Government puts heat on NRL over $1b

NSW Sports Minister Stuart Ayres is threatening to pull the pin on $1 billion worth of stadium funding if the NRL clubs don't agree to his Moore Park plan.

The NSW Government is putting the heat on the NRL with reports $1 billion in funding could be pulled if the two parties do not come to an agreement over the future of Moore Park.

Sports Minister Stuart Ayres remains committed to a new 55,000-seat stadium being built on the precinct, a plan that is at odds with the wishes of eight of the nine Sydney NRL clubs.

The NRL clubs want $700 million spent turning ANZ Stadium into a rectangular venue, with $400 million to be spent refurbishing the existing Allianz Stadium at Moore Park.

"If we aren't able to reach a resolution, and I have said this to the NRL, the additional $1 billion the government has allocated ... is at risk," Ayres told News Corp Australia.

Such an upgrade would also include the development of a multi-story carpark to be built at the inner-city venue.

Ayres says using the funding allocation to upgrade suburban grounds, or undertake a major rebuild of the former Olympic venue, is not a feasible option.

Meanwhile, the Australian Rugby Union has also thrown their weight behind the proposed new stadium at Moore Park, but only if it doesn't come at the expense of the current Allianz Stadium complex being closed while it is being developed.

Such a move would be part of a plan for a future Rugby World Cup to be held in Australia.


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Source: AAP



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