Sydney NRL clubs have given cautious support to Dave Smith's plan to invest in small suburban grounds, but warn he needs to think bigger and give certainty to fans.
The NRL chief executive on Friday called for investment in boutique grounds in an attempt to improve atmosphere after being inspired by a visit to the United States and attending a sold-out NHL game.
The NSW government has committed $600 million to upgrading rectangular stadia in Sydney, and Smith said those funds should be poured into smaller grounds to create more intimate fan experiences.
Wests Tigers chief executive Grant Mayer said suburban grounds had a future in the NRL but was worried Smith's comments would trigger a false hope that their team's suburban venue was in for a funding windfall.
He said the game needed to focus the debate and be clear about which grounds were targets for investment.
The Tigers play home games at Campbelltown Stadium, Leichhardt Oval and ANZ Stadium.
They are not committed to playing at Campbelltown and Leichhardt beyond 2015 and will negotiate with councils this year to decide if they will continue to use the grounds.
Mayer said he was a passionate supporter of suburban venues but the financial incentives of moving games to ANZ Stadium were ones all clubs needed to consider.
"If (suburban grounds) are going to be maintained, they need significant investment from state and federal government ... The issue (the NRL) has created is well intentioned but it's created a fair degree of uncertainty for bolted-on supporters," he said.
Parramatta chief executive Scott Seward agrees in principle with Smith's push for smaller stadiums but says 25,000-seat stadiums are too small for clubs to remain sustainable.
Seward wants the NRL to follow the trend of American baseball and football and English soccer, and look to build grounds about the 35,000-40,000 mark.
"Our average crowd was about 18,000 last year and we're hoping to push that up to 25,000," he said.
"That's not to say we're anti-ANZ Stadium. We want 80,000 for State of Origin and the grand final. When we played the Tigers we got 50,000 (at ANZ Stadium last year). We would like that to be the norm and not the exception.
"But the economics just doesn't work on 20,000."
Parramatta Stadium is undergoing a $29 million revamp, which will increase its capacity from 20,000 to 24,000.
However, Seward said he was pushing for a $400 million redevelopment, which would turn it into a 40,000-seat venue.
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