough people to accommodate anything other than second tier sports. If Canberra built a world class, high capacity modern stadium, perhaps with a retractable roof to negate Canberra winters, then we might attract elite level sport, which will generate tourism, and revitalise the depressing Canberra CBD. This might even generate enough income and focus to land the Raiders and Brumbies some decent sponsors, allow them to compete for players, and generate enough revenue to build more of your precious hospitals.

enrique said :

Why not turn North Oval in Turner into a stadium complex? i.e. the block of land bordered by Barry Drive, McCaughey Street, Masson Street and Watson Street.

Is there anything about the site that wouldn’t be suitable? What do you think?

Sounds like a great idea. Plenty of room for a stadium and training grounds if the complex spanned Sullivan’s creek. It would require a sizeable multistory carpark that could double as capacity for city workers.

The big flaw in your idea though? NIMBYs. Look at the proximity of the area to existing housing. I’d wager that the majority of residents would be none too pleased with stadium crowds ruining their inner-north sanctum.

As for the West Basin option, the only pocket of land I can see that would be large enough is at the northern end of Yarramundi Reach. That site really offers zero benefit over the current stadium location a few kms up the road.

H1NG0 said :

These idiots just showed us why Canberra will never get taken seriosuly as a City.

Because nobody needs adequate healthcare if they’ve got friday night football to watch right?

I might add, Mr Barr Said:

Mr Barr also confirmed that the idea of a single, multi-purpose stadium to fulfil all of the capital’s top-flight sporting needs had been abandoned after being deemed too costly.

We had this but in the infinate wisdom & the lure of the Olympics, we changed it. Change it back, refurbish it & you will have the venue you need/want other than the convention centre.

This whole thing just smacks of “Look what I did”.

NO! We don’t need another stadium or a convention centre underwritten by the ACT Ratepayers. What is wrong with Barr – all he wants to do is spend, spend, spend. These pipedreams cannot be justified in a city the size of Canberra. The Arboretum is turning into a bottomless pit and TransACT just cost us $50 million or more. Barr’s government lost millions through Rhodium Asset Solutions and Barr just gave $500K to the NGA to promote (yawn) another “blockbuster”.
Please Mr. Barr, if there is a quid to be made in building another convention centre and another football stadium then a private investor would have been onto it already. Stick to politics, same sex marriage and surrender the credit card – WE CAN”T AFFORD YOU ANYMORE.

Teams could warm-up on ANU Willows Oval (artificial surface) then cross over to the North Oval Coliseum via a tunnel under Barry Drive!

How about the MMG: the Marion Mahony Griffin.

But it would probably be called something commercial like Etihad or Suncorp. (Probably not Qantas by the time it’s built…if it happens.)

H1NG0 said :

KB1971 said :

…I would prefer a better hospital.

alaninoz said :

..How about leaving some space where people can do whatever they want…bicycle…

Deref said :

Idiotic. We’ve already got a stadium.

KB1971 said :

That either league nor union can fill on any given da…………

These idiots just showed us why Canberra will never get taken seriosuly as a City.

Why am I an idiot pray tell?

What qualifies you you to make such a judgment when you have never met me?

What real world justification could you give that Canberra needs another stadium when the one we have services the community so well?

Do you not like Hospitals?

The only time we have attracted any world class events is the Rugby World Cup (the olympic soccer was a debarcle) & one cricket game a year. Did I go yes & I loved it but Canberra does not need another stadium. Maybe, just maybe if GWS can attract more than 5,000 people to a game then maybe we should look at it.

Melbourne has such an over abundance of the things that some of them now sits relatively disused. Complete waste of money.

I actually think our public art is a more appropriate way to sepn money than this.

Please answer my questions without resorting to 3rd grade name calling.

I prefer the city option also, although the lake would be ok. I think the main gripe i have is right now its the middle of nowhere. You can’t walk there after work on a friday/monday and or night stop at a cafe or bar on the way there or way back.
It just perpetuates the reasons why canberrans drive places.

Yes we need to spend money on a stadium as well as schools and hospitals, galleries and parks.
Anyone who thinks otherwise is just iugnorant of the values to society these things are.

ANU’s North Oval would be just as good as Northbourne Oval, perhaps even better… suburban location close to the city with even more space around it. Would definitely bring a vibe to the city, and there’s also all those students at ANU with their new accommodation now. Both Braddon and Turner have the same zoning, ie. plenty of apartment buildings. Govt would need to enter into some sort of arrangement with ANU though.

Why not turn North Oval in Turner into a stadium complex? i.e. the block of land bordered by Barry Drive, McCaughey Street, Masson Street and Watson Street.

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=North+Oval,+Turner+Australian+Capital+Territory+2612&hl=en&ll=-35.27226,149.124384&spn=0.007498,0.009645&sll=-25.335448,135.745076&sspn=64.995435,79.013672&vpsrc=6&geocode=FZ3F5f0dRXPjCA&hnear=North+Oval,+Turner+Australian+Capital+Territory+2612&t=h&z=17

That whole area has got plenty going for it…

– it is already a central sporting area
– there is plenty of space to build in stadium/seating infrstructure
– there is plenty of space to build in parking infrastructure (i.e. in the space that is currently the Masson Street Oval area)
– it is centrally located and close to public transport
– is close to a potential source for recycled stormwater for irrigation

Is there anything about the site that wouldn’t be suitable? What do you think?

Alas, I think the days of renovating suburban grounds or even plonking new grounds in suburban locations are past. They’re more likely to find some land somewhere (even easier in Canberra than in bigger cities) and try to incorporate transport links. Supposedly one of the original plans when Bruce Stadium was first being discussed was to re-develop Northbourne Oval; but it being the late 1970s and suburbia the future, it was decided to build the stadium in the new town centre of Belconnen in 1977. It would be like plonking a new stadium today in Gungahlin. One wonders what life would’ve been like now if they’d decided to re-develop Northbourne Oval in the 1970s, what the feel of Civic and Braddon would be today. The suburban grounds that exist in cities are great, they have a certain atmosphere that I think Canberra would really benefit from, but they are a remnant from the past.

West Basin is actually not so bad when you consider the alternatives…. people would still bus into the city, then just walk through it to get to West Basin. And they’re doing plenty down that way with apartments, NewActon, etc. It would look nice with LBG and APH in the background too, if they were to pan out on TV. But it could actually ruin a bit of the natural vibe of LBG and would stick out on the flat lake foreshore as opposed being ensconced within a suburb that is central to the city.

KB1971 said :

…I would prefer a better hospital.

alaninoz said :

..How about leaving some space where people can do whatever they want…bicycle…

Deref said :

Idiotic. We’ve already got a stadium.

KB1971 said :

That either league nor union can fill on any given da…………

These idiots just showed us why Canberra will never get taken seriosuly as a City.

Reprobate said :

Futsal slab, anyone?

Yup. Although I never would have thought there was a name for indoor soccer player outside before they built that, so I guess it served one purpose already.

Deref said :

KB1971 said :

Mmm & people here are whighing about the AIS being awaste of money………I would prefer a better hospital.

+1

Idiotic. We’ve already got a stadium.

That either league nor union can fill on any given da…………

KB1971 said :

Mmm & people here are whighing about the AIS being awaste of money………I would prefer a better hospital.

+1

Idiotic. We’ve already got a stadium.

I can see what’s going to happen here. Andrew “look at me” Barr will build a 50k seat stadium in the hope of attracting the odd World Cup pool match between two minnows. In the meantime, the 10k crowds that show up to Raiders & Brumbies games will get to enjoy a morgue-like atmosphere while watching their team try and win minus the home ground advantage they traditionally enjoyed.

Meh, throw it somewhere with plenty of surrounding land. Put in a guarantee that there would be plenty of buses to and from any event occurring at the stadium. I like the idea of running all the way around the lake without having to cut through a stadium.

Futsal slab, anyone?

Best location would be to revamp Rugby League Park aka Northbourne Oval in Braddon. Right next to the city, it would give the city so much life on game days. The nearby pubs and restaurants would be packed out before and after matches, and colour in the streets. The bus interchange is also in the city so people can get to the ground easily from any suburb in Canberra. Please oh please don’t put another stadium in the middle of nowhere, ala Bruce! Capacity should be no more than 20,000. A boutique stadium, not an empty cavern. Look to Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide and how much atmosphere is created there when it is full.

Fantastic Idea! First good thing Barr has ever come up with. But what is the location?? West Basin, near Arboreatum? This is a dream come true for any sports following punters.

From the article:
”The issue is a long-term licence versus ownership,” Mr Barr said.

”If we were to redevelop on the Canberra Stadium existing site, we would need long-term security of that site and I want the West Basin study to examine this issue.”

Righto; it’s just a negotiation tactic. Give us what we want or we’ll go and build elsewhere and leave you with a stranded asset.

LEAVE THE BLOODY LAKE ALONE! How about leaving some space where people can do whatever they want – walk, picnic, bicycle, feed the swans, whatever – rather than filling the lake shore with single purpose crap.

The lake is already a Canberra icon, and a sports stadium built there there will never be like the G.

Mmm & people here are whighing about the AIS being awaste of money………I would prefer a better hospital.

I too would love to see this happen (it won’t though).

Great part of watching the State of Origin at Etihad Stadium (or whatever it’s called, the one at the docklands) in Melbourne, was being able to walk 10mins to a pub in city after the game.

Agreed, a stadium would fit really well on the lakefront, bit of a pipe dream though. I can imagine the footage from the helicopter/blimp flying over the lake towards a packed stadium. Of course, a packed Canberra stadium is also a pipe dream.