Cricket NSW chief executive Lee Germon has backed calls for the Sydney Cricket Ground to undergo a facelift as pressure mounts on the iconic venue to keep pace with rival cities.
Last week, the Queensland Government announced a new $3.8 billion stadium that will be built for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, while Tasmania is also developing a state-of-the-art sporting venue in Hobart.
“When a government puts billions of dollars into a new stadium, it puts them in a very strong position because ultimately we want to play our events at the best stadiums to give fans and players the best experience,” Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said on ABC Radio.
“We’re now spoiled for choice across this country where we play our premium cricket.”
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Last year, CA confirmed the SCG had secured hosting rights for the New Year’s Test through to the 2030/31, and although there is no immediate danger of Sydney losing the marquee fixtures, Greenberg warned that New South Wales risks losing major events unless the venue’s ageing grandstands were upgraded.
“Incredibly, what we’ll possibly see now is the SCG will desperately need some attention because it will fall far behind some of these other iconic stadiums across the country,” Greenberg, a former Venues NSW board member, told SEN.
“Some of those stands there are extremely old and tired. The people who are running Venues NSW and the SCG know that. We’ve helped them strongly advocate for more funding.
“No one loves the SCG more than me. I’m born and bred in Sydney, so I spent a lot of time there, but this is what happens in modern sport; investment goes into stadiums and it creates a new benchmark. The new stadium in Brisbane will do that.
“We’ve got to continue to lift the bar all over the country.”
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The SCG’s O’Reilly, Brewongle and Churchill stands were built between 1980 and 1986, and according to a News Corp report, Venues NSW has commenced a review into a proposed SCG upgrade that would cost $700 million and lift the venue’s capacity to 60,000. However, the NSW Government has made no funding commitments.
“Sydney and NSW will need to keep up,” Green continued on the ABC.
“The benchmark continues to rise and the bar is getting higher and higher … Sydney will have some challenges on its hands.”
Speaking to reporters in Sydney on Monday, Germon supported Venues NSW’s master plan of upgrading the SCG, arguing development needs to happen “sooner rather than later”.
“(The stadiums) do need work, they’re 40-plus years old now,” Germon said.
“But it’s an iconic stadium, it’s one of the greatest cricket stadiums in the world. it’s got a special place in many people’s hearts, and we want that to continue.
“For that to continue, it does need renewal and development.
“We want to maintain that status as the New Year’s Test, the Pink Test, held at the SCG, and so this work needs to happen sooner rather than later.”