OPINION: After just three hours and a handful of games of Olympic sevens at Stade de France, it all began to sink in — New Zealand is living in the stadium dark ages.
So far in the dark ages, in fact, I started to think we are being robbed of sporting enjoyment at some of our venues.
Yes, it's an old, probably tired debate, I get it, but having a lacklustre sporting venue in our most populous city is tiresome too.
After having the incredible fortune to be able to attend a stadium of this calibre, France's national stronghold has struck a nerve I didn't fully know was there.
Stade de France is perfect — its size, its facilities, its ease of access and, most notably, its atmosphere.
There are a few caveats to the last point. It's bigger than we need — take 20,000 off the 80,000 capacity and it'd be the ideal size.
We're also terrible sports fans, who do nothing but sit and talk among ourselves, clap every now and again, and get as passionate as a kid at the dentist, while belting out the horrifically awful chant of "(Insert team name here) clap clap clap" ad nauseam.
The team are destined to leave Paris without a medal following their quarterfinal loss to South Africa. (Source: 1News)
Even if we never evolve from our lifeless fandom, it would be helped a bit by a stadium with some ability to keep the atmosphere inside. I've never been to a game at Forsyth Barr and the new stadium in Christchurch may yet tick all the boxes, but much further than that, we are lacking.
Eden Park has been a gem. To his credit, chief executive Nick Sautner works his proverbial butt off to put its name in the spotlight on a constant basis. He's thought outside the square to attract more events like golf to the stadium — very enjoyable, if a touch expensive — and even more publicity with Banksy-like art emblazoned on the outside of the venue.
The All Blacks' record there would be dangerous to tamper with, but this is more than that. Leave it any longer and we are left further behind.
Redeveloping Eden Park would not address some of the main issues. It's difficult to access, it has a fractured design and an atmosphere that could be heightened by taking a leaf out of the Stade de France book.
I've seen the Eden Park 2.0 plans. They look good and would fix some of the problems, but many of the world's best stadiums — Stade France included — sit near main hubs for their city's public transport, providing simple and effective ways of entering and exiting.
Getting out of Eden Park is laborious at the best of times, unless you live in the vicinity. If you do, maybe you're against having a stadium right next door anyway.
It will cost and I fully understand, in the current climate, there are more important things to put central Government funding towards, but the longer we wait, the more expensive this will become. Ideally, it needs private backing from some wealthy Kiwis who can somehow have their names attached to a legacy for their investment.
There are rumours that is indeed the case.
Eden Park's redevelopment will cost more than half a billion dollars. The brand new option on Auckland's waterfront would cost more, but if you're spending $500 million on an upgrade that already has flaws, why not safeguard the future by building a venue that will last for generations?
Whatever option is decided, look to Stade de France for inspiration, as we try to make up lost ground on the global sporting landscape.
Guy Heveldt is a 1News sports reporter at the Paris Olympics
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