Final farewell to stadium that has to go

Philip Cox’s original warped roof design of the stadium ensured it immediately became a Sydney icon beside the historic pavilions of the Sydney Cricket Ground. And there is much to remember – grand finals, blockbuster games and great days.

But the safety and security issues that we must manage tonight and the compromised customer comfort were never contemplated when the Sydney Football Stadium was first conceived.

That was the case just about everywhere in the world until the tragic events of April 15, 1989. Any discussion about modern stadium design must start with the Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 people were fatally crushed during an FA Cup semi-final, as well as the Bradford City fire and other tragedies that led to the establishment of the standards and principles that rightly govern the venue industry to this day.

It’s why we support the NSW government decision to knock down and rebuild Allianz Stadium.

The SCG Trust is charged with maintaining the SCG, SFS and other facilities for the people of NSW. As trustees, we recommended the knockdown and rebuild of Allianz Stadium based on independent advice.

The NSW Legislative Council’s Public Works Committee reviewed all available data, held three days of hearings and then also ruled in support of the plan. It found that the safety and security concerns identified at the SFS required immediate attention. It was the ultimate example of democracy at work. Everyone who wanted to got a chance to have their say.

We have six to seven capacity crowds at Allianz every year. Once we have a modern, safe and comfortable stadium we expect more. Compare the thousands of Sydney Roosters fans who cheered on their side at the NRL preliminary final at Allianz Stadium with those who did so at the grand final at ANZ Stadium.

At Allianz, it was a night of long queues, congestion and compromise. At Olympic Park, it was drastically different. A full ANZ Stadium is a sight to see. The more than 80,000 fans are well taken care of – the concourses are wide and the facilities plentiful. There is minimal queueing at the gates on the way in and none on the way out.

But when Buble plays his final set tonight and Allianz Stadium starts to clear, that won’t be the case.

We will do everything we can to ensure that the tens of thousands of concert-goers are safe. We will have fire spotters around the venues, ushers ready to guide people to emergency exits and staff manning the external stairways, where the balustrading is not high enough to prevent accidental falls.

It is, just as it should be, the last time this will happen in Australia’s premier city. Game over indeed.

Anthony Shepherd is chairman of the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust.