A $250 million plan is being proposed to transform the out-of-date Allianz Stadium into a hi-tech, fully-roofed entertainment facility to help Sydney’s sports teams shore up their financial futures.

A new master plan for the 44,000-seat venue at Moore Park includes upgraded seating, quality food outlets and super-fast Wi-fi to dramatically improve fans’ match-day experience.

Expanded entry gates, digital video signage and live fan sites will use special lighting systems to enable the stadium to adopt the colours of the “home” teams for different matches.

The master plan, by the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust, includes a permanent see-through roof, which would turn Allianz into Australia’s premier all-weather rectangular stadium.

media_camera An artist’s impression of the upgraded Allianz Stadium.

It would also help Sydney attract more tourists and generate economic activity by staging global sporting events like the successful Los Angeles Dodgers’ baseball season opener.

Sport minister Stuart Ayres, who will consider the Allianz upgrade while finalising the government’s stadium investment strategy, said he wants to “roll out the red carpet” to more top American sporting franchises, including ice hockey and basketball teams.

NRL chief executive Dave Smith is a strong supporter of the plan and wrote to former premier Barry O’Farrell last month lobbying for $18 million to be allocated in next month’s state Budget.

About $13 million would be spent installing Wi-fi and internet TV by next March, enabling fans to watch unique replays of the sports action on their phones, access live statistics and order food and drinks.

A similar hi-tech system was recently introduced in the SCG’s new stand, which has also seen fans spending on food and drinks more than double since the quality was lifted at the Ashes Test in January.

Mr Smith said Sydney needed world-class rectangular stadiums to attract more spectators and provide a better experience. He said better stadiums would drive bigger revenues for NRL clubs, which under different deals share a cut of ticket and merchandising sales, corporate hospitality and advertising signage.

“From a financial perspective, quality seating, quality facilities, quality corporate areas all contribute to a better financial position for the game and for our clubs,’’ he said.

Mr Smith said the NRL was “willing to be part of discussions on possible ways to fund” the upgrade, which the Trust wants completed by 2020.

media_camera An artist’s impression of the upgraded Allianz Stadium.

The NRL has battled to increase crowd numbers over the past decade and at least half of the 16 clubs are struggling financially.

Trust chairman Tony Shepherd said Allianz was “tired” and “desperately needs work”.

“Allianz hasn’t had one cent of public money spent on it ever — it was built with members’ money in 1988,’’ he said.

He said Sydney needed sports facilities worthy of a global city and was slipping behind Melbourne.

“We’ve got to stop thinking like Mickey Mouse and just doing a little bit here and a little bit there — the world will pass us by,’’ he said.

“Let’s be honest, the Yarra Park precinct in Melbourne is world-class, but our facilities in Sydney need investment. Melbourne has just announced plans to spend another $700 million on a tennis centre that we would love to have.’’

Allianz is home to the NSW Waratahs, Sydney Roosters and Sydney FC, and hosts rugby league and rugby union Test matches and Socceroos internationals.

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BUILDING A PREMIER PRECINCT John Lehmann

A new indoor cricket centre is part of a $90 million plan to establish a high-performance sports centre at the SCG.

The project, known as Sports Central, would include a terraced building featuring fitness facilities, a rooftop swimming pool and a childcare centre.

The SCG Trust is close to finalising a deal with a well-known Sydney university to establish a sports medicine and hospitality campus within this building.

media_camera An artist’s impression of the upgraded Allianz Stadium and Sydney Cricket Ground.

The nearby cricket centre, the home of Cricket NSW, would feature 12 indoor practice wickets, a 60-seat theatrette and a digital coaching centre located underneath a 16-wicket turf training area.

The Sports Central plan also includes an entertainment plaza, featuring an ANZAC memorial dedicated to more than 1000 NSW men and women who have played on the famous grounds and served in Australian defence forces.

The Trust is aiming to further broaden the Moore Park sports precinct and hopes the Sydney Kings basketballers will relocate to the Hordern Pavilion and Sydney Blue Sox to the old Sydney showground.

Cricket NSW chief executive Andrew Jones said Sydney’s cricket facilities had fallen behind those in Brisbane and Adelaide.

“We see a lot of money being spent in AFL, but cricket has many more participants and generates far higher TV ratings,’’ he said.

POLES SALE TO EMPOWER $30 BILLION GRAND PLAN John Lehmann comment

Fast-rising Baird government minister Stuart Ayres reckons voters are not really in love with power poles.

“Do you really want to go up to the power pole outside your home, wrap your arms around it and say I love owning you?’’ he told a Committee for Sydney meeting in Parramatta.

Mr Ayres believes Sydneysiders might be more enamoured with better roads, rail services, sports venues and cultural facilities.

Of course, many of these goodies can only be funded if Premier Mike Baird wins support at the 2015 election to sell the state’s electricity assets. That will be the central battleground of the election, with Labor glued to its ideological opposition to such a sale.

The key to the Baird government’s success will be deciding in the months ahead how the proceeds from such a sale — expected to be about $30 billion — will be invested and then exciting voters in those plans.

Expect much jockeying from various interest groups — including the major sports codes and venues — to get on the Premier’s shopping list.

It is time to invest in major stadiums. We are a sporting town but venues like Allianz have been neglected.

Previous governments spent $280 million in eight years patching up suburban grounds, rather than major stadiums like Melbourne and Brisbane have done.

At least Mr Ayres is on the right track, saying recently his focus will be on improving the SCG Trust venues and Homebush’s ANZ Stadium.