'We shook hands': Rugby league boss accuses Premier of making excuses on stadium backflip

Rugby league boss Peter V’landys accused the New South Wales prime minister of using a “humanitarian tragedy” to renege on a handshake agreement to transform a suburban stadium.

Key points:

• NSW Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet says he should prioritize disaster funding over stadium grants
• However, rugby league boss Peter V’landys accused Perrottet of making excuses to cancel their deal.
• Mr V’landys claims the deal includes hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade stadiums in Manly, Cronulla and Leichhardt

V’landys threatened to move the NRL Grand Finals from Sydney as a result, saying the sport had been “tied up” by the state government for three years.

He said Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet this year pledged to upgrade local pitches across the city as part of a deal to keep the game showpiece in Harbor City until 2042.

“We shook hands. We looked into each other’s eyes and we made a deal,” V’landys told Nine radio this morning.

“He said, ‘You don’t have to put it in the budget, I can do it off the budget’. And he denies.”

V’landys claims the deal includes hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade aging stadiums in Manly, Cronulla and Leichhardt.

Perrottet said things had changed and his top priority was supporting people affected by the state’s recent flood crisis.

“Sydney will always be home to rugby league,” Perrottet said, and V’landys will justify supporters of any plans to move the competition decider.

Peter V’landys and Dominic Perrottet met to discuss the policy in April.(ABC News)

“The NSW government remains committed to upgrading suburban stadiums, however, following the recent natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is appropriate that further investment in stadiums be made,” he said.

“The government has just received the Flood Investigation Report, which is likely to be a significant expense to taxpayers, and I have noticed that there are currently 1,366 people who are homeless in NSW due to flooding.

“It should come as no surprise that my top priority is supporting those devastated by the massive flooding in NSW.”

Mr Perrottet said the government had spent and committed $1.8 billion on sports infrastructure for rugby league clubs, including a center of excellence and three new stadiums.

“The new Allianz Stadium will open next month, Parramatta has a new modern stadium and there is a commitment to build a new Penrith stadium so that Western City has a world-class sporting venue,” he said.

“Sydney will always be the home of the rugby league and, if Peter V’landys wants to take the Grand Final from his home, then he can explain it to the fans.”

But V’landys hit back, accusing Mr Perrottet of making excuses to back out of the deal.

He used another excuse back then [in negotiations] to reduce the amount he would spend on this community asset,” he said.

“They let it be two weeks before we had to sell tickets to the grand final.

“Using human tragedy to escape from it is invisible to my eyes.”

The rugby league supremo said the sport’s administration could now seek to revive aborted plans to rebuild Australia’s Stadium at Homebush for $800 million.

Those plans were scrapped, with the money to be spent on a suburban yard policy instead.

“This is a legally binding agreement that we have with the state government,” V’landys said.

He said he disagreed that games should fund stadium upgrades, arguing suburban infrastructure was a “community asset” that could inspire children to play the game.

V’landys said the proposal for Manly and Cronulla, “combined”, did not amount to a $300 million commitment to build a new stadium in Penrith.

Yesterday, Penrith’s Minister of Sport and MP, Stuart Ayres, said the construction of a new stadium in his constituency was in line with the government’s three-city plan for Sydney.

Mr Ayres resigned this morning as minister after weeks of pressure over the appointment of former deputy prime minister John Barilaro to a lucrative New York-based trading position.

West Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis backed V’landys’ stance, saying the club would be “very disappointed” if the deal to change Leichhardt Oval was scrapped.

“Leichhardt should be kept and we have put together a compelling argument for the new stadium as well,” he said.

“Peter V’Landys’ stadium policy is absolutely spot on.”

#shook #hands #Rugby #league #boss #accuses #Premier #making #excuses #stadium #backflip