no chance you work for either SOPA or ANZ is there Michael? and you obviously don’t listen to much ABC radio, where they’ve never given your dear sponsors naming rights either, or you’d be calling in non-stop to complain. Perhaps you do.

Personally I will always think of it as Homebush or even more correctly the White Elephant. To insert a bit of much needed logic into this, so what if they shuffle a few of the most expensive seats closer to the sidelines for a football match? I hate to break it to you, but they can’t slide the whole stadium in, so most people are still watching from miles away. Its a crap view, I can tell you from repeated personal experience, while on the other hand there isn’t a bad seat at the SFS.

It is simple logic that a stadium designed for a rectangular pitch will provide a better view for a rectangular game. the stands are much closer so EVERYONE gets a better view.

Position vacant: PR hack who doesn’t personally abuse every journo who hasn’t drunk the kool-aid

Might I suggest that you employ someone who knows how to undertake basic research, as it is more than obvious that Leigh Josey does not.

Stadium Australia was a name used during the 2000 Olympics. Post the Games it was renamed Telstra Stadium as part of a sponsrship deal, which lasted until late 2007, at which time the sponsorship and naming rights changed to ANZ.

Thus today it is known as ANZ Stadium.

In addition, the statement “The most obvious difference is that our grounds are oval and not custom built for a rectangle game” further undermines the article’s credibility.

ANZ Stadium is fitted with sliding seats on both long sides of the ground, which slide out for Cricket and AFL, and inwards for Soccer, Rugby Union and Rugby League. This brings the opatrons closer to the action in the rectangular field games. It requires no alterations beyond flicking a switch, and takes about 15 minutes to complete.

Sloppy work such as this undermines an article which might otherwise have had some relevance, and calls into question how much else of this article is actually accurate.

Crikey Position Vacant ad; Wanted, a sports reporter who actually knows what they are talking about and how to do research.

I won’t go into detail, but really I see a two horse race between Australia and the USA. If Mexico could get it’s law and order problems under control over the next 12 months they would be a contender.

The USA hosted in 1994, we have never hosted. People like us, the yanks…not so popular. Our chances are very, very good.

However by 2018, ANZ will be 20 years old, so there would be pressure to give the place a facelift as befitting the world cup. The MCG would also have similar demand, with the Great Southern Stand almost 30 years by that point.

What I think is more concerning is the need to have 10 stadiums capable of seating at least 40,000 people. We’re a long way short of meeting that. Even regional venues home to pro teams like Gosford, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Canberra, Townsville and the new soccer and leagues ground in Melbourne won’t meet these demands.

Wherever it is I’ll be dragging my 60 or 70something carcass to it that’s for sure, while on the other hand even now i don’t bother going to the Olympic Stadium for football or rugby anymore because the view is appalling compared to the SFS - Its got to be a rectangle folks!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Stadium_(Berlin)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Stadium

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stade_de_France

An idea for a future article “did the ffa err in selling the a-league rights before the world cup?”

I dont think australia has a snowballs chance myself but at least the ffa get to waste some registration money at the fifa trough.

FFA headquartered in Sydney - totally irrelevant.

Sydney is Australia’s marquee city - agree that it is, but would you move the Aus Open tennis away from Melbourne for that reason? No. Even Adelaide hosted the Oz Grand Prix for many years. Were there murmurs that Adelaide was too un-marquee for such a task? No. End of the day, that status does not matter.

The only argument that works is that Homebush is a better ground to watch the game at. But really there’s not much in it. AFL and cricket are both played at Homebush, so it’s not that much smaller (I know some seats move a bit).

Arguments in favour of MCG -

1. 17,000 extra seats. A significant difference.
2. Sporting capital of the country. Not much of a factor.
3. Soccer capital of the country. This is a big factor. Melbourne A League crowds are WAY superior to Sydney’s, and similarly Socceroo crowds are also larger.
4. History of the stadium - birthplace of test cricket, AFL home, Olympics, Commonwealth Games, it’s done it all. Maybe not much of a factor apart from what it adds to the experience of the players and crowd, and that depends on the individual.

I’m a big AFL fan too. Doesn’t mean I can’t love both games. And fighting over what is the correct name of football, soccer, AFL etc is semantics.

There’s enough love for all the sports to coexist.

Go Freo.

I watched the Australia vs. Greece friendly a fews years back at the G from the back of the Ponsford Stand. Great game, great atmosphere — just that the G is so massive you are so far back.

Anyway, a full house at either the ‘G or SA will be awesome (if our bid is successful and I hope to Cahill it is).

I don’t think that the G is any less suitable than Stadium Australia (hardly a boutique stadium)… neither is specifically designed for soccer. I went to the match last night, watched from an elevated position and the view was fine.