AFL unveil home ground for its second Sydney team
Austadiums • Wednesday 16th July 2008
The AFL will today make a bold incursion into rugby league's heartland with the unveiling of the home ground for its second team in western Sydney.
AFL boss Andrew Demetriou will be at Rooty Hill today to reveal the first look of a new $30 million stadium for the western Sydney team.
Civil works have already commenced on the joint venture between the AFL and Blacktown City Council. Work is expected to be completed during 2009.
Local rugby league clubs are outraged at the money being spent at the expense of local junior league.
The development will feature a main oval with a capacity of 10,000, including a 1500-seat grandstand, a second oval, indoor/outdoor practice areas and ancillary facilities to pave the way for a second team in Sydney.
Oval No. 1 will have a 170m by 150m irrigated field, turf pitches, player interchange benches, embankments for 8500 spectators, function rooms, coaches' boxes, media facilities and third umpire and crowd control boxes.
The launch of the stadium comes a week after the council appointed a contractor to construct a purpose-built AFL and cricket precinct at Blacktown Olympic Park.
It is part of the Blacktown City 2025 future plan and will complement existing international standard softball, baseball and athletic facilities. A second Sydney AFL team is a key project of the plan, which includes redevelopment of Blacktown showground.
It will also include an internationally recognised motor sport precinct.
Quakers Hills Bombers, training in Blacktown last night, said they hoped a local AFL stadium and team would make the sport popular with children.
Matt Elliott, 15, said most of his mates played league or soccer because few had seen AFL played locally at a national standard.
"I think it's great that they're building the stadium," he said. "I hope it makes the game more popular and that more of my mates get involved."
Rooty Hill Dragons rugby league club secretary Don Milides was far from pleased: "I think it's disgusting. They're building up another code while letting down a code that has supported them for years.
"You should see the archaic property that we play on down here at Whalan Reserve, last season it was unplayable because of the drought and they had no watering system."
AFL boss Andrew Demetriou will be at Rooty Hill today to reveal the first look of a new $30 million stadium for the western Sydney team.
Civil works have already commenced on the joint venture between the AFL and Blacktown City Council. Work is expected to be completed during 2009.
Local rugby league clubs are outraged at the money being spent at the expense of local junior league.
The development will feature a main oval with a capacity of 10,000, including a 1500-seat grandstand, a second oval, indoor/outdoor practice areas and ancillary facilities to pave the way for a second team in Sydney.
Oval No. 1 will have a 170m by 150m irrigated field, turf pitches, player interchange benches, embankments for 8500 spectators, function rooms, coaches' boxes, media facilities and third umpire and crowd control boxes.
The launch of the stadium comes a week after the council appointed a contractor to construct a purpose-built AFL and cricket precinct at Blacktown Olympic Park.
It is part of the Blacktown City 2025 future plan and will complement existing international standard softball, baseball and athletic facilities. A second Sydney AFL team is a key project of the plan, which includes redevelopment of Blacktown showground.
It will also include an internationally recognised motor sport precinct.
Quakers Hills Bombers, training in Blacktown last night, said they hoped a local AFL stadium and team would make the sport popular with children.
Matt Elliott, 15, said most of his mates played league or soccer because few had seen AFL played locally at a national standard.
"I think it's great that they're building the stadium," he said. "I hope it makes the game more popular and that more of my mates get involved."
Rooty Hill Dragons rugby league club secretary Don Milides was far from pleased: "I think it's disgusting. They're building up another code while letting down a code that has supported them for years.
"You should see the archaic property that we play on down here at Whalan Reserve, last season it was unplayable because of the drought and they had no watering system."
