or like me :-)

they would be great as long as there is demand for them, obviously these seats would be sold for a premium... $100 a game maybe? the last thing anyone would want would be to have these seats put on the court and then have them empty right?

Wildcats already do this. They sell small boxes on the court of about 8 people......I think they have 8 of these boxes with food and beverage served. Two lots of two either side of the ring. The cost is higher than what our corporates pay for the championship suites. Last season when we were chatting with Andrew Vlahov he said that there was a waiting list for these seats.

Bullets had these and they were very popular. If any were empty at tip off, bullets staff would move people into them.

They retail for about $75 a seat. I don't know, but you would get them cheaper for the whole season I suppose.

Great seats to give your favourite player some curry arnt they Sturty.....poor old Mick Hill ;)

It's good to see that other teams move with the times, here in Adelaide not one thing has changed with the Powerhouse/dome in the last 15 years. From player intros to game night presentations and the half-time entertainment. Just like the Adelaide city itself we have always been behind with the times, happy to be a little boutique city with a nice boutique stadium.

Why change here in Adelaide, it's just too hard, that's why we really are the backwater of this country, perhaps 10 years behind the rest of the states and 15 years behind rest of the world.

Don't get me wrong - I still believe Adelaide is the best place to live in the world, but hey, forget about growth and forget change(Don't mention the words growth & change infront of the goverment or Adelaide city council-It's a 20 year jail term)

Agree about the state but they have tried a few things at the done like the spotlight player into, and previous week summary of the screen. They did not always work but they did try, halftime is a lost cause though.

Watched a Lakers game a couple of months ago and they had a skill test set up at halftime.Very similar to the All-Star set up with hoops to pass through etc.
5 people from the crowd were selected ,was very funny because 3 of the 5 people had played ball before and the other two didnt have a clue! The crowd got involved cheering on the useless people ,in the end they just gave up.Fairly sure the winner got a car.

-'Agree about the state but they have tried a few things at the done like the spotlight player into' [sic].

Work this out, they cannot use the spotlight system at the dome, this is due to the fact during construction of the place they installed an inadequate electrical and lighting system (would have been great in the 70's)that does not allow for this to happen.

But the funny part to this story is that Clipsal were the electrical suppliers (during construction) and had naming rights to the building. Can I say - only in Adelaide.

so nothing has changed?
new sound system
new announcers
new team
new sponsors
new court design
new replay screen
new owners
new coach
new cheerleaders

yeah you are right nothing has changed, cock.

Nothing has changed, wait until SOS get going I reckon everything will change

Why get a new more expensive level of seating when they have not been able to fill current courtside seats and beyond.

A, I think you're a bit too doom and gloom there. A number of things have changed and spotlights have indeed been used.

And then, you can spend up on intro and half-time glitz, but is that really the key? The AFL run kids games and little else. As of the last 6-9 months, I have started to think that the 36ers should go with kids games and save the money/effort for other things.

I apolize, spotlights have been used before, but this was with much hassle/bull***t to the point where it is just not worth the time and energy, due to my first point of having a crap lighting system installed in the first place.

-'Also there is no aisle lighting, meaning no one would be allowed to walk up or down any aisle in the stadium while the lights were blacked out.'

Insufficient electrical planning for a major stadium/entertainment facility.


-so nothing has changed?
new sound system - not much better!
new announcers - wow, you're killing me, stop it
new team - idiot
new sponsors - idiot
new court design - crazy stuff(so what's actually different?)
new replay screen - possibly the worst replay screen I have ever seen
new owners -?
new coach -?
new cheerleaders - I feel really happy for you

-'And then, you can spend up on intro and half-time glitz, but is that really the key? The AFL run kids games and little else. As of the last 6-9 months, I have started to think that the 36ers should go with kids games and save the money/effort for other things.'

Isaac, I totally agree with you with the kids. Personally I don't care about spotlights/lighting, intros and all those things. It's just a well known fact the dome has got an inadequate lighting system, and not much has changed on game nights since the place opened, that's all this is really about. (Sorry for all the negative stuff- tough week at work)

You're complaining about nothing changing, but then suggesting that the glitz is hardly required. Has the AFL, for example, changed much about its game presentation? Doubt it.

Change for the right reasons might be important, but not change for the sake of it.

We all know the lighting system is not ideal but, so what - lights-out intros aren't the missing piece of the 36ers puzzle. Pull it back, do what is done really well, and work from there. Kids at half-time, giveaways, pre-game exhibition/training game with U18 or up, plus good, affordable food options. To keep people coming back, it should seem like a full, value-for-money night.

If the team is playing an entertaining style of game and most improtantly winning then no one will really care what happens at half time or about the electrical system etc etc. Winning makes people want to be involved and the bigger the crowd teh better the atmosphere so just get a good quality squad on the floor and have em playing well and all the other stuff will become non factors.

On the flip side, have a crap side that is boring and losing and you will have to look to other things to pad out the nights entrtainment.

-'A ... The Dome was state of the art when it was built.

The use of retractable stands and building down is something that is unique to the Dome as it is a sporting venue, not an entertainment centre.

The Dome has seen a major improvement in corporate facilities in the past 12 months, paid for by Eddy Groves for the sole benefit of the Adelaide 36ers.

The facilities for the team are now the best in the League.'

237845, I completely agree with your entire post.
I have attended NBA games in the States, have been to various stadiums in Europe and I have watched NBL games in every stadium in Australia besides Perth, Cairns & Hobart. I can honestly tell you the Dome is by far the best stadium to watch and enjoy a game of basketball, this includes NBA stadiums.

The facilities are great, the Appolo room is simply fantastic (all my customers love dining there looking over the court before a game), the courts are probably the best in the country. The corporate suites - brilliant, players gym - great.

All I was stating was that the Dome has so much more potential and the 'FACT' not much has changed on game nights since the place opened, that is all this is really about.

And trust me, I am extremely thankful for what we do have.

A, in your opinion, what sort of things could be done?

I think there are some great options, but they'd be expensive (like a sports bar with views of the court) but I can't imagine Groves spending more on the Dome right now.

That leaves cost-effective tweaks that SOS can try - more ideas out there to choose from the better.

I don't know if this would work or not, but something I would be interested in seeing at half time is a demo of how some classic basketball plays work. You take five teenage district players and get five volunteers from the crowd and run through a couple of plays step by step, then see if the volunteers can run the play and score.

You'd introduce more casual fans to the strategic side of the game, giving them more insight as to what is going on during games. I think you'd convert some fans from casual observers to regulars.

It would also be a highly interactive experience for five fans that would remember it for quite sometime. And I think that even if they fail to run the play correctly, there is still some potential for some comic mistakes to entertain the crowd.

It might not be possible with the current 'big screen' at the Dome, but you could make it more interesting by grabbing a highlight example of a play being run in the NBA and playing it to start the segment. If the play features someone like Jordan or Kobe making a spectacular shot at the basket, the announcer is gonna get a few laughs when they pick some 5'9 guy with no hops to play Jordan! Likewise, some 6'2 beanpole - you're Horace Grant, so wear these goggles and try to look mean.

Bean, that's an interesting idea. Could trade ABLers tickets to be the demonstrators and get Sapper to talk it through over the mic.

Get the juniors in there to play..... they are somewhat entertaining.... Family members will come and watch them play which increases interest..... the kids who get the chance to play at the dome will go to school the next day and tell all their friends who will then make their parents take them to a game.

Good idea Beantown, at some games.
It does sound like the young kids game, also would be very popular ( like AFL Aus-kick)
We might get a 20/20 dumpball game in pregame-u18s.

-'A, in your opinion, what sort of things could be done?'

Isaac, it is the overall presentation of the Dome/36ers and the game nights that need some work. I started a Thread on this a while back, but some points were,

-Seating
-Unifoms
-Merchandise
-Halftime entertainment, remember when they had the Half-court shot for a car, these things are simple but great to watch. It does not need to be a car, what about a $1000 jackpot that rises every week by $500. Even a three point contest or mini-league, again simple and very entertaining.

-Replay Cube, we have the best basketball facility in the country, is it worth spending X amount to make it even better? I think so. What about Eddy and 36ers ownership sharing costs?


-'Has the AFL, for example, changed much about its game presentation? Doubt it.'

Isaac, comparing these two sports is like comparing night and day in regards to entertainment and game presentation.

I can't see them springing for a video cube. The 36ers wouldn't buy something specific to a venue and I doubt Eddy is interested at adding costs to the venue.

Half-time entertainment - as I said, I think any crazy changes or expenses here could be better spent elsewhere. AFL, A-League, cricket, tennis, etc - they're not putting on expensive half-time performances, that was my point. Hopefully the new 36ers stop the corporate half-times which are a bit forced and bring something different even if it's simple and we've seen it before (kids games, shot for a prize, etc).

A while back, wasn't there an ABL or district club three point shoot-out? I remember it being a lot of missed shots - not dissimilar to the NBL All-Star one that year!

Seating - courtside seats is about the only significant change I can see happening there. They could remove seats behind a basket to bring in a band, but I think it'd be more trouble than it's worth.

Merchandise - can't judge as I've never bought anything.

Uniforms - can obviously be improved but do fans want to see it changed every single season?

We barely have a League left and you want the club and venue owner to collectively spend $1.5M on a video cube, which one one other venue in the competition has?

Reading some of this stuff is like banging my head against a brick wall

I'm with you guys on 'the simple stuff' approach. Varying it each week - from my suggestion, to a 3pt shootout, to a kids game, basketball skills relay, 3 on 3 on 3 (ie, end to end like a basketball training drill). All this stuff can be done cheaply and gets people in the crowd involved. I can't think of a better way to connect with the grassroots, it gives young kids a real buzz to be out on court, and their parents love it too. Since these are the two key demographics that are going to fill the stadium each week, thats gotta be a good thing!

You can just give out small weekly prizes and run comps like the 3pt shootout throughout the season. Every 2nd week two players face off with the winner moving on to an end of season final. If you win that, maybe you could win $5,000 or a hoops session for your school from some Sixers players or some other prize from a sponsor.

Also, get talented SA underage reps out for demos when they have just competed for the State - especially when their team has been successful in some competition. Maybe they can do a dunk comp or a game of 3 on 3 or something while the announcers gives them some public recognition for their achievements. A spot in the limelight like that would be a real encouragement to young guys & girls whose hard work is bringing them success and can introduce possible future Sixers/ Lightning's (?) to the fans.

a 3on3 competition run throughout the season would be cool i reckon,