That read like an undergrad essay (which I guess isn't far off The Conversation's brief), and I'm not sure what the point of it was. Even the author felt the need to point out most fans don't care about the issues he was raising.
People get nostalgic for local grounds, and there's something undeniably great about them. But you can't fit 60,000 people into Victoria Park, and while substandard localfacilities seem quaint as a one off, it's a terrible operating model for encouraging attendance in a national competition.
If you want to watch local footy go and watch local footy. If you want to watch elite professional sport being played in a small rundown stadium 5 minutes from your house you are probably out of luck.
The author is basically complaining that AC/DC doesn't play pub gigs anymore.