St. George Illawarra Grants Broadcasters' Wish To Play Games In Smaller Stadiums

National Rugby League side St. George Illawarra Dragons will be the first club to "grant the wish of TV broadcasters" and play more NRL games in smaller stadiums, according to Adam Pengilly of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The Dragons will increase the amount of fixtures at the club's "spiritual bases" as the Wests Tigers reduce their matchday presence at Leichhardt and Campbelltown. St. George Illawarra will "scrap a permanent home-game presence at ANZ Stadium," increasing its allocation of fixtures at Kogarah and Wollongong to five games each in '18. It comes a week after rights holders Fox Sports and Nine approached the state government and NRL about "prioritising upgrades of suburban grounds and Allianz Stadium to create a more intimate TV product." The Dragons "stressed uncertainty over a timeline for the redevelopment of Sydney's stadiums network was the impetus for the move back to their roots" (SMH, 10/4).