Bulldogs to play six games at Telstra Stadium

Austadiums • Sunday 27th October 2002
The Bulldogs have struck a deal with Telstra Stadium management and will play six matches (including two double headers) at Stadium Australia next season. The Bulldogs are looking for stability in the Homebush area for at least the next five years for an option of two.

It is reported that the Bulldogs want Souths as their round one double header match and a showdown with the Roosters during the Easter weekend in another double header.

The other four teams the Bulldogs proposed to play at Telstra Stadium will be Parramatta, St George, Newcastle and Brisbane. Those four teams however are subject to the seedings of the draw in which the Bulldogs should be ranked 15th as the position they were put in by David Gallop or be handed the JJ Giltinan Shield.

Five matches will be played at Sydney Showground in a re-negotiated deal with the venue and the Warriors match still has two years to run at Wellington.

Chief Executive Steve Mortimer and Chairman George Peponis explored the option of going back to Belmore Sports Ground for five matches and later one match but kept on hitting a snag with the local council.

In the end the club has decided to settle base in Homebush and ended up with a very beneficial deal to play six games at Telstra Stadium.

This season the Bulldogs lost money on eight of the 12 matches at Sydney Showground and the move of the big matches next door will provide financial stability for the club along with new marketing opportunities for the club.

Much of the money lost was largely due to poor scheduling and the unavailability of the Showground during long periods around Easter. The Showground can't be utilised for a few weeks before Easter due to preparations and the Easter Show generally runs for around two weeks.

Some fans will question the logic but the club will still be based in Homebush and have a regular sequence of home matches - unlike previous seasons. Facilities, viewing, security and comfort are far superior at Telstra Stadium than the Showground.

Feedback from supporters either in person, over the phone or through email has supported the ideas of stability and playing key matches at Telstra Stadium, especially as the venue is now built for Rugby League.

The NRL apparently have no objections to the Bulldogs playing two double headers and four big event matches at Telstra Stadium. The NRL has a drop in crowds this year and are keen to cash in on the publicity and support the Bulldogs will generate early in the season. The Bulldogs haven't had a flow of early home games in recent years and the dramas of last year ensures they'll get big crowds for several of their early matches. The NRL need to make up for the loss of $500,000 on Billy Idol and the fall in crowds that plagued them.

Wests Tigers will be the other home team in both double header matches, leaving them with a 5-5 split of home games at Leichhardt Oval and Campbelltown Stadium.

The deal is a significant and profitable one for the Bulldogs where the club is assured of profit before a spectator walks through the gate. The mix of big matches at Telstra Stadium and the lesser sides at Sydney Showground makes it right for a perfect balance. Mortimer and Peponis explored avenues to move back to Belmore but were in the end blocked by Canterbury Council.

At least four AFL games will also be played at Telstra Stadium in 2003 with the Sydney Swans playing one pre-season cup match, three home and away fixtures as well as any finals matches at the venue.

In more stadium news, the FIM Australian Grand Prix attracted around 30,000 fans on Saturday night and will be stages at the venue for the next two years.

Accor Stadium

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The Bulldogs have struck a deal with Telstra Stadium management and will play six matches (including two double headers) at Stadium Australia next season. The Bulldogs are looking for stability in the Homebush area for at least the next five years for an option of two.
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