AFL Attempt To Hijack Plans For Transforming ANZ Stadium

The AFL are attempting to hijack plans for the redevelopment of ANZ Stadium into a world class rectangular stadium, insisting it should stay oval shaped. 

According to the dailytelegraph.com.au, AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has penned a letter to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, where he asks for ANZ to be maintained as an oval-shaped venue in the $1.6 billion stadium war. 

Instead, McLachlan wants a redevelopment of the Brewongle-Churchill and O’Reilly Stands at the SCG and pitched for Spotless Stadium to have its capacity increased to up to 35,000.

“We believe the total financial contribution required of the NSW Government to achieve all the aforementioned items would be circa $400m,” McLachlan told the Daily Telegraph, who used the 60,000 plus crowd that turned our for the Swans v GWS AFL Finals match in 2016 as his case in point.

“This represents approximately 25 per cent of the current $1.6 billion committed to stadiums in NSW. This would leave the remaining funds to support other stadiums in the network.”

This is despite, the Swans and AFL cutting all ties with the stadium in 2016 and the Giants struggling to fill Spotless Stadium, even for finals when the lowest recorded Finals crowd in 100 years turned up for the Giants win over West Coast during the 2017 finals series.