The importance of football stadia
- Thursday, November 27 2014 @ 03:24 am ACDT
- Contributed by: Harley Vague
- Views: 3,223

he Sydney Swans have just signed a 30 year deal to play all their home games at the SCG, the spiritual home of football in Sydney. That completes a cycle that has seen cricket and football re-unite at major stadia around Australia. Whilst organised football was still only played in English schools, football in the Australian and New Zealand colonies was played by communities.
There was a great synergy between cricket and the new evolving football. In fact it has been reported that football was invented to keep cricketers fit during winter. Cricket had already established community clubs. They had the grounds and the facilities whilst football provided the crowds and a major source of income. Together large stadia were built in the cities and throughout the lands. Playing in complimentary seasons it was an almost perfect relationship until with the booming popularity of both codes they thought they could do it better separately.
With the only way to underwrite large modern stadia by code-sharing, common sense has prevailed and we have seen major developments at shared grounds throughout Australia and the decommissioning of AFL grounds. This investment in infrastructure has been repaid handsomely in increased attendances . The Adelaide Oval being a spectacular example of that.