Central Coast Stadium

[FFC Mariner]

They went with a well resourced stadium operator who presumably have the contacts and staffing to turn what is an ageing shit hole into a semi decent venue.

As a rate payer (and part owner of said shit hole) I want the council to get the best deal for me. Not an absentee foreign businessman who stopped going to games when people were mean to him (looks at Yellow Army).

Looking at solutions, what would be the cost of turning Tuggerah (or even Pluim) into a 10k stadium (standing at the ends, seats down the sides) I genuinely dont know but if you costed in stadium rental you would at least do the sums. sure a grant could be got from somewhere in an Election year. Even 7k with room to grow really. If we thought we would get 15k or so or had a final, sure rent CCS.

Tuggerah has rail, freeway, parking galore on a matchday.

Pluim doesnt have the infrastructure but maybe a JV with CCF is easier.

I'm not saying that this is an answer, I dont know the numbers but if I was involved, I bloody well would.

 

[Tevor]

Lets face it I think the Council will never do Charlesworth another favour and I don't really blame them, seems only a possibility if we have a new owner. If events live can improve the game day experience I'm all for it. It is a shame the Club is unable to secure another possible income source, it might be a blessing in disguise given how the league is progressing with game attendances this season.

 

[dibo]

They went with a well resourced stadium operator who presumably have the contacts and staffing to turn what is an ageing shit hole into a semi decent venue.

As a rate payer (and part owner of said shit hole) I want the council to get the best deal for me. Not an absentee foreign businessman who stopped going to games when people were mean to him (looks at Yellow Army).

Looking at solutions, what would be the cost of turning Tuggerah (or even Pluim) into a 10k stadium (standing at the ends, seats down the sides) I genuinely dont know but if you costed in stadium rental you would at least do the sums. sure a grant could be got from somewhere in an Election year. Even 7k with room to grow really. If we thought we would get 15k or so or had a final, sure rent CCS.

Tuggerah has rail, freeway, parking galore on a matchday.

Pluim doesnt have the infrastructure but maybe a JV with CCF is easier.

I'm not saying that this is an answer, I dont know the numbers but if I was involved, I bloody well would.

You're looking at a model like AFC Wimbledon's Plough Lane.

It's a stadium anchoring a broader real estate development. Sound familiar?



They're doing it in stages, but even the first stage nearly killed the club.

This is what the ground currently looks like:

 

[turbo]

As a rate payer (and part owner of said shit hole) I want the council to get the best deal for me. Not an absentee foreign businessman who stopped going to games when people were mean to him (looks at Yellow Army).

If this deal hurts the viability of the club and the region loses their club then what does that do for the stadium and you and I as rate payers? The introduction of a third party that aims to make a profit may well take money off the table elsewhere - either from the council, the club or the attendees who prices are passed on to. Yes they’ll bring expertise in the area but at what cost?

it’s unlikely to keep or create jobs on the coast too.

 

[marinermick]

If this deal hurts the viability of the club and the region loses their club then what does that do for the stadium and you and I as rate payers? The introduction of a third party that aims to make a profit may well take money off the table elsewhere - either from the council, the club or the attendees who prices are passed on to. Yes they’ll bring expertise in the area but at what cost?

it’s unlikely to keep or create jobs on the coast too.

Surely this is not in the scope of a the stadium contract tender nor should be because what you stated is so subjective and speculative. Also if an organisation’s viability is in jeopardy because they didn’t get stadium rights then this is all the more reason not to give them the rights. That would pose a potential financial risk to stadium operations.

 

[turbo]

Surely this is not in the scope of a the stadium contract tender nor should be because what you stated is so subjective and speculative. Also if an organisation’s viability is in jeopardy because they didn’t get stadium rights then this is all the more reason not to give them the rights. That would pose a potential financial risk to stadium operations.

It isn’t about the club going bust it’s about whether the rejection of a reasonable opportunity to solidify the clubs long term tenure on the coast is the last straw that encourages the owner to sell the license away from the coast. Once again if that happens everyone loses. You’ll be in here complaining like the rest of us when the costs go up or MC decides to pull up stumps.

The only certainty in any of this is the venue manager expects to, and most likely will, make a profit. That money has to come from somewhere.

 

[marinermick]

It isn’t about the club going bust it’s about whether the rejection of a reasonable opportunity to solidify the clubs long term tenure on the coast is the last straw that encourages the owner to sell the license away from the coast. Once again if that happens everyone loses. You’ll be in here complaining like the rest of us when the costs go up or MC decides to pull up stumps.

The only certainty in any of this is the venue manager expects to, and most likely will, make a profit. That money has to come from somewhere.

Not saying you are wrong. Saying these are not considerations when a tender is awarded. They are not in the scope of the tender nor should be as they are subjective and speculative. Actually considering them would unduly bias the tender. This council has had too many years of this sort of behaviour, and while I am disappointed from a personal Mariners perspective, I am not disappointed that some due process has occurred here for the rate payers of the Central Coast.

 

[Corsair]

encourages the owner to sell the license away from the coast

Can he actually do that or does he have to hand it back?

 

[turbo]

Can he actually do that or does he have to hand it back?

Who knows, depends on what the APL agrees to I guess. If they think Canberra or the Gold Coast would be good for the league, they still haven’t sold the jets and they take a nice little cut of the sale it’s not out of the realms of possibility.

 

[pjennings]

It isn’t about the club going bust it’s about whether the rejection of a reasonable opportunity to solidify the clubs long term tenure on the coast is the last straw that encourages the owner to sell the license away from the coast. Once again if that happens everyone loses. You’ll be in here complaining like the rest of us when the costs go up or MC decides to pull up stumps.

The only certainty in any of this is the venue manager expects to, and most likely will, make a profit. That money has to come from somewhere.

I'm now totally pessimistic that the license will go elsewhere. and I can't see any more development going ahead at Tuggerah. Let's enjoy our last season in the A-League and hope we get a guernsey in the NSD.

However, I am confident that the NSW and Federal LNP will announce with the Stadium and the Administrator that a deal has been done to host a number of WWC warmup games at the Stadium. (Quite possibly we with a relocated NRL team to be based there as well). If we are gone I doubt I will be seen at the Stadium again.

Be interested to hear Shaun's take on this.

 

[Tevor]

I'm not gong to be a Debbie Downer about this, we have never had the rights so it does not automatically mean we are dead in the water or moving. I'm sure events live will want a good long term tenant and the club will sit down with them and nut out an appropriate deal. Its not Doomsday.

 

[bikinigirl]

Hard to assume everything is above board when they didnt tender at all (presumably declined to pursue the opportunity) and then are able to submit one later. What changed, what additional information did they get to submit a competitive bid? You'd never prove it but it doesnt feel like the club is playing on a level field here.

. i know that the Council has been run pretty ... bloody ... badly, but

... i would be extraordinarily surprised if the calls for tender did not include a clause along the lines of 'the council is under no obligation to accept the highest or any tender'

. this would be common, particularly on something so significant ... in some respects it makes the tender an EOI and allows the Council the right to pursue other options

. the tender process essentially sets a market price, negotiations start from there*

* i think we all know MC was not going to compete and as soon as it went to open tender the opportunity was slim

 

[pjennings]

I'm not gong to be a Debbie Downer about this, we have never had the rights so it does not automatically mean we are dead in the water or moving. I'm sure events live will want a good long term tenant and the club will sit down with them and nut out an appropriate deal. Its not Doomsday.

. i know that the Council has been run pretty ... bloody ... badly, but

... i would be extraordinarily surprised if the calls for tender did not include a clause along the lines of 'the council is under no obligation to accept the highest or any tender'

. this would be common, particularly on something so significant ... in some respects it makes the tender an EOI and allows the Council the right to pursue other options

. the tender process essentially sets a market price, negotiations start from there*

* i think we all know MC was not going to compete and as soon as it went to open tender the opportunity was slim

Just call me Debbie!!

That's exactly the point. We shouldn't be looking at just a price. The process should have (it may have) explored the vision for the Stadium and what sort of events they would bring. If the vision is limited to running a rate-payer asset in the same way where we have tied up Grahame Park since 1999 then that is not good enough. Even if we get better food and drink. I would also say that being able to provide a decent deal long term deal with an anchor tenant should also be part of the deal. Unfortunately I think the anchor tenant will be the NRL (not a club) given who won the tender.

Of the approximately 8000 days since the stadium was built how many days has it been used? The stadium is basically a white elephant.

 

[Avoca]

In the future, I see an expanded Tuggerah playing a vital role in our smaller games. Central Coast Stadium could then be used for blockbuster matches, derbys & finals.

There won’t be any expansion or relocation in the A-League until stability is granted to: Us, Perth, Newcastle, Wellington, Macarthur & Western United. That’s half of the competition.

Even North Queensland Fury had bigger crowds than the Cows & WU combined.

 

[FFC Mariner]

I expect that chuckles will spit the dummy and throw a tantrum - SBS stooges to run all sorts of articles threatening to move the team. Maybe a few games will get moved where he can sell them to regional centres to prove his point.

After the hissy fit he has 2 choices really - suck it up or walk away. I thnk he will struggle to find a buyer he approves of (pays what he asks) . So he will sit tight, keep funding the same and wait for someone to come along.

If he had got the rights it was probably a seperate company and funding of a loss maker like CCM wouldnt have changed anyway

I'd love to see work done at Tuggerah too but who is going to pay for it?

 

[bikinigirl]

That's exactly the point. We shouldn't be looking at just a price.

. no doubt they did ... refer to Fulham's earlier post regarding MC

 

[Gazza 13]

As we all know the Mariners were unsuccessful in their bid to get the stadium but the people who have the "management rights" are my next door neighbors who's job is basically just owning stadiums and stuff like that!

 

[Avoca]

First we had Abdul Helou incorrectly pronounce he was buying the club (Oct 2020). Then the Manchester United rumours began (April 2021). What next?

 

[sydmariner]

First we had Abdul Helou incorrectly pronounce he was buying the club (Oct 2020). Then the Manchester United rumours began (April 2021). What next?

the russians are coming

 

[Insertnamehere]

the russians are coming

Yeah. To take over Ukraine