The Sydney Swans have emerged as beneficiaries in the battle between the SCG and ANZ Stadium on the eve of a major stadium funding announcement by the NSW government.
News of the Swans' new 30-year agreement with the SCG comes as the Baird Government prepares to release details of its $600 million long-term stadium strategy for Sydney's major sporting venues.
It is expected ANZ Stadium will receive a sizeable sum of taxpayer dollars though short of the $250 million it had been requesting to help fund its $350 million redevelopment plan.
But there is also growing belief ANZ Stadium will come under fierce competition from Allianz Stadium, with plans to turn the Moore Park ground into a 60,000 capacity venue, an upgrade of Parramatta's Pirtek Stadium and the construction of another ground in western Sydney.
The Swans' deal has also reignited tensions between the SCG Trust and ANZ Stadium.
Privately, officials at Moore Park believe they are not in competition with their Homebush counterparts. They believe ANZ Stadium's true competitors lie further west.
The Swans' 15-year association with the Olympic venue will end in 2016 after it was announced on Monday that it had signed a 30-year agreement with the SCG Trust to play all its home games and finals at the venue from 2017.
While ANZ Stadium released a statement wishing the Swans well, there is a belief the timing of the announcement was designed to hurt the venue's bid for $250 million from the Baird government to help build a retractable roof and turn the venue into a rectangular ground. But it's believed the deal was finalised only late last week.
The new agreement with the Swans, who draw the largest average home crowds of any football team in Sydney, is tipped to lead to future refurbishment at the SCG for the Brewongle and Churchill stands.
There could also be ramifications for cricket with the SCG Trust leaving the door ajar for the introduction of a drop-in pitch, of which former chairman Rodney Cavalier was a steadfast opponent.
But it appears the current board, led by Tony Shepherd, who is chairman of AFL club Greater Western Sydney, has a more sympathetic view.
"There's a great old saying those people who remember their history last a lot longer than those that don't. We've done our very best here to keep everybody's memories clear about the heritage," said the Trust's deputy chairman Rod McGeoch.
"I don't think the Trust will ever give up on that but we are in the 21st century, we're obliged to give our hirers the best experience we can possibly give them and somewhere in there we're going to have to land on an answer but it hasn't hit our board or the Trust yet."
The Swans hierarchy told Trust management during negotiations of their wish for a drop-in wicket, as that would eliminate the prospect of glue pots in the event of heavy rain during the football season.
The fact the Trust is entertaining the idea is symbolic of the greater pull the Swans now have with the venue.
One of the reasons the club decided to play some of their home games at the Olympic stadium was to improve its bargaining position with the Trust.
The Swans made the long-term decision after conducting "extensive market research" with their membership base, "particularly focusing on players in the west and Hills district where we have many, many members", said club chairman Andrew Pridham.
Pridham said the club had no concerns fans would be locked out of the 48,000 capacity SCG during finals. The club drew 48,029 for its preliminary final against North Melbourne this year and two years ago attracted 57,156 when it beat Collingwood for a berth in the 2012 grand final.
"If we can fill this venue to capacity, the atmosphere this creates to fan experience is unbelievable," Pridham said.
"That then drives membership going forward. We're very, very comfortable with the size of this stadium. The trend globally is for stadiums this size as opposed to larger stadiums."
