Return To Kogarah - Latest News

R2K RESEARCHES THE LOCAL RESIDENTS ISSUE

'Rugby League World' Magazine recently published their opinion that the local residents around Jubilee Oval would never allow a return of the Dragons or tolerate any future redevelopment of the site. The publication stated that the residents were keen to preserve the peacefulness of their weekends and were opposed to any of the noise that would be associated with an upgrade of the venue. Similarly, radio stations which host rugby league
talkback sessions often claim that a return to Kogarah is impossible because of the opposition of local residents.

So are the views of 'Rugby League World' and radio stations such as 2GB well researched or are they simply perpetuating a myth that has little foundation? Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to look at the last redevelopment that took place at Jubilee: the grandstand which was officially opened in 1990.

Firstly, it must be pointed out that no local resident can object with any validity to Jubilee Oval hosting First Grade Rugby League matches. The St.George Leagues Club already holds a license to use the Oval and therefore have the prerogative to return to Jubilee Oval for such matches at anytime. It should also be noted that the Dragons began playing at Jubilee Oval in 1950 and their association with the Kogarah Municipality precedes the vast majority of local residents who may object to First Grade Rugby League matches being played at Jubilee.

Local residents, can however, object to certain aspects of a Development Application because of perceived environmental impacts, and the grandstand which was opened in 1990 provides an interesting example.

In keeping with the requirements of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act and its Regulation, the Development Application for the previous grandstand was extensively advertised for public comment. The development proposal was advertised by way of signs on each of the four street frontages of Kogarah Park, and advertisements in the St.George and Sutherland Shire Leader on six separate occasions. Letters about the Development Application were sent to 56 adjoining property owners and the occupiers of 22 non-owner occupied dwellings in the surrounding area.

For 39 days an extensive exhibition of the development and accompanying Statement of Environmental Effects was on display at Kogarah's Civic Centre and for part of that time a similar exhibition was held at the St. George Leagues Club.

The Kogarah Council's Chief Town Planner's Report stated:

"Such extensive public exhibition of a Development proposal within this Municipality and similarly the public response to the public exhibition, in terms of the number of submissions received, is also unprecedented for a single development proposal."

In total, Kogarah Council received 1,042 submissions in support of the new grandstand and 1,040 submissions which objected to the proposed grandstand.

The most common ground of objection was the view that:

'Government money spent on this project would be better spent on restoring our run-down hospital to its former excellence.'

When advising the Councillors on the proposed grandstand, the Kogarah Council's Chief Town Planner considered that this objection was largely irrelevant. The Chief Town Planner stated: "The priorities for State Government spending on the many competing demands for such funding are a matter for the State Government's determination and are not relevant to Council's determination of the Development Application in its role as the responsible planning authority. In any event, it is understood that any government funds devoted to the project will be from Footy Tab proceeds. This money is earmarked for expenditure on sporting facilities and therefore could not be used for other government projects be they hospitals, schools or whatever."

The other objections to the Development Application were:

issues of traffic generation;
loss of access to properties due to illegal parking;
relaxation time being ruined by noise and unruly crowds;
the capacity of off-street parking; and
whether the development was suitable for the site due to its location, size
and height.

The below points outline how Kogarah Council's Town Planner assessed each issue and summarises the recommendation to the Councillors who ultimately approved the Development Application for the grandstand.

TRAFFIC GENERATION: (MY STREET CANNOT HANDLE THE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC GENERATED BY MAJOR FUNCTIONS)
This matter was referred to the Kogarah Local Advisory Committee and the Traffic Authority of NSW. No objections were raised to the application on traffic grounds subject to maximisation of surrounding parking facilities. Essentially, the objectors confused the issue before Council. The grandstand actually reduced the capacity of Jubilee Oval rather than increased it, and therefore the Town Planner recognised that it would also lead to a reduction in peak traffic generation. His report stated that:

“Jubilee Oval is relatively well served by both public transport and the road system by comparison with any alternative venues and has the added advantage that local residents are, or should be, accustomed to the traffic generation affects of the use of Jubilee Oval, the development will reduce the total capacity of Jubilee Oval and it is therefore axiomatic that the peak traffic generation for Jubilee Oval will also be reduced. Therefore, the ability of local streets to handle the volume of traffic generated will be improved rather than worsened by the development."

LOSS OF ACCESS TO MY PROPERTY DUE TO ILLEGAL PARKING DAY OR NIGHT:
As indicated in the point above, the grandstand provided improved seating at Jubilee Oval for all of the events to be held there. The effect of the improvement in seating was in fact to reduce the spectator capacity of the Oval rather than to increase it. The above ground of objection appeared to assume that the grandstand would result in an increase in capacity, and in particular appeared to incorrectly assume that the development proposal under consideration by Council was seeking permission to use Jubilee Oval for First Grade Rugby League matches. Accordingly, the Town Planner recognised that the illegal parking in surrounding streets would be reduced rather than increased as a result of the proposed development due to the effective reduction in the capacity of the ground.

MY RELAXATION TIMES WILL ONCE AGAIN BE RUINED BY NOISE, UNRULY CROWDS:
Once again, this ground of objection related to the use of Jubilee Oval rather than the proposed development under consideration by Council. The most recent use of Jubilee Oval ceased as a result of a commercial decision by the Club and not due to public pressure due to unruly behaviour by football crowds.

CAPACITY OF OFF-STREET PARKING:
The capacity of off-street parking was seen as satisfactory. There are approximately 1,200 off-street spaces, located in Kogarah Park, St.George Leagues Club and Carlton South Public School. The site is located within walking distance of Carlton Railway Station. It was suggested that Kogarah Council make representations to the State Government to encourage use of public transport (both rail and bus). Certainly during 2002, the off-street parking situation has improved dramatically with the opening of the State Government car park at Kogarah Station and the Kogarah Council car park in Derby Street, Kogarah.

If the Dragons return to Jubilee Oval in 2003, the capacity of off-street parking will not be an issue if the Club is willing to promote these car parks and can organise shuttle buses.

WHETHER THE DEVELOPMENT WAS SUITABLE FOR THE SITE DUE TO ITS LOCATION, SIZE AND HEIGHT:
There were objections raised about the affect of the development on the landscape of the locality. Specifically, the issues raised were the scale, size, height and external appearance of the development, the relationship of the development to the development on adjoining land or other land in the locality and the siting of the building on the land to which the application related.

These issues were addressed in the Statement of Environmental Effects and particularly, in the photo montages which accompanied the public exhibition.

The Town Planner stated:

"There is no escaping the fact that the proposed grandstand will be significantly larger in scale, in width and height than the development in the surrounding area which is predominantly detached dwelling houses usually only one storey in height. There are, of course, a number of exceptions, for example, Carlton South Public School buildings and the St.George Leagues Club which are also generally larger and on larger sites than the surrounding houses. However, it is also true that the size of the site, i.e. Kogarah Park, or even Jubilee Oval, is significantly larger than the land holdings to which the other developments relate and thus, in terms of building bulk as related to site area, the proposal is smaller in a relative sense. But most importantly, the size of the surrounding parkland facilities and substantial setbacks will enable the proposal to be substantially screened by appropriate landscape treatment thus providing a buffer between the proposed development and adjacent residential development. Indeed, the existing mature trees in Kogarah Park adjacent to the proposed grandstand will substantially soften the appearance of the proposal."

With the use of appropriate materials, additional landscaping and architectural detailing, the proposal was considered aesthetically acceptable. The shadow projection from the grandstand was also investigated and it was considered to be acceptable to Kogarah Council.

Investigating what has happened at the site in the past can dismiss many of the myths that are perpetuated by the mainstream media in relation to Jubilee Oval. Certainly, it is a myth that the local residents around Jubilee Oval would never allow a return of the Dragons. The Dragons have a right to return for First Grade Rugby League matches at any time as they have a lease on that basis with Kogarah Council until 2011. Night time use
is also allowed under the license, with Council approval. The previous grandstand development reveals what can be achieved if the Club, Council and Community work together.

RED V MAGAZINE - KOGARAH UPDATE

In their second edition of the Red V magazine, St.George-Illawarra have provided members with an update on the status of Kogarah Jubilee Oval.

The Club have published an article titled, "Kogarah Oval - The Facts" which provides a chronology of events since the Dragons abandoned Kogarah in 1999 right up to May 2002.

The R2K rally in July 2000, the failed Barton/Cahill Park redevelopment and the recent R2K Information Night all receive a mention.

The article states that the Club now recognise that Kogarah Oval is a "community asset" which needs to be addressed. In order to address the Kogarah issue, the Club state that they had a meeting on the 9th of May with a number of prominent politicians:

"On 9 May 2002, Warren Lockwood, Chairman of St George Illawarra Dragons and St George Leagues Club, Peter Doust, Chief Executive Officer of St George Illawarra Dragons and Robert Stone, Executive Officer St George District Rugby League Football Club met with Local State Members of Parliament, Cherie Burton, George Thompson, Kevin Greene and Minister for Public Works and Sport and Recreation, Morris Iemma to enlist support in addressing the issues at Kogarah Oval."

R2K views this communication by St.George-Illawarra as a step in the right direction after the lack of communication about the Barton Park redevelopment. R2K hopes that the Club will continue to recognise that Kogarah Oval is an issue which needs to be addressed.

R2K Interview with David Niu

David, you played in the match against Parramatta in 1990 when the new grandstand was opened at Kogarah in front of a big crowd. What was the atmosphere like and what are your memories of the day?

I still remember quite clearly the whole day and the excitement surrounding coming back to Kogarah and the opening of the new stand. I lived in Hurstville at the time and walked to the match and enjoyed seeing the huge numbers of people heading for the ground, even early in the day. A great crowd welcomed us back and the players were excited to be returning to Kogarah after having played all our games away for so long. Saints fans are always noisy but they were particularly loud that day. Unfortunately we were beaten by a well performed Parramatta team but it was clear the fans were glad to have us back at home.

Read the rest of this interview HERE!

MAINTENANCE ISSUES PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY

The long awaited Structural Engineer’s report on the Jubilee Oval grandstand
has been presented to Kogarah Council. While Kogarah Council have stated that the report is confidential, the 'St. George Leader' has discovered that there are issues that need to be addressed to maintain the grandstand in working order.

The report has confirmed that the Jubilee grandstand has no 'major structural' problems but some faults which need to be addressed.

The St. George Leader states:

"Some of them are technical and arise from changes to the Building Code of Australia since the grandstand was built in 1989. For example, balustrading on the grandstand is horizontal but the code now stipulates it should be vertical. And emergency lighting needs upgrading. As well, the grandstand’s roof will need replacing in another five years."

The report by Woolacotts Consulting Engineers will allow the council and club to work through the maintenance issues. However, as the June 2001 report on the grandstand confirmed, under the Deed of Licence between the St. George Leagues Club and Kogarah Council, it is the Club’s responsibility to carry out all repairs and maintenance associated with the Oval, which includes all buildings and facilities.

If the club wishes to take a proactive stance, the maintenance issues provide the club with a window of opportunity. The club can concentrate on the repairs required and also make the sort of smaller, boutique and temporary changes to corporate facilities. It would be more cost effective for the club to make the improvements to corporate facilities while making the repairs to the grandstand, rather than making the desired changes to
corporate facilities at a later date. This would involve the club using the licence until its expiration in 2011 and then making plans for additional redevelopment and a new licence.

The Sydney Morning Herald recently reported that the Dragons are hopeful of
playing two matches at Kogarah in 2003. While R2K supports 50% of Dragons’ home games at Kogarah, the commitment to at least two games at Kogarah each season as well as training would result in club expenditure commensurate with the use levels.

On the other hand, while making the necessary repairs, the club can negotiate a new licence beyond 2011 with Kogarah Council and ensure that any proposed redevelopments are included and planned for. Clearly, the ball is in the Club’s court.

MARK COYNE ON R2K

R2K recently caught up with Mark Coyne who kindly offered his thoughts on a return to Kogarah and recalled his favourite memories of Jubilee Oval. Mark Coyne also provided a statement of support at the Kogarah Oval Information Night in March.

R2K: What is your favourite Kogarah Oval memory?
MC: My favourite memory is sitting down in the sun at the southern end of the field before a match watching the lower grades and thinking about the game coming up.

R2K: As a player, what unique quality did Kogarah Oval have for you?
MC: The crowd atmosphere when it was full, usually after a few wins. Also, the
appearance of the Skull.

R2K: Much has been said about the atmosphere at Kogarah for big games. Were there any games in your career where the atmosphere had a huge impact on the team?
MC: I think a game against Manly (1993) where we came from behind and Noel Goldthrope kicked a field goal with about a minute to go to win it. The crowd was fantastic that day and helped us roll on over Manly.

R2K: You joined St.George in 1988 when the club were playing at Belmore Oval. The team moved back to Kogarah in 1989 and three years later the Dragons were in the Grand Final. How much do you attribute the return to Jubilee as a part of Saints' revival in the early 90's?
MC: Jubilee contributed a big part. Although I was new, Belmore Oval was not where we trained and did not feel like our home ground. Although the years after we returned in 89,90 & 91 were not successful in terms of the reaching the play offs, having our home ground made me feel more settled.

R2K: Dragons CEO Peter Doust recently stated that Kogarah Oval has too many
problems to be considered as a home venue. Who do you feel is responsible
for the state of disrepair Jubilee seemingly finds itself in?
MC: Combination of the Club and the Council for not showing for-sight on the future needs of the Club.

R2K: If the club decided to return to Kogarah for a percentage of games in
2003, which current NRL teams would you select as opponents for those games?
For what reasons?
MC: There would be two criteria. One is you would pick teams that do not generally pull good crowds as you could be assured of it being well attended by Dragons/Jubilee fans. Cowboys, Warriors, Penrith, Melbourne From a players point of view you would like to have the tougher teams as Jubilee is not a fun place to visit especially when it is full, so Parra, Newcastle, Broncos, Roosters.

R2K: What advice would you give to Dragons fans keen to see the team back at
Jubilee?
MC: Realistically, there are some huge hurdles to overcome to see the Dragons
ever being able to return to Jubilee due to local council and residents. Major development would need to be done with approval from the above. Funding would also be needed. I would be looking at coming up with a facility that would cater for more than rugby league, eg. youth programs, soccer, rugby, etc. The more shareholders the greater the distribution of costs and the more people supporting it.

R2K YET TO BE INCLUDED

As previously reported, at the Kogarah Oval Information Night on March the 16th a motion was successfully carried for the establishment of a taskforce between Kogarah Council, St. George Leagues Club and R2K. The purpose of the taskforce would be to accelerate a return to Kogarah by the Dragons through investigating the relevance of the NRL ground criteria and how an upgrade of Jubilee Oval could be financed.

R2K has since learnt that the St. George Football Club and Kogarah Council have set up a working group to review the maintenance and long-term use of Kogarah Jubilee Oval. However, neither party has yet invited R2K representatives to become involved within the working group.

The motion to establish the working group (that R2K is yet to be included in) was moved by the Mayor Of Kogarah, Councillor Jim Taylor. The Kogarah Mayor stated that there needed to be “a long term plan on the future uses of the ground for the remainder of the current lease”, which expires on January 31, 2011.

However, Councillor Nick Katris moved to include an express condition that the working group was not to make any decisions about any increase in intensity in use or expansion of the ground. R2K is concerned about Councillor Nick Katris’ stipulation and will seek a full explanation from both Kogarah Council and the St. George DRLFC on this limitation and will also seek the inclusion of three R2K representatives within the working
group.

FANS DEMAND NEW PLANS FOR KOGARAH

The Return To Kogarah (R2K) group held a successful Information Night at Kogarah RSL on Saturday. A motion was successfully carried for the establishment of a taskforce between Kogarah Council, St. George Leagues Club and R2K to investigate financing an upgrade of Kogarah and to investigate the NRL ground criteria issues.

The highlight of the evening was Frank Hyde. Hyde, who spoke as a posthumous gesture to Ernest ‘Tiger’ Black, was completely in favour of a return to Kogarah Oval by the Dragons and stated that fans have a right to a St. George based homeground.

Apart from Hyde’s address, 500 Dragons supporters witnessed passionate and entertaining speeches from Dick Caine, John Dowling, Tony Squires, Peter Bryant and Shane Millard.

Robert Stone provided St. George-Illawarra’s viewpoint and informed the audience that a shortage of corporate boxes at Jubilee Oval was the main factor in the Club’s decision to abandon Kogarah. However, as other speakers pointed out, an additional grandstand at Kogarah would remedy this problem.

The Mayor of Kogarah, Jim Taylor, provided a statement confirming that he would be delighted to see the Dragons return to Jubilee and would consider any future development applications for an upgrade of the oval.

R2K also endorsed the ‘Red & White’ ticket which is running for three vacant positions on the Leagues Club board. The main policy of the ‘Red & White’ ticket is to return the Dragons to Kogarah in 2003 and to work closely with Kogarah Council on a redevelopment of Jubilee Oval.

The three candidates, Lachlan McLean, Zoran Mitrevski and Fay Samuel gave well received campaign speeches. The voting for the three vacant positions takes place from Monday, the 18th of March to Thursday, the 21st of March between the hours of 10 AM to 8 PM at the St. George Leagues Club.

R2K2 Speakers Announced!

R2K is happy to announce the guest speakers for the Kogarah Oval Information Night.

Be at the Kogarah RSL’s auditorium at 7:30pm on the 16th of March to hear these interesting speakers and to support a return to Kogarah.

Frank Hyde – famous rugby league broadcaster.

Tony Squires – The host of the popular ABC program, ‘The Fat’.

John Dowling – played for Saints between 1979-84.

Dick Caine – After addressing the R2K rally in July 2000, Dick Caine is back and more determined than ever to see a return of the Dragons to Jubilee Oval.

Peter Bryant – The former Mayor of Rockdale and current Rockdale Councillor.

Robert Stone – Currently the Executive Officer of the St. George District Rugby League Football Club.

Shane Millard – Presents the Junior Rugby League angle.

In addition there will be a letter of support from St. George legend Mark Coyne, a statement confirming Kogarah Council’s position and speeches from R2K representatives.

The night will conclude with the 1988 Panasonic Cup Final on the big screen. See the mighty Saints defeat the Balmain Tigers in a mid-week classic.

Please be advised that attendees under 18 are allowed into the Kogarah RSL auditorium and that attendees must comply with the standard RSL dress code.

We look forward to seeing you there. Together we can get the mighty Saints back to Kogarah Jubilee Oval.

IT’S TIME FOR R2K2

Are you keen for the Dragons to play in the St George district? Do you prefer Kogarah Oval to the SFS and are you dissatisfied with the Illawarra region hosting over 50% of our home games?

If you feel strongly on these issues, make sure you attend the R2K Information Night at Kogarah RSL Club on Saturday 16th March at 7:30pm.

R2K staged a rally in July 2000 that put the St George homeground issue back on the club’s agenda. Following the rally, the St. George-Illawarra board agreed to play Sydney games at Rockdale’s Barton Park when the ground was redeveloped by the St George Soccer Association. As a result of the Barton Park redevelopment being unsuccessful, the Sydney games look set to continue at the SFS while WIN Stadium hosts 7 out of 12 Dragons’ home games. R2K is now entirely focused on the Dragons returning to Kogarah for their Sydney allocation of home games.

So it’s time for R2K2 – an information evening at the Kogarah RSL Club
Auditorium. Hear from a panel of guest speakers representing levels of
government, the juniors and most importantly, the fans. Please attend this
function and help get the Dragons back to Kogarah. Children under 18 are allowed in the RSL auditorium.

www.r2k.info will soon be updated with additional information about the night including details about the guest speakers.

St. George Soccer to debut at Kogarah Jubilee

R2K is happy to announce that the St. George Saints are making their debut at Kogarah Jubilee Oval on Saturday, March the 16th.

St. George Soccer, who compete in the NSW Premier League, are currently based at Rockdale’s Barton Park. However, St. George Soccer have elected to play their local derby against Sutherland at Jubilee Oval.

The Soccer Saints will host their local derby the day before the St. George-Illawarra Dragons host their local derby against the Sharks at Aussie Stadium (SFS).

While we all desire the return of elite rugby league to Kogarah, your attendance at the St. George Soccer match is a good opportunity to show your support for Kogarah Jubilee Oval as a sporting venue. The match provides a chance to support a St. George district sporting team while reminding the St. George Leagues Club and Kogarah Council that many more sporting events should be scheduled for Kogarah in the future.

The match against Sutherland commences at 5pm.

Fundraising Walk - Saturday 9th February 2002

R2K is starting its 2002 schedule with a fundraising walk on Saturday, the 9th of February in Carlton. The funds raised from the walk will be contributed to the Kogarah Lions Club and our future - the St. George Junior Rugby League. While the walkathon is a good opportunity to raise funds for two worthy organisations, R2K also views the event as a chance to increase its profile in the local community.

The planning of the walk has certainly had its complications. Originally, R2K had planned to stage the event at Jubilee Oval and get a number of juniors involved - walking laps of the oval and raising funds for the Lions Club and their own junior clubs. Although the Club were initially supportive in principle of the walkathon, they discovered that their liability Insurance policy didn't cover such an event.

Under the Club's liability policy a book launch and fan day are covered but a walkathon isn't. This complication put the walk behind schedule and meant that the juniors were unable to be directly involved, but the walk will proceed on a smaller scale.

As a result, the R2K walkathon is taking place in the streets of Carlton. The circuit for the walk is 1.5 km long and some walkers on the day are intending to cover 50km while others are aiming a bit lower at 10km. The Lions Club are donating their share of the funds to the `Save Sight Foundation', while R2K is still deciding what area of the St. George Juniors the rest of the funds will be allocated to.

If anyone is interested in walking on the day, please send an e-mail to return2kogarah@yahoo.com.au and we can send you a sponsorship form. If you're not interested in walking but would like to make a donation, please head down to the front of Jubilee Oval on the day and a R2K representative will collect your contribution.

The walk will commence at about 7am on Saturday the 9th of February and run until 7pm at night. Please feel free to make a donation at any time during these hours at the front of Jubilee Oval.

R2K... working with the Community and promoting rugby league in the
St. George district.

Kogarah back on the agenda after Barton & Cahill Park demise

The month of November brought extremely disappointing news for St. George-Illawarra supporters. It was announced that Rockdale Council had rejected a proposed redevelopment of Cahill Park at Arncliffe and Barton Park at Rockdale by the St. George Soccer Association. Following this news, Dragons’ CEO Peter Doust announced that no home games would be played at Jubilee Oval in 2002. There had been strong rumours in the mainstream media that Kogarah would gain at least 2 home games for the 2002 season including
the local derby against the Sharks. Despite these rumours, the 12 St. George-Illawarra 2002 home games will be split between Wollongong’s WIN Stadium and the Sydney Football Stadium. For the third successive year there will be no NRL matches played in St. George.

The Cahill/Barton news was disappointing for the numerous St. George-Illawarra supporters who had embraced the proposed move to the Cahill/Barton area. In the wake of the R2K rally in July 2000, the St. George District Football Club announced the proposed Barton Park Stadium in December 2000. Even though Jubilee Oval was the preferred option for Sydney games, supporters were willing to accept Barton Park as a middle-ground solution to ensure that the Dragons would have a future in St. George. Club management asked supporters to focus on the possibility of Barton Park rather than Kogarah and as a result most supporters were willing to follow the Club's guidance.

While the Barton/Cahill Park demise is unfortunate, it allows St. George-Illawarra supporters to focus on the St. George venue where all Sydney home games should be played - Kogarah’s Jubilee Oval. In the recent St. George-Illawarra research project titled “We Want To Know About You”, supporters clearly favoured a 50/50 split between Jubilee Oval and WIN Stadium. It is clear from the research project that supporters yearn for a local St. George presence.

It is time for St. George-Illawarra management to be responsive to the wishes of the supporters and ensure that Jubilee Oval plays a major role in the future of the Dragons. It is time for the St.George-Illawarra management to work closely with Kogarah Council and other governmental bodies in order to make the improvements to Jubilee Oval which are necessary for an elite rugby league ground. Now more than ever, it is time for a return to Kogarah.

Homeground issue makes Saints history book

The new St. George DRLFC history book, ‘Saints: The Legend Lives On’, mentioned that the lack of a St. George district homeground is a major source of discontent for supporters:

"Kogarah Oval, too, was an ongoing sore point - members of the Army fighting for the club to stay put at the club’s longtime homebase... Into the new century the battle continued on that particular front, with sporadic bursts of verbal fire, although increasingly the talk was turning to the possibilities of the Barton Park project, and a middle-ground solution."
Ian Heads, Saints: The Legend Lives On p322.

"The further debating point of a fitting and permanent home ground remained on the agenda. True believers continued to fight hard for Kogarah Jubilee... In hope and, increasingly, substance, the talk grew of a possible major development (sparked by the St.George Soccer Association) of Barton Park across from the airport, as a new and glamorous home ground for the club."
Ian Heads, Saints: The Legend Lives On p325.

R2K comment: It's pleasing that this important issue made the final pages of the new St. George history book. R2K are 'true believers' in Kogarah Jubilee and the movement feels that a lot could be done with the ground if the Leagues Club and Kogarah Council worked closely together. However, R2K is happy to take what Ian Heads describes as the 'middle-ground solution'. R2K has always supported the Barton Park redevelopment and its main agenda was always to push for a St. George district homeground. R2K's main concern is the lack of progress on the redevelopment in 2001 and the lack of information from St. George-Illawarra and the St. George Soccer Association.

Barton News
3/7/2001 - Sydney Morning Herald

"...St.George-Illawarra chief executive Peter Doust outlined a proposed return to southern Sydney, with plans for the redevelopment of Barton Park already well under way. St.George soccer club is planning to construct a 20,000-seat stadium in the Technology Park precinct, near Sydney airport. 'If there was a ground there that met the NRL criteria, we'd definitely play there,' Doust said. 'At the end of the day a lot of people yearn for a local presence and the signs are looking good.' Plans have been drawn up and are awaiting development approval. Work on the ground is expected to take 18 months. 'If it happens, we've been told it would be ready for the 2005 season,' Doust said."

Rockdale Council Meeting
24/04/01

A meeting of Rockdale Council has produced great news for St.George-Illawarra Dragons supporters and St.George Soccer supporters. The Rockdale Councillors have approved the new stadium in principle and have decided to set up a special works committee to investigate a number of issues in relation to the new stadium. Congratulations to the Rockdale Councillors for being responsive to the wishes of the St.George community.
You can contact Rockdale Council at rcc@rockdale.nsw.gov.au - Tell the Council that you support this community project.