Too Far Away You Just Can't See

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Multi purpose running,cycling and sport. I would hate to go watch an event here as you are better off at home. This is the Yokohama Stadium where the Rugby World Cup game was played today and the final next week. All they did was lay grass over the athletic track, but left the pitch in the middle as there is nothing else they can do.

I have been watching the Rugby World Cup and the stadiums that are being used have obviously been built for a multi purpose. I understand that but for watching rugby or football it is terrible. The field is in the middle and it is centralized so the fringes are a good 20 m from the stands. If you are watching at home on television then it makes no difference but if you are in the stands you are 20 m away from the closest action and as much as 100 m away from action on the far side.

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You can see how close you are to the field and action and don't need binoculars to watch the game. Newlands Stadium will be a distant memory for most sport fans very soon. The new stadium has a different climate as it doesn't rain as much due to the catchment area on the one side of the mountain. Newlands was known for it's rainy rugby matches.

The stadiums I grew up with going to watch sport you were 5 m away from the touchline and were on top of the action. You didn't need binoculars or supervision to see what was going on. The whole experience has now changed and it has effected the atmosphere. It is rare to have specialist stadiums now that cater for just one sport. Newlands stadium is set for demolition next year and being replaced with yet another shopping center.

I think the next photo is a bit extreme but this is a game of rugby being played at one of the cricket grounds. The players are too far away and this should never be allowed. The whole atmosphere changes and you may as well play the game without live spectators. This tells me the ones running the sport do not care and expect fans to just turn up.

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Most of the new stadiums have big screens to show replays in case you missed something which is highly likely being 50 to 100 m away. The Cape Town stadium that is replacing Newlands was a multi purpose stadium constructed for the 2010 Football World Cup.Local councils are struggling to maintain these white elephants and are forcing the sporting teams to move and carry the expenses instead. This then saves them the embarrassment which will surely follow in a few years time if they don't force the new tenants in.

I firmly believe if a country wins a bid to host a certain sport the first option should always be to use what you have first and maybe just upgrade them. Governments are too quick to sign off for new stadiums as the officials involved are all corrupt. Maybe the likes of FIFA need to have stronger stipulations as there are too many stadiums dotted around the world with no use once the event has passed.

Other sports are now suffering because of this and are being forced out of what was a perfectly good stadium with over 100 years of history. Newlands has always been known as the venue for Rugby and cricket and now it will be only cricket. The Natal Sharks in Durban are still fighting as the council wants to evict them forcing them into a left over stadium from the 2010 Football World Cup. I am sure if you ask anyone who loves watching live sport as a spectator then the best option would be to tear down the new stadium.