Build it - Own it ?

[hopep]

I never understood why we continue to lease grounds and require public funding for professional, corporate operations.

Has anyone thought of RugbyWA (or ARU) buying land and building their own stadia ? surely with all the corporate nouce and money beign thrown around WA in the past few years someone could source a 99yr (or more) loan to by ME and rebuild it! Then they could pay what the lease costs now on a mortgage and sublet to League and Soccer as well as concert events.

Its only money after all. Nearly every Soccer club in the UK OWN their ground, they were funded with 99 year mortgages with club members buying 'shares'. We keep looking for handouts too often in Australia - and thats why we are becoming a Nanny State.

Any thoughts ?

[frontrow]

I like the idea...
I am not too sure of this, but isn't james packer planning something along those lines with his proposal at Burswood???

[hopep]

Yep, he's offering to build and lease back to WA football (or whoever the Govt apoints) a 60,000 seat oval and a 30,000 seat rectangle stadia.

No Packer in history did anything without $$$ at the end of it.
So it has to be commercially viable.

[The InnFORCEr]

I never understood why we continue to lease grounds and require public funding for professional, corporate operations.

Has anyone thought of RugbyWA (or ARU) buying land and building their own stadia ? surely with all the corporate nouce and money beign thrown around WA in the past few years someone could source a 99yr (or more) loan to by ME and rebuild it! Then they could pay what the lease costs now on a mortgage and sublet to League and Soccer as well as concert events.

Its only money after all. Nearly every Soccer club in the UK OWN their ground, they were funded with 99 year mortgages with club members buying 'shares'. We keep looking for handouts too often in Australia - and thats why we are becoming a Nanny State.

Any thoughts ?

A great idea, but where would you find such a parcel of land that is privately owned and available to sell to RugbyWA?

[Thequeerone]

your the real estate agent Innforcer - there must be some land somewhere

[Darren]

You're the real estate agent

[AndyS]

We'd probably have a shot at a 99yr token lease of public land (a la the WACA) if we committed to funding the build, but at ~$25,000 per member it is a lot of money to find. Maybe I am just cynical, but I'd want a very clear understanding of the motives behind any third party ownership/lease-back arrangement. It may be simplistic but at our current $250,000/game, it would take 1600 games to just recoup the capital cost. There must be a lot more money coming from somewhere, but where?

Taking another tack, 5%p.a on a $400M is $20M a year. I wonder how that compares the the EWF total annual budget.

[The InnFORCEr]

You're the real estate agent

That is why I ask, I don't know of anywhere that is not Government owned in a suitable location.

[hopep]

Why does it have to be private property now?
Govt sells land all the time - an underused "local govt" owned ME (Perth Oval) brings in not much. Only hassles about "how will we every fund it" claims - whatever the IT.

Buy out the counicl or govt land and develop it - thats what is called progress in other countries. In addition to housing Rugby WA and Force offices - they can run other shops/services etc. ie: permenant pub/tavern/night club (not so many neighbours to annoy)

The EWF budget for games, training access and Test matches has to be more than $250k pre annum. Thats a bloody big mortgage payment by any financers standards surely?

[Burgs]

Claremont Football Oval

[The InnFORCEr]

Why does it have to be private property now?
Govt sells land all the time - an underused "local govt" owned ME (Perth Oval) brings in not much. Only hassles about "how will we every fund it" claims - whatever the IT.

Buy out the counicl or govt land and develop it - thats what is called progress in other countries. In addition to housing Rugby WA and Force offices - they can run other shops/services etc. ie: permenant pub/tavern/night club (not so many neighbours to annoy)

The EWF budget for games, training access and Test matches has to be more than $250k pre annum. Thats a bloody big mortgage payment by any financers standards surely?

Remember I do like your idea, but there is no way a local or state government is going to sell land they can make a profit out of to the Force (or on behalfof the Force). They would stand to make much more out of housing re development, on going rates etc.

What you speak about in paragraph two is being built in the Perry Lakes redevelopment, which is case in which the local council (Town of Cambridge) could not get their own act together to re develop so the State Goverment just took it away and will do it themseleves, another reason why working with a council is a tough option.

As I said I really like the idea, in fact I would love to see Mr Tana buy MES a re develop it now that he has sold all his Chicken Treat shops!

[frontrow]

I don't know if anyone has thought about this one, but what about redeveloping Brittania into a stadium, enough room and already caters for rugby, and it is right near leederville...The juniors could be relocated or incorporated into the site...What do you reckon about that one...PS...I know the locals would probably hate it, but remember one side is the freeway...

[blueandblack]

Claremont Football Oval

Horrible, miserable, windy place. But someone around there serves good soup. Just get rid of the damned siren.

Back to rugby...

[Happy]

what / where is Brittania ?

[shasta]

Remember I do like your idea, but there is no way a local or state government is going to sell land they can make a profit out of to the Force (or on behalfof the Force). They would stand to make much more out of housing re development, on going rates etc.

That's right. And, I suppose, only doing the right thing by the rate/tax payers.

For that same reason the City of Subiaco should explain to it's ALL it's ratepayers why it has gifted the use of Subiaco Oval to the WA Football Commission at $1 per year. They aren't all AFL supporters after all.

If the figure of 250,000 "rental" per match for the Western Force is correct then the ratepayers of Subiaco are being robbed blind. The WCE and Fremantle FC play a total of 22 matches there this season, not including pre-season. That would suggest the council is "giving away" $5.5 million a year that could be used to provide services to it's constituents.



Why allow the Packer family to profit from any development? Wouldn't it be fairer all round to allow the professional football clubs to compete on an equal footing with them? What I mean is allow the governing bodies of the football codes to run licensed clubs with gaming facilities. Then they might just be able to afford to build stadia AND fund junior development. In fact, if your gonna allow gaming at all, why let private investors profit? Why not only "not for profit" groups? At least the proceeds get back to the community.