AusLeisure

The Victorian Government has signed an agreement with the AFL that will pave the way for the redevelopment of two major sports stadiums in Melbourne – the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and Etihad Stadium in Docklands.

The Victorian Government will allocate $225 million to the redevelopments in its upcoming 2018/19 budget, while also backing improvements to Princes (Ikon) Park as the home of the AFL Womens competition, community sport grounds and women’s change room facilities.

Part of the agreement will see the AFL commit to hosthing Grand Finals at the MCG until at least 2057.

As part of the deal, the MCG can go ahead with upgrades to the Southern Stand, with a Victorian Government statement advising “the long-term security provided by the deal will enable the Melbourne Cricket Ground Trust to undertake a major redevelopment of the MCG.”

Vicotiran Premier Daniel Andrews said the upgrades are required for the state to remain competitive in sports infrastructure, telling ABC Radio “if you don’t invest in those things then others pass you by.

“New South Wales is doing this, obviously Queensland will have a whole lot of legacy stadiums and other benefits coming out of the Commonwealth Games.

“Adelaide Oval (has) been completely rebuilt and of course Perth’s got a stadium they’ve spent $1.5 billion on.”

The $225 million allocation will also include the redevelopment of Ikon Park in Carlton North to become home of women’s football in Victoria; upgrades to Whitten Oval, Victoria Park, Casey Fields and stage two of the redevelopment of Moorabbin Oval, as well as a masterplan for the State Basketball Centre.

It also includes $60 million of community sporting grants and a commitment for more regional grounds to host AFL fixtures.

Welcoming the funding, AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan said sport was "such a huge part of this town (Melbourne).

"The AFL alone (has) a $3 billion economic impact for this state.

"These sorts of deals means that we've got more money going into the clubs … and that means we can work hard to keep the game affordable."

McLachlan said interstate teams would understand the decision to keep the AFL Grand Final at the MCG adding “we want as many people to go to the grand final as we can," he said.

"We're lucky in this country to have a 100,000-seat venue that is loved by sports followers."

In addition, the package includs funding of $64.6 million for the redevelopment and expansion of the State Netball & Hockey Centre in Parkville - the biggest investment in netball in the nation’s history.

The MCG was established in 1853 and is “one of the oldest and largest-capacity, contained sporting venues in the world,” according to the Victorian Heritage Register. It has had a number of architecturally significant grandstands in its 165-year history including the Members Pavilion by Stephenson and Meldrum (1927), which has now been demolished, and the Great Southern Stand designed by Daryl Jackson in association with Tompkins Shaw and Evans, built in 1992. The Great Southern Stand received 1992 Victorian Architecture Medal and the Sir Zelman Cowan Award for Public Architecture in 1993.

The Members Pavilion and three other stands were replaced by the Northern Stand, designed by the MCG5 Sports Architects consortium, which comprised Jackson Architects, Cox Architecture, Tompkins Shaw and Evans Architects, HOK and Hassell, and was completed in 2006 for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. It received a National Commendation for Public Architecture at the 2008 National Architecture Awards.

Etihad Stadium (originally Docklands Stadium) was built in 2000 and designed by Daryl Jackson in association with Bligh Lobb and Populous. It was the flagship project for the stadium precinct in the Melbourne suburb of Docklands.

The AFL purchased Etihad Stadium in November 2016.

Images: Plans for the upgrade to Etihad Stadium (top) and the MCGand Melbourne Olympic from the air (below).

27th September 2017 - AFLW CONFIRM FURTHER EXPANSION PLANS OVER NEXT TWO YEARS 

7th September 2017 - AFL BREAKS HOME-AND-AWAY SEASON ATTENDANCE RECORD 

8th August 2017 - MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB PARTNERS WITH SPORTSHOSTS TO DRIVE FAN ENGAGEMENT 

5th May 2017 - AUSTRALIA’S MULTI-USE STADIA NEED BETTER PLAYING SURFACES

26th March 2017 - MELBOURNE DEMONS FANS THE MOST DEDICATED AFL SUPPORTERS

22nd March 2017 - MCG SET TO BREAK CROWD ATTENDANCE RECORDS

17th February 2017 - RISING COSTS SEE AFL RECORD $17.8 MILLION LOSS IN 2016 

8th February 2017 - EUREKA STADIUM REDEVELOPMENT STARTS TO TAKE SHAPE 

30th December 2016 - GEELONG LOOKS FORWARD TO MAY RETURN TO SIMONDS STADIUM

7th October 2016 - AFL AGREES ETIHAD STADIUM PURCHASE

8th September 2016 - MCG CALLS ON AFL FANS TO HELP MAKE WI-FI HISTORY 

25th August 2016 - AFL 2016 MEMBERSHIP DATA SHOWS HAWTHORN AS THE BEST SUPPORTED CLUB

24th March 2016 - MCG OFFERS WORLD-CLASS CONNECTIVITY TO AFL FANS 

10th March 2016 - TV’S MCGUIRE LEADS PUSH TO DEMOLISH MELBOURNE’S ETIHAD STADIUM AND HISENSE ARENA FOR NEW AFL VENUE

15th February 2016 - EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO MARCHES INTO ETIHAD STADIUM  

Asking a small favour
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

The news we publish at www.ausleisure.com.au is independent, credible (we hope) and free for you to access, with no pay walls and no annoying pop-up ads.

However, as an independent publisher, can we ask for you to support us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine - if you don't already do so.

Published bi-monthly since 1997, the printed Australasian Leisure Management differs from this website in that it publishes longer, in-depth and analytical features covering aquatics, attractions, entertainment, events, fitness, parks, recreation, sport, tourism and venues management.

Subscriptions cost just $90 a year.

Click here to subscribe.