Australian sports stadiums "have been warned against devoting too much space to corporate boxes as fans claw back prime seats in European football grounds," according to Jenny Wiggins of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. London-based global engineering and design group Arup Vice Chair Tristram Carfrae said that Barcelona, one of the world's wealthiest sports teams, is considering bringing its members -- known as "Socios" -- back into the middle tier of the Camp Nou when it renovates its 99,000-seat stadium. He said, "They want to reserve it for the die-hard fans. What they have been doing to date is inserting the business people into the middle. ... but the middle is now getting so big that it's disturbing the balance." Barcelona "is rethinking where it puts corporate boxes to keep matches vibrant." Carfrae said that a backlash "is emerging against stadiums that devote too much space to VIP seats and boxes, such as the Arsenal Football Club's home stadium in London." He said, "There is a tension between how to make a bowl atmospheric for the fans, a place where they will chant and sing and go mad, and getting revenue from the business people." While Premier League football stadiums typically have around one-third of seats in 60,000-seat stadiums allocated to VIPs, "Australian stadiums still favour fans over business people." But allocations of corporate seating and the quality of facilities provided to corporate sponsors at Sydney's stadiums "are under review" as the NSW Government prepares to spend some $600M ($438M) redeveloping the city's stadiums. Currently, some 5,000 of the 80,000 seats at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney's Olympic Park, which has 110 private suites, "are allocated to corporate sponsors." The Sydney Cricket Ground, "which seats 48,000, has 113 outdoor corporate boxes as well as 73 suites and 10 function rooms, while nearby Allianz Stadium, which seats 44,000, has 106 outdoor corporate boxes, 57 suites and six function rooms." Carfrae said that Australia currently had "a better blend" between corporate and fan seating than many stadiums in the U.S. or Europe (SMH, 8/3).
