Grandstand to make Sydney proud

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AS ENGLAND toiled away in the SCG nets on an enervating day, workmen continued the seemingly more productive task of preparing the all-encompassing replacement of the MA Noble, Bradman and Messenger Stands for its first major outing.

Their labours will present a structure that is, in official terms, "ready and operational" but not quite complete. But if the lipstick will not be applied, the first day of the Test will allow for a full and frank appraisal of the facelift.

The verdict? As spectators settle into their more comfortable and intimate seats they will not merely appreciate what they have been given. They might also suddenly realise what this city has been missing.

The new grandstand at the SCG. Pic: Gregg Porteous Source: News Limited

The new grandstand is just the second stage of the SCG's on-going redevelopment, following the completion of the Victor Trumper Stand in 2008. But it is the piece of sporting real estate that should raise a too-easily-pleased population's aspirations.

Bold but not pretentious. Innovative but functional. The new grandstand provides at just one end of the Sydney's most iconic sports arena a taste of what those in New York, Munich, London and - yes, dammit - bloody Melbourne, take for granted.

The Noble Bradman Messenger Stand is also an emphatic response to those still labouring under the misapprehension that, by applying another lick of paint to a dilapidated suburban ground, they are giving sports fans "what they want".

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This is - far more satisfying - a taste of what those fans deserve. The inspiration, you can only hope, for that overdue light bulb moment when sometimes reclusive Sydneysiders realise great sports stadiums, not just great sport, attract great crowds.

This is not merely because of the boutique bars, gourmet food stands and hi-tech gadgetry that will offer spectators the ability to use some facilities - though disappointingly, not yet the toilets - from their seats. But hand in glove with them.

The new grandstand is a great improvement on what the Trust itself calls the "grey concrete monoliths", but no bucket-seated rhapsody either.

The still incomplete roof to be clad in Sydney sandstone, the vast glass atrium and the bronze metallic sheets at the rear are all eye-catching, and the high roofs in the bars and walkways give a terrific sense of space.

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But the grandstand's greatest aesthetic achievement is to sit neatly and unobtrusively beside the ornate Members and Ladies Stands which are, and will remain, the SCG's showpieces.

For the fan the basic measure of a great grandstand is comfort and sightlines. So that some in the top tiers will not merely have a view from behind the bowlers' arm, but be 13 metres closer to it than they would have been in the superseded structures, is an accomplishment far greater than the availability of a "craft beer".

Over the past few decades the SCG has been deeply respected in Sydney, but not wholly embraced as the city's undisputed sporting epicentre.

That is partly a consequence of the arrival of ANZ Stadium, partly because of rugby league's virtual abandonment of its historic but ill-fitting old home.

The two new grandstands have already vastly improved the SCG for fans of its core tenants cricket and the AFL.

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But, under the SCG Trust's ambitious master plan, it will be the entire precinct that would be judged and, perhaps, embraced. As much, the Trust hopes, as the area including the MCG, Melbourne Park and AAMI Park is by Melburnians.

The grand vision is still blurred by planning issues, possible acquisitions and other red tape. But it is easy enough to see.

Stage three of the SCG completed with a redevelopment of the Churchill and Brewongle Stands in the image of the new grandstand.

Allianz Stadium fully refurbished and rooved. Footbridges linking the stadiums and the new light rail. Car parks underground and a more active engagement with the restaurants and bars at the nearby Fox Studios.

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Five major sports with the four footballs and cricket - six when Major League Baseball comes to town - in one hub. All serviced by administrative headquarters, medical facilities and even learning centres.

Of course, in a city where sports infrastructure - some might argue infrastructure of any kind - has been low on various government agendas, the cost of completing the SCG Trust's fantasyland is sobering.

Ending more than a century of self-sufficiency, the SCG Trust required state ($97 million) and federal ($50 million) to build the $197 million new grandstand.

More public funds will be needed for future development. Given the recent change of federal government, fiscal constraints and the demands of various stadiums and sports, the lobbying process is delicate.

There also remains support in the west for a purpose-built rectangular stadium. Whether it be at Parramatta, Penrith or, far more likely, near a second airport.

But like Noble, Bradman and Messenger themselves, this is a grandstand that will not merely please the crowd. Whether in Moore Park, or well beyond, it will leave Sydney fans wanting more.

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