Report says SCG Trust's plans for new aquatic and fitness centre are a 'land grab'

The Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust’s plans to build a new members club featuring fitness facilities and two swimming pools adjacent to the new Sydney Football Stadium have been described as a "land grab" in a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

The report suggests that the Trust has sought planning approval to expand the boundaries of the Stadium redevelopment by more than 1000 metre² in order to incorporate the new facilities into the project.

However, Australasian Leisure Management is aware that proposals for the new aquatic and fitness facility, which the SCG Trust has pledged to fund itself, have been included in plans for the redevelopment of the former Allianz Stadium as far back as 2014.

Mindful that its former facilities, known at different times as the Allianz Stadium Fitness Club and later as the UTS Stadium Club, would need to be demolished as part of the rebuilding of the Sydney Football Stadium, the SCG Trust has set out to replace one of the most popular aquatic, fitness, lifestyle and wellness clubs in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs that had attracted in excess of 30,000 visits per month.

The new building will include a gym and training areas, two squash courts, 50-metre and 25-metre pools, day spa and treatment rooms, and a cafe with seating for up to 300 people.

The new pavilion will be built on an area previously occupied by Cricket NSW's administrative building and will protrude onto what is now a run up area for 16 practice wickets used by professional cricketers. As a result, the wickets will be moved about 15 metres south onto a barbecue and grassed area.

Last year Cricket NSW shifted to temporary premises at Sydney Olympic Park, while it awaits construction of a $50 million facility on the banks of Parramatta River.

Cricket NSW Chief Executive, Lee Germon said the body had been working with the Trust to ensure that practice facilities were suitable for staging international and Big Bash cricket matches, telling the Sydney Morning Herald “we look forward to continuing to work with them to bring world-class cricket to the SCG.”

While the Sydney Football Stadium is being redeveloped, SCG Trust members have use of the former Centennial Health Club in the Moore Park Entertainment Quarter, now branded as The Stadium Club.

Image: An artist's impression of the SCG Trust's planned new aquatic and fitness centre. Courtesy of the SCG Trust.