Lakeside Stadium hosted yet another marquee event over the weekend when Newcastle defeated Heidelberg on the hallowed turf to lift the Australia Cup. I was there to soak in the atmosphere and critique from the matchday experience with the hopes of understanding what South Melbourne could learn from the unique event.

Pregame

We got an uber to the top of Clarendon Street with the view of walking to the game and seeing what sort of street atmosphere was present. This touches on the first characteristic of Lakeside, which can be considered a quasi-suburban stadium. It is moderately well connected to public transport and this will improve when the new station opens. But current connections at the moment are tram reliant, so not wanting to search for parking and being time poor I chose to uber for the big game.

Once on Clarendon Street, I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere. A number of pubs were occupied by fans. There was colour, chanting and eventually marches to the ground. Clarendon does not compare to the dense pub scene of Swan Street, but it offers great options for the crowd sizes that Lakeside can hold, as well as multiple food options for pre and post-game.

As we entered the ground we encountered our first major issue, one that is increasingly becoming common at all Melbourne grounds, and has been consistent (albeit improved) at Lakeside in recent times. Long wait times to enter the ground highlight not just the insufficient number of gates (just two, rather than four which could be facilitated), but also the lack of staffing – an increasingly common problem as operators look to slash costs. This is exacerbated by increased security details.

On entry though we were happily surprised by the fanzone which was a simple yet impactful set up on the athletics practice field. A DJ, a few promotional marquees and carnival games were complimented by player signing table and a photo booth with the Australia Cup! I had a lot of fun here and grabbed some free merch. This was a cheap and cheerful set up that could be improved with food trucks and seating, however even the smaller simple set up was something that South should look at incorporating for big matchdays.

Atmosphere and presentation

The stadium area itself was surprisingly open with people free to walk the entire space. On one hand this plays into the venue’s strength, creating a fun social dynamic that lets you walk and meet people, or sit and watch them pass by. It was social and made the event feel joyous, like a festival or fete. On the other hand, this could also pose a potential risk if there was any sort of crowd issue or threat, especially if there was the attendance of antagonistic fan groups.

However the stadium has one trip up its sleeve the much derided athletics track does impact atmosphere, noise isn’t captured and the energy of the fans dissipates. This reduced the passion in some ways but manages hostility in others. Fans have a limited ability to antagonise each other with chanting which nullifies the worst atmosphere issues. However the openness also contains other fan elements, the safety impact of flares is greatly reduced, and the use of tickertape is caught by the winds and left to aesthetically rest on the vibrant blue running track.

The images of the active fans on the terraces from the game were fantastic. Likewise the images on TV were brilliant, the lower camera angle nullifies the distance from the grounds so the full stands on TV look great. Even with the track, the look and festival atmosphere the venue provides when full is great. Many first timers to the venue I spoke to enjoyed the experience and the game felt like an ‘event’, once again highlighting the importance of right sized venues. One additional aesthetic investment made on the night worth noting was the artificial turn covering the athletic track on the old stand side. The visual impact was impressive and gave the illusion that there was less between fans and the game.

Access and viewing

We’ve discussed how the ground’s layout impacted atmosphere and the presentation of the game, but what about the access and viewing? One unfortunate issue with the open access was the bottlenecks created by the crowds, particularly near the food trucks behind the goals. One would think this issue would be worse in the rain.

There were also issues with seating access. The openness and lack of staff meant the seat access was largely self-policed. $8 standing ticket holders could access $60 seats unincumbered, creating many potential awkward interactions for attendees. The seating bays were also not signed, with the tickets rather listing a seat number that ran the length of the field. Poor labelling in this regard created confusion and difficulty accessing seats. In addition wheelchair bound patrons had few options for appropriate views, often limited to watching from the fence line behind the goals, something that must be addressed.

Regarding the seating itself the facilities are top notch, clean, comfortable and for the most part actually offer great views of the game. The only issue for me is that the first couple of rows of seats in the new stand offer obstructed views. This is also the case for the areas behind the athletics equipment at the end of the ground which also was obstructed by a temporary TV gantry. We are past this option now, but I am still shocked that the new stand wasn’t elevated like the original members stand.

Temporary facilities

One thing that disappoints me about the stadium though is the temporary set ups required for large events. There is no permanent TV gantry (honestly shocking), temporary food stalls in the form of marquees and food trucks were brought in, and worst of all, temporary lights were brought in for the broadcast. This would all come at significant financial and operational cost and the Stadium needs to invest in permanent upgrades if it wishes to be treated as a major events venue.

Future of the facility

For the States Sports Trust there are a number of necessary capital investments required for the venue to be elevated from a community facility/elite training venue:

• Additional gates
• Permanent TV gantry
• Permanent food and beverage stalls
• Improved lights
• Improved signage for seating bays
• Improved access control mechanisms

This however is largely dependent on the intentions for the venue. From a football perspective there is no real alternative to Lakeside. AAMI is simply too big, other venues are inaccessible and too small. In the long term there is only one real opportunity which would necessitate a new football specific venue in Albert Park. This isn’t as crazy as it initially sounds. Albert Park is constantly under review for its space and the golf course is constantly under pressure to justify its existence. Should large landbanks be made available (via the decommissioning of the golf course or driving range) South could lobby for a soccer specific facility.

With support from Football Vicotria and Government, I can see a situation where Athletics receives exclusive access of Lakeside in exchange for new soccer specific facilities exclusive to South, likely smaller both in terms of footprint and capacity, perhaps 8,000 people. But that’s a long term idea that would also require appropriate consideration to junior grounds and the Grand Prix plans…

In the short term what are the lessons for South? Well there are two buckets of ideas here. Firstly those applicable to all events, in particular games with crowds less than 4,000 where only the old stand is used:

• A simple fan zone could be a cheap and cheerful upgrade to the matchday experience, either in the stadium or just outside a gate (DJ, merchandise, carnival games, photobooth).
• Improved areas for disabled patron viewing
• Artificial grass covering over the athletics track
• Activation of Clarendon Street with pub and food outlet partnerships, coordinated marches to the game
• Adequately staffed gates for speed of entry

There are also considerations for larger games where the whole stadium is used:

• Positioning of food trucks should not create bottlenecks
• Appropriate ticketing so that seated patrons don’t lose out
• Access around the stadium to be managed where active fans are present

So that’s that. Lakeside’s a good venue with pros, cons, risks and opportunities. Let’s hope it get more use and is appropriately managed!

A final note – there were more than 10,000 people at the Final but the announced capacity finally confirms the practical limitations of the venue!