AN OPPORTUNITY 1988 ST GEORGE STD

[Aliti]

I was staying up and I was thinking about our team Sydney Olympic I know we don't look at the past we have to move forward and thinking about our Sydney Olympic Fc future which is a part of my life.

My fellow young Olympic Ultras fans in 1988 we had a great opportunity to sh are the ground at homeatches ST GEORGE BUDAPEST a Hungarian community who built the stadium in the cooperate box they still have their name steel on silver .
ST George desperately wanted Sydney Olympic to play to make revenue at the ground and maybe one day to have permanent.
Someone had the connection with St George Budapest FCC to have the meeting but our Old directors rejected saying "we don't want to associate with the Hungarian
Sydney Olympic still hired the ground but not permanently the good thing about it it was close to the airport and easy to get to St George Stadium especially team coming from interstate
Unfortunately The Hungarian community couldn't handle the Financial in the NSL.
ST George had a social club at Mortdale which is today a block of units
People ask questions why not St George these were the reason
It had great facilities a huge of land for training it did host the National Australia training and in 1981 they hosted the Youth championship.

Today St George stadium has being slowly extinct they do play at the ground but you have to seat on the other side because the grandstand is not safe probably will collapse



Next to was the fisherman's club we all know today Brighton Le sands is a popular place

Today so far we have a homegrown at Bel more sports ground which we are all happy securing the next 25 years

I ask you this question should the old committee in 1988 to have St George stadium permanent rebuilding to be up to standards both NSL and NSW premier league.??

I will let you be the judge of that???

Olympic is life

Aliti

[paoktzi]

Good to see our mistakes of the past so we can build on the future.

Aliti you are a messiah, bravo.

If we had St George and all its surroundings it wouldnt be bad, bad with St George beeing the way it is, a return isnt ever out of the question?

[elina4lyf]

vry ture well said meyale

[mini]

Throughout the past we have had several opportunities to buy places, including Fraser Park for a million dollars.

Now that land near Sydneham Station (for those of you who don't know where it is) for a million dollars, we declined and the Portuguese bought it, and to this day Fraser Park play out of there. The complex is now worth about 4 million.

[paoktzi]

mistakes of the past hurt

[Aliti]

HERE ARE THE IMAGES today St George sraduim you see everyone the Rockdale council never gave a shit about St George Staduim not even 1 dollar to upgrade they left the way it is when I think about St George Staduim it reminds me my child hood and teenage years seeing attrctive footbal and atmosphere through the NSL YEARS.


Here is St George staduim open day in 1978



St George Stadium Opening Day 1978. (From the Photo Collection of Peter Rowney). Match Day: Round 1 1978 NSL Season 5th March 1978. Crowd 3853. St George 0 South Melbourne 2. St George Team that day: Martin Coe, Doug Utjesenovic, Peter Terry, John O'Shea, George Harris, Brendan Grosse, Carlos Mendez (Rudi Gnavi 56), Paul Jones, Robbie O'Shea, Zoran Durisic (Neville Morgan 46), Phil O'Connor Coach : Ilija Takac

St George Stadium Grandstand (Early 80s)






The pictures of today which is reaaly sad say it all the Rockdale council and those who are responsible they should hang their heads of shame leaving it like it is very very dissapointing.



St George Stadium - Crack in Lower Grandstand. Sept 2008
The structural crack through the side of the grandstand runs about two or three rows below the walk way through the middle of teh stand.




St George Stadium - Scoreboard.
The scoreboard was originally from the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, when it was bought to St George Stadium it never worked. It still sits there with the painted on "Welcome to St George" message.


St George Stadium - In The Grandstand

This is really sad, all the seats are gone and rubbish is spread around the place
In the Grandstand which Iuse to see our team Sydney Olympic playing their homematches during the NSL





The crack runs laterally through the stand. Here you can see the crack and how the steps have dropped away. The PONGRASS sign is from the old seats - ofcourse the seats were supplied by Pongrass Industries who were owned by club legend and President, Alex Pongrass.

Alex Pongrass & Frank Lowy created the National Soccer League in 1977.


St George Stadium - TV Tower and Grandstand

The northern hill at the airport end of the ground and the much loved TV Tower (home of SBS & ABC ). The TV tower from which ANDREA THE LEGEND shaking it really realy hard of excitement which the cameraman nearly fell in.northern hill with all the Olympic supporters with Andrea chanting Olympic Olympic non stop and other famous old chants during the homatches in the NSL summer competions. alcohol , flaires and TV towers are wonderful things!!




St George Stadium - Pitch, Scoreboard and Stand
Looking across the pitch to the scoreboard and grandstand from the airport end of the ground. All the buildings are a mess but the pitch is still in good condition.


It was good opportunity to have a permanet homeground everyone but as some one said we do'nt want associate the Hungarians St George district.
AS mini said the mistakes of the past hurt

[paoktzi]

Popo

[mini]

Wow the degradation of it is unbelievable....

Aliti, where did you find these photos?

[Aliti]

Mini
My old class mate from school sent me those pictures he use to follow the old St George Budapest

[anothermp]

lol what a massive crack in the stadium.. my brother also mentioned one night it was raining and when he was refereeing there was water spurting out the tunnel not from the ceiling but from the side walls..

theres been talk recently that somebody is going to redevelop the place, anyone have any ideas?

[mini]

Yeah Rockdale Council is letting it turn to shit, then when it's really bad, knock it down and build a few apartment blocks.

[endlesspassion]

Olympic had the opportunity to buy the Fishermans Club next to St George Stadium but was rejected by the board. I remember the day clearly as my dad had the biggest argument with a board member into why we are not getting a club Greeks can go and enjoy a meal after the game. If only those guys had the balls to buy the club we would have gotten St George stadium with the money that club makes.

Ah Aliti those photos are sad. I went to St George Staduim earlier inb the year to watch a junior soccer match. I was so upset to see the once great staduim deteriorate like that. Ah the memories sitting in the grandstand then going to the hill when your mates arrived. Young ladies doing laps around the stadium to get a climpse of Kalantzis hahaha.

Guys what you dont understand it was a must do to watch olympic and if you were anyone you were at St George stadium watching the mighty blue and whites.

[paoktzi]

Great times, but a checked past we have had.

[sweeper]

mini, Fraser park wasn't up to NSL standard for TV among other things as well. That meant that Olympic would require another ground to play all the home games. A good investment yes, but not practical at the time. St George Stadium is the one we should have grabbed. For what ever reason it didn't happen.

[paoktzi]

We should of had St George we all agree.

But guys let me ask you if we have BSG for 25 years are we going good or what