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https://thewest.com.au/sport/perth-g...-ng-b88694513z
The future of nib Stadium is under a cloud after Perth Glory owner Tony Sage threatened to move soccer to Optus Stadium over a pricing and scheduling dispute.
Mr Sage said that next year he would end his VenuesWest contract, which requires Perth Glory to play 14 A-League games a year at nib Stadium, if the management company did not reduce its price and allow the club to play some games at Optus Stadium each year.
Mr Sage said that if fans embraced the new Optus Stadium during an A-League game likely to be played there in March, and if the price was right, he would move soccer permanently to the venue.
He must decide by April, which is the deadline for informing Football Federation Australia where Glory’s home games will be held the following season.
“If the deal is better, and the fans like it, we will move (exclusively) to the new stadium,” he said.
He said economic modelling showed Glory could cover its costs if Optus Stadium charged $150,000 a game, but the venue will not provide its final costings until next year.
Optus Stadium’s costs will be higher than the $100,000 to $110,000 charged for every game at nib, but Mr Sage claimed the bigger venue would ensure more ticket sales, just as Perth Arena had for the Wildcats basketball team after it moved from Challenge Stadium.
He said Perth Glory ticket sales could top 40,000 for a final but nib Stadium had a capacity of only 20,500.
Mr Sage said it was unfair nib Stadium charged more than the $75,000 which Melbourne facilities charged its A-League teams, especially given nib was “substandard”.
“They’ve got to justify why it is that much more expensive,” he said.
“We’ve been asking the State Government that for three years.”
Mr Sage said he would ideally like to remain the anchor tenant at nib Stadium with the option of playing bigger games, such as finals, at the new stadium.
VenuesWest has allowed a one-off exception to its contract to allow the club to play an A-League game at Optus Stadium in March, though a final decision depends on costs.
Glory’s match with English giants Chelsea at Optus Stadium next year does not breach its contract because it is not part of the A-League fixtures.
A move by Glory to the new venue would cast a big shadow over the viability of nib Stadium, which has already lost the Western Force as a tenant.
Glory pays $1.5 million a year to play at the venue and Western Force paid $1 million annually before it was axed in August.
Losing Glory would increase the difficulty of finding a new sponsor for the venue after health insurer nib recently decided not to renew its naming rights contract.
Peter Bauchop, acting chief executive of VenuesWest, defended nib Stadium, saying it was a world-class venue which was last year voted as having the best pitch in the A-league by the players. It also ranked highest for customer service by fans.
“We are in the process of contract negotiations with Perth Glory for season 2018-19 onwards and are confident of reaching a favourable result,” he said.
"12 Years aSupporter" starring the #SeaOfBlue
Even more ammunition for the State Government to follow up legal action against RA!
total bullshit--even playing finals at the new stadium will only quarter fill it at best
Even more opportunity for Sage to put pressure on the Government to give it exclusive use of the Floreat RugbyWA administration facilities as a condition for soccer remaining at NIB Stadium.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Has Tony actually asked the fans what they might prefer? Watching soccer in a 60K-seater stadium that was made for AFL sounds like a crap fan experience to me.
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby
Hasn't the stadium got capability to lower the seats closer to the pitch (Soccer needs far less space than Rugby)?
The Glory sold out finals matches at Subiaco in the dark old days of the NSL (the Glory were the shining light) however those days are gone.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Bollocks. That is all.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
Let them go to the new venue, the fans will hate it, the atmosphere will be crap and they will come back to NIB.
Standard negotiating isn’t it?
The Glory will remain at NiB despite what Tony Sage says.
Yup. Bargain the price down to match AAMI in Melbourne, etc. Get an option on taking a few games to the bigger venue.
But the new stadium won't be much chop for rectangular sports. It looks surprisingly similar to that athletics stadium they put up in Sydney 19 years ago. The one the NSW government now wants to pull down because it's not fit for purpose.
It's a piece of shit for rugby codes and soccer. A $2b chunk of shit with 65,000 seats, but still shit nonetheless.
There's no way that A-League games will fill those seats. It'll be a cavernous, soulless echo chamber.
Like Subi with better bars and toilets but in a worse location.
Even Adelaide kicked our arse when it came to getting a new stadium.
Last edited by Kiap; 27-12-17 at 06:27.
Similar style stadium to the Stade de France which has a retractable lower tier for Athletics. London Stadium is similar.
No drama. Sydney made a mess of it due to kowtowing to Cricket and the AFL despite them having the SCG. The AFL no doubt would have had a say in the design after the rebuild and contracted games to be play there.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Nah, Stade de France is rubbish. I won't comment on the London Olympic Park, not having been there.
Look, the Perth Stadium will be fine for AFL and cricket.
That's what the government designed it for. Their interest in soccer is minimal. Even their bid for a Bledisloe will be a one-off. That won't be returning anytime soon, so no problemo.
Mainly due to the behaviour of the RA. Didn't even bother with bidding for a test for next year and I don't blame them.Its complicated for "tactical scrumhalves" to look good when they don't have a game plan to work off. Dupont certainly looks good sniping at the fringes.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board