ANZ Stadium
Today we had the chance to tour Allianz stadium, and the
Sydney Cricket Grounds (SGC). It was a sweltering 115 degrees out today and a
lot of it was spent outside, but that didn’t stop this from being a great trip.
Now that we have seen both the Sydney Swans and the GWS Giants of the AFL
practice, I can safely compare the two. It is pretty obvious that these two
teams are in very different stages of their history right now. The GWS Giants
are coming off their first year in the league and a last place finish. The
Swans on the other hand, are coming off a premiership (league champions), their
fifth one of all time. They were both very welcoming and gave us a great look
at their team and facilities, but I think I am more likely to follow the Giants
in the future. Something about talking to their manager, coach, and staff, made
me see their plan and I would love to see how they progress in the years to
come. They talked about having a 5 year plan to competing at a high level, and
they had such a young team. I really like the idea of seeing these boys grow up
and start dominating the league, and really growing the sport here. It is kind
of similar to the Minnesota Wild, it is hard to be a start up, but it is
awesome when you stick with them and grow and finally get some success.
Although the Swans did give us free hats, I would feel too much like a fair
weather fan to cheer for them right after a championship season.
When comparing the two stadiums, they really couldn’t be
more different. ANZ is much newer, and focuses on a state of the art
experience, as well as holding twice as many people. The SCG on the other hand
was staying relevant, but still very much embracing and honoring the history
that was there. I think for the regular season I would want to play in the SCG
and make myself a part of that history. Comparing it to the old Yankee Stadium,
or Fenway kind of sealed the deal for me, I love the history. That being said,
for a championship game or series, I would love to play in the ANZ and have a
full house cheering me on, for obvious reasons. I think 80,000 fans going nuts
and rooting for oyu would be unreal.
"If it's difficult, I'll do it now. If its impossible, I'll do it presently" - Don Bradman
As a fan I think I would prefer to go to a game at ANZ. What
it comes down to is the atmosphere. It is great and historical at the SCG, but
you can’t beat going crazy with 80,000 other people and rooting for the home
team. I love being part of an amazing crowd that gives its team an advantage.
In addition to that, I am a big fan of state of the art stadiums with some amenities,
and ANZ clearly wins that category. This extends to the view of an executive
hosting an event. ANZ is just so much more versatile. It holds all four codes
of football, cricket, and concerts that are all raging successes. Couple that
with the large amount of corporate sponsors like Coca-Cola and you know that
from a business perspective this stadium makes more sense. I honestly think
that you can’t go wrong with either stadium, and each is good for its own
reasons. History or a world class venue? Take your pick.
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