Leichhardt Oval - is it time to say goodbye?

P

Papacito

Well-known member
It was a Saturday night on my couch and I was tuned into Fox Sports. An animated James Hooper filled my 55 inch screen, his bald head reflecting the stadium's spotlights like a freshly waxed bowling ball, leaving me half-expecting a ten-pin to roll into frame.

"The 8th wonder of the world!" he declared as though he had just discovered it himself, holding a microphone like a scepter, ready to crown league's first UNESCO World Heritage site.

This grand declaration was followed by a seemingly excited claim of the stands heaving with spectators, sharing his almost religious fervour for the magic of Leichhardt. Normally I don't think too much about these claims, except the crowd behind him was, how can I put it.... very far from full.

Looking back on some 2024 stats this morning, I was very surprised to see that the attendance at LO this season was extremely poor, a paltry average of 10.5k vs 14.5k for Campbelltown, with Campbelltown also holding the record crowd last season.

My very unscientific study on Leichhardt (ie asking a few people at work) seems to suggest that the only people who regularly attend are a few 65 year old plus long-term residents who live nearby and the rest is made up of a very small core of diehards and day trippers who visit once a year for the nostalgia.

Is it time to say so long tot LO and treat it more as a Belmore type stadium that we play a heritage round or two at per year with half-decent crowds?

If we're serious about crowds and corporate support, is a more regular presence at fast growing areas like Campbelltown or Parramatta our future?
 
Cue the deluge of Balmain supporters protesting a Magpie conspiracy.
Objectively the Southwest is the future. Any lost supporters would be replaced 3 fold by a true commitment to Campbo and surrounds.
Richo knows it.
A once a year nostalgia event for the day trippers would be logical.
 
Papacito said:
It was a Saturday night on my couch and I was tuned into Fox Sports. An animated James Hooper filled my 55 inch screen, his bald head reflecting the stadium's spotlights like a freshly waxed bowling ball, leaving me half-expecting a ten-pin to roll into frame.

"The 8th wonder of the world!" he declared as though he had just discovered it himself, holding a microphone like a scepter, ready to crown league's first UNESCO World Heritage site.

This grand declaration was followed by a seemingly excited claim of the stands heaving with spectators, sharing his almost religious fervour for the magic of Leichhardt. Normally I don't think too much about these claims, except the crowd behind him was, how can I put it.... very far from full.

Looking back on some 2024 stats this morning, I was very surprised to see that the attendance at LO this season was extremely poor, a paltry average of 10.5k vs 14.5k for Campbelltown, with Campbelltown also holding the record crowd last season.

My very unscientific study on Leichhardt (ie asking a few people at work) seems to suggest that the only people who regularly attend are a few 65 year old plus long-term residents who live nearby and the rest is made up of a very small core of diehards and day trippers who visit once a year for the nostalgia.

Is it time to say so long tot LO and treat it more as a Belmore type stadium that we play a heritage round or two at per year with half-decent crowds?

If we're serious about crowds and corporate support, is a more regular presence at fast growing areas like Campbelltown or Parramatta our future?
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If you’re talking corporate then Cambo is not the answer.
 
Papacito said:
It was a Saturday night on my couch and I was tuned into Fox Sports. An animated James Hooper filled my 55 inch screen, his bald head reflecting the stadium's spotlights like a freshly waxed bowling ball, leaving me half-expecting a ten-pin to roll into frame.

"The 8th wonder of the world!" he declared as though he had just discovered it himself, holding a microphone like a scepter, ready to crown league's first UNESCO World Heritage site.

This grand declaration was followed by a seemingly excited claim of the stands heaving with spectators, sharing his almost religious fervour for the magic of Leichhardt. Normally I don't think too much about these claims, except the crowd behind him was, how can I put it.... very far from full.

Looking back on some 2024 stats this morning, I was very surprised to see that the attendance at LO this season was extremely poor, a paltry average of 10.5k vs 14.5k for Campbelltown, with Campbelltown also holding the record crowd last season.

My very unscientific study on Leichhardt (ie asking a few people at work) seems to suggest that the only people who regularly attend are a few 65 year old plus long-term residents who live nearby and the rest is made up of a very small core of diehards and day trippers who visit once a year for the nostalgia.

Is it time to say so long tot LO and treat it more as a Belmore type stadium that we play a heritage round or two at per year with half-decent crowds?

If we're serious about crowds and corporate support, is a more regular presence at fast growing areas like Campbelltown or Parramatta our future?
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It’s because of the refined capacity due to Covid and the safety restrictions.
I love LO , but I honestly think if there was a way for us to build a new stadium that captured the passion of LO , but also involved the C-town people . That would be the most optimum option.
I don’t think it’s the ground itself that everyone’s lives but the acoustics , passion and crowd engagement .
I don’t think due to Sydney’s topology that finding a suitable replacement is an option though unfortunately .
My biggest issue with C-town as a ground is , when the game is in its natural attrition the crowd is dead silent . And there’s no buzz in the air . That could be because of the acoustics , ground announcer , the way the club builds the games . Maybe all of the above .
I used to say Liverpool and a ground there , but I think the bulldogs push into the area is true . Even though it’s wests geographical footprint.

I never understood why the government didn’t build a stadium in the Olympic precinct that was 30-35k .
IMO , that would be the answer 💯. Im really worried these new upgrades , are just polishing a turd , and that it Will actually enable the people who want it gone , not silence them . Eg. Brent Reed .
 
Papacito said:
It was a Saturday night on my couch and I was tuned into Fox Sports. An animated James Hooper filled my 55 inch screen, his bald head reflecting the stadium's spotlights like a freshly waxed bowling ball, leaving me half-expecting a ten-pin to roll into frame.

"The 8th wonder of the world!" he declared as though he had just discovered it himself, holding a microphone like a scepter, ready to crown league's first UNESCO World Heritage site.

This grand declaration was followed by a seemingly excited claim of the stands heaving with spectators, sharing his almost religious fervour for the magic of Leichhardt. Normally I don't think too much about these claims, except the crowd behind him was, how can I put it.... very far from full.

Looking back on some 2024 stats this morning, I was very surprised to see that the attendance at LO this season was extremely poor, a paltry average of 10.5k vs 14.5k for Campbelltown, with Campbelltown also holding the record crowd last season.

My very unscientific study on Leichhardt (ie asking a few people at work) seems to suggest that the only people who regularly attend are a few 65 year old plus long-term residents who live nearby and the rest is made up of a very small core of diehards and day trippers who visit once a year for the nostalgia.

Is it time to say so long tot LO and treat it more as a Belmore type stadium that we play a heritage round or two at per year with half-decent crowds?

If we're serious about crowds and corporate support, is a more regular presence at fast growing areas like Campbelltown or Parramatta our future?
Click to expand...
I’d be all for C-town , if it was a knock down rebuild . Like I said , I can’t stand that stadium as it is . Hopefully the new grandstand above the COE on the north side can help with that . There’s just no atmosphere there . And I don’t know why . Even when it was packed for the St George game . It was just dead. But that can’t be IMO . So my guess is a lot of the sound is escaping due to how open it is .
Hopefully the new stadium on the north end will fix this and it’s a better experience .
 
I have said it many times and will continue to say it till i die but neither LO or CO is our future.We need a larger homeground and one which is designed for corporate support (certainly NOT parra stadium either).Homebush is probably the best location for all of our support base
 
innsaneink said:
I hope my "don't compare" post elsewhere didn't inspire this.
This old chestnut rears its head several times a year and always ends with a padlock.
Good though to read the same shit we've read for decades on this topic as it nearly Xmas and fairly quiet here
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It was a really nice post Ink. Even as the dominos fall afterwards
 
As an out of towner with no historical dog in the fight, I can say hand on heart…they are both shitholes. No value for money in any respect when you visit.
Now maybe this is due to well over 80% of my stadium attendances being QLD based. I may have been spoilt a bit in this respect…but I really dislike both our traditional home grounds so much that I haven’t been to either in many years.
 
Papacito said:
It was a Saturday night on my couch and I was tuned into Fox Sports. An animated James Hooper filled my 55 inch screen, his bald head reflecting the stadium's spotlights like a freshly waxed bowling ball, leaving me half-expecting a ten-pin to roll into frame.

"The 8th wonder of the world!" he declared as though he had just discovered it himself, holding a microphone like a scepter, ready to crown league's first UNESCO World Heritage site.

This grand declaration was followed by a seemingly excited claim of the stands heaving with spectators, sharing his almost religious fervour for the magic of Leichhardt. Normally I don't think too much about these claims, except the crowd behind him was, how can I put it.... very far from full.

Looking back on some 2024 stats this morning, I was very surprised to see that the attendance at LO this season was extremely poor, a paltry average of 10.5k vs 14.5k for Campbelltown, with Campbelltown also holding the record crowd last season.

My very unscientific study on Leichhardt (ie asking a few people at work) seems to suggest that the only people who regularly attend are a few 65 year old plus long-term residents who live nearby and the rest is made up of a very small core of diehards and day trippers who visit once a year for the nostalgia.

Is it time to say so long tot LO and treat it more as a Belmore type stadium that we play a heritage round or two at per year with half-decent crowds?

If we're serious about crowds and corporate support, is a more regular presence at fast growing areas like Campbelltown or Parramatta our future?
Click to expand...

Interesting …

Can you do a longer term analysis than 1 year to try to alleviate any biases like timing of game , weather and opponent ?

The reason I ask this , as here is another thread from two years ago arguing the opposite scenario

S

Thread 'Campbelltown crowds'

Finished the season with an average crowd of 9,011. Compared to Leichhardt getting 15k on a raining Friday night 6pm game vs the Dogs following 3 bad losses. Leichhardt is sitting on on average of 14,214 so far after their 2 games. A difference of over 5k people.

Surely questions need to be asked. Crowds at Campbelltown are consistently poor. Just seems the area doesn't give enough support to the team whilst fans will turn up to Leichhardt rain, hail or shine.

Says a lot to me about where we should be focusing on going forward.
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Really enjoyed that post - very well written @Papacito . 😊

Coming from a former Balmain fan (early 1980s) I've long held the belief the club needs to move on from LO.

It holds no meaning for Wests Tigers fans, and negative if any for former magpies fans, so they are really only appeasing a small number of people... Hmmm... Ironically that is VERY 2024! 😂

You don't live in the same house you grew up in for the rest of your life just because you have great memories and when it was built it was cutting edge....

Investing in it is throwing money away imo. Seems good enough for all its other uses and 1 game per year ala Belmore, but the fact is it is far beyond its use by date and the nostalgia factor is rapidly dissipating (if not already) as there are no longer the fans who had been going there since they were kids all those years ago....

Like it or not, there are simply too many negatives to it and for the tigers' financial success it's too heavy a burden.

It's almost 2025. When you've got the choice of watching a game at CommBank or LO, probably 98% of fans would choose CB. And I shudder to think what the corporate boxes are like at LO....

People expect better facilities these days and to be able to watch a game the way it's done this century. And even if they get a full house, LO doesn't have the capacity to really capitalise.

Personally I'd love for them to have a CommBank like stadium of their own; situated wherever is commercially optimal and best to serve as "the heart" of tigers area.

I'm not from Sydney, but maybe knock Campbelltown down and build there?
 
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I remember when the ground was probably the best in the NSWRL bar the SCG.
As a kid, the lights... The huge hill, Concrete paths, big concrete stand with plastic bucket seats and the novelty of the plastic fold down seats on the concourse.
Wow how great it was for a kid used to Lidcombe.. This was the 70s
Not much has changed
 
Actually enjoy going to LO simply because it's a great viewing ground close to the action with a community feel......easy to walk around catch up with people.

Doesn't need an upgrade.......just some decent amenities blocks. I actually think a big upgrade kills it. Another concrete jungle with tricky parking.

I go there and enjoy the connection with RL history .......was a bit of a neutral ground with it's suitable for TV lighting in the late 70s with NSW v QLD games played there as well as the mid week competition as well as obviously Balmain's home ground.

My 1st time there a a kid on Monday Queen’s birthday weekend 79. Former director Joe Cool scores early. Percy Knight playing for Balmain.

18000 there.

Comfortable.

 
Iron Fist said:
Agreed, the club needs to move to a facility like WSS full-time.

Problem is, I have no faith in moronic supporters not spending money next door at Parra Leagues. Playing at WSS doesn't benefit Parra. They don't own the ground. Parking and visiting Parra Leagues does.
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To me that comes back to the club organising a venue in Parramatta and promoting that has the venue to visit before games, get some injured players there etc.

I don't know the relationship Club Parramatta has with the Eels but that is one venue I would look at working with.
 
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