Alternative Wellington Stadium

that's true - you had to be pretty quick to get tickets for games at the Basin, it often sold out for NZ games, even Wellington games got decent crowds, was a good day out

remember at the time it was built rugby and cricket were the only realistic sports that were going to be using the stadium, football may have had an All White game there every now and then but no one imagined that the Phoenix would exist back then

And also remember they were angling to get AFL games as well.

You could certainly pack out the RoF for an ODI back when it was first built. I'll never forget the game v England where Peter Jackson came on at innings break and got us all to chant in Orcish to put on the LoTR soundtrack.

They'd even sell out the Hurricanes for regular season games. Things really have changed.

lmao I was there when that happened too! Good times.

I'm actually surprised the rugby fraternity back then sold off their rectangle stadium and let it be replaced with a huge circle instead, maybe they didn't know anything better.

It was cheaper than what they would have had to spend doing up Athletic Park 

The boofheads could have pushed for a square stadium with rounded corners though.

and they had the Regional Council pay for it

I don't think atmosphere is really a consideration for NZ rugby stadia

I remember that game,  I was there.  I still tell ppl that my voice is one of the many in the LOTR Orcish chant

May be time to alter the configuration

 

I saw no mention of the Nix in that, so I assume we'll never get a new stadium.

Oh snap, I had forgotten about being there for that.  We are all old farts.

How about 'Steve, Steve, Immortan Steve?' for Mad Max: Fury Road.

We won a Sound Design Oscar for that.

Was that the one where the Fever was screwing with the sound guy and only chanted it when he'd given up?

Lifted this from a 442 insider article on Robina stadium and the NRL Titans rent

"Stadiums Queensland is charging the Titans $110,000 per game, including GST, which is up to four times the price their Sydney club rivals pay their landlords." 

you sort of understand why palmer now opened up one stand a number of years ago. Got slammed for it but I have no doubt if Wellnix had a rectangular stadium and 5k crowds we would do the same

Hate to say it, guys, but I honestly think it's much more likely now that a decent rectangular stadium will open in Auckland than Wellington (although of course it's still a long shot, Phil Goff is catching hell for even exploring the idea)

Phils the man

A rectangular stadium with a retractable roof is Phil's Auckland dream. Christchurch has one in the pipeline. Even little old Dunedin has a decent covered stadium. Okay, the roof doesn't retract, but at least spectators stay dry and out of the wind. 

Wellington on the other hand ... 

Auckland will never get a new stadium - there is too many rich pricks with investments attached to Eden Park. The bureaucracy attached to building a new stadium will kill the dream.

The only way Wellington is getting a new one is if the current circle thing falls over.

Is retrofitting the cake tin with a roof a cheaper option that knocking it down and starting again? 

I remember reading that the stadium isn’t structurally sound enoto support a roof (a decision they made when they built it), and so any roof would have to be a free standing object, costing $100 M.

 Forsyth Barr cost $200M, so if you wanted a smaller stadium, of say 15,000-20,000, which is big enough for the Phoenix, Lions, concerts, and the hurricanes (if it’s closer to 20) , the cost would probably be a bit closer to the $100M mark. 

The roof isn't the problem with the RoF anyway. It's the size and shape.

And the yellow seats which highlight the people that aren't there.

I have said it before. Change the seating colours to the same as at Napier's ground. with all different colours, it looks like it is full especially if there are three or four people walking around. IMHO Forsyth Bar is the best stadium in NZ. Fans sitting close to the ground makes for a good atmosphere, especially under a roof.

Changing the seats is on the to do list but it's not the highest priority atm. They are doing the concourse up next afaik

That's what the Phoenix does though, they close off half the stadium.

Good news, North Harbour Stadium is out of the picture. 

They don't have to paint the sand green now, they can leave it for its new tenants.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c...

I see what you mean

"With the New Zealand team confirmed, former MLB pitcher Josh Collmenter is expected to be officially confirmed as the team's first signing.

The New Zealand team is expected to play their home games at North Harbour Stadium."

hahahahaha. Yeah right, ever seen an MLB game where the guy hit's it out of the stadium? QBE is not big enough for some of the distances.

I believe it'll be a purpose built diamond at QBE, rather than inside the stadium.

There's no space. You have motorways, car park and craphole stadium. Anyone hitting a "homer" is likely to take out 4 cars on anyone one of the 4 major roadways or kill someone up in the Westfield carpark.

Plenty of room on the outer ring there. Baseball fences can be between 90 and 120-ish metres from the plate. The pic on the right is the home of the Brisbane ABL team. Bags of room.

The hugest funny here is the NZ Baseball Association having a more appropriate sized ground for their sport than NZF have managed to get. 

Wouldn't they need to build a proper stand? You know, behind Home plate, down the base lines and something at the back of the stadium to block off the the vehicle traffic. It all takes up space. I mean I don't expect US type attendances but I would be hoping for a crowd that can afford proper players. This isn't Haitaitai Park on a Saturday afternoon. A roster of 30+ players etc etc

Sorry Mods, distracting in the wrong thread. Can you cut and paste my input in this thread to the Baseball thread please. Apologies to everyone.

Well the Brisbane team that won the title the last three years has a ground (shown above in Balbi's post) with a seated capacity of 800, so the ground might not need too much built around it.

Baseball thread please https://www.yellowfever.co.nz/categories/off-topi...

What's with this obsession with covered stadiums these days.?

Standing on the embankment of Lancaster Park in the rain and hail is one of my most endearing childhood memories. I would hate to rob future generations of such a grim experience.

But seriously, are we becoming too soft as we seek comfortable, covered entertainment?

I think so. Everything feels like it is driven by gentrification and profit,

Give me a wet murky uncovered terrace any day.

I think it's called progress. Like you can now watch live sport drinking a tasty craft beer, rather than Lion Red.

My favourite Lanc Park memory, is NZ Universities v British Lions 1977, and a torrent of urine flowing past my 5 yr old self plus padre. 

Was all a bit bewildering. A big turnout of Canty/Lincoln scarfies on the terraces.