Melbourne wanting to turn carpark into training oval

[Longjohnmire]

What right do the MFC have to the public land? Get off your asses like clubs like hawthorn (Dingley) Freo (Cockburn) Essendon (Tulla), find some land and purchase it for yourselves. When you actually have to put your hand in your pocket to purchase the land I doubt you could do it in Melbourne so maybe Casey area. In no way do they deserve to be given public land that is everyone’s to enjoy, just because the G is their traditional home ground. This is one of the more outrageous proposals I’ve heard in years. Call me a greeny (which I’m most certainly not) I don’t care but the trees and park in general is a really nice break from the concrete jungle surrounding the area.
This is lazy and effectively asking for a handout piece of land to get a facility.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I'm wondering if this is a request designed to fail (like Eddie's stadium on Swan Street) in order to leverage govt for support elsewhere

Eddie was genuine about his proposal, don’t worry about that. It was to be his great black and white legacy for Melbourne.

Thankfully others saw straight through it’s stupidity, and it went nowhere.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Have to be honest, you’d reckon the last thing the precinct needs is another oval.

Perhaps something can be done immediately south of Gosch’s Paddock oval. It looks pretty poorly laid out with some land to be taken better advantage of. The oval might be able to be wedged a little to the north-east to make more room.

 

[telsor]

What right do the MFC have to the public land? Get off your asses like clubs like hawthorn (Dingley) Freo (Cockburn) Essendon (Tulla), find some land and purchase it for yourselves. When you actually have to put your hand in your pocket to purchase the land I doubt you could do it in Melbourne so maybe Casey area. In no way do they deserve to be given public land that is everyone’s to enjoy, just because the G is their traditional home ground. This is one of the more outrageous proposals I’ve heard in years. Call me a greeny (which I’m most certainly not) I don’t care but the trees and park in general is a really nice break from the concrete jungle surrounding the area.
This is lazy and effectively asking for a handout piece of land to get a facility.

Agreed.

But hey, if they're giving away public land and truckloads of money (not like Melbourne could finance this themselves after all), then Richmond would love those few extra meters to the north and west of PRO that we've been wanting since punt road got widened in the 60s forcing us off our ground. Give us that (and the money) and we'll tear the place down and rebuild it with a full sized oval and a 20-30K stadium good for VFL, VFLW, AFLW games & maybe even a few smaller AFL games.

Much smaller amount of public land needed, bigger upside and we'd actually put some of the money in ourselves.

 

[Bluelegs]

Agreed.

But hey, if they're giving away public land and truckloads of money (not like Melbourne could finance this themselves after all), then Richmond would love those few extra meters to the north and west of PRO that we've been wanting since punt road got widened in the 60s forcing us off our ground. Give us that (and the money) and we'll tear the place down and rebuild it with a full sized oval and a 20-30K stadium good for VFL, VFLW, AFLW games & maybe even a few smaller AFL games.

Much smaller amount of public land needed, bigger upside and we'd actually put some of the money in ourselves.

Firstly, not sure where it says anywhere that Melbourne have asked for the land as a gift. Secondly, only two months ago Brendan Gale was whinging on every radio station that Richmond wasn't included in the govt handouts to upgrade various stadiums around Melbourne.

Maybe that's what this is about but don't act like Richmond are above taking handouts. Punt roads redevelopment got government funding too.

 

[telsor]

Firstly, not sure where it says anywhere that Melbourne have asked for the land as a gift. Secondly, only two months ago Brendan Gale was whinging on every radio station that Richmond wasn't included in the govt handouts to upgrade various stadiums around Melbourne.

Maybe that's what this is about but don't act like Richmond are above taking handouts. Punt roads redevelopment got government funding too.

Oh, absolutely it did....but we put some money in as well.

My point was that Melbourne is unlikely to be able to put anything in.

 

[Kwality]

So what has happened to Connolly's grand plan at Casey?And its a big NO to me taking Yarra Park land as far as Punt Roan oval goes its been there over 100 years.

Wasnt MFC on the receiving end of Govt funding to locate at AAMI stadium, shades of the Saints regular moving & look at the financial mess they are in.

Who is the decision maker for this proposal? Melbourne City Council or MCG Trust?

 

[telsor]

Wasnt MFC on the receiving end of Govt funding to locate at AAMI stadium, shades of the Saints regular moving & look at the financial mess they are in.

Who is the decision maker for this proposal? Melbourne City Council or MCG Trust?

Going by the comment referred to earlier in the thread from the MCC CEO, it'd require the state government to enact/amend legislation.

 

[Bluelegs]

Oh, absolutely it did....but we put some money in as well.

My point was that Melbourne is unlikely to be able to put anything in.

We sold our pokies venues which has netted quite a bit. It would be fair reasoning to link the timing of that to the acceleration of our search for a permanent base. AAMI park is nice but its not a viable long term solution.

 

[Kwality]

We sold our pokies venues which has netted quite a bit. It would be fair reasoning to link the timing of that to the acceleration of our search for a permanent base. AAMI park is nice but its not a viable long term solution.

Didn't believe either of the transactions have settled yet, first part soon.

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2018-04-04/melbourne-will-end-its-association-with-gaming-
… the sale of the Leighoak venue, to the Moonee Valley Racing Club which will be effective from 31 July 2018 and the non-renewal of our gaming entitlements at the Bentleigh Club, which will take effect when the current entitlement period expires on 16 August 2022.

 

[telsor]

We sold our pokies venues which has netted quite a bit. It would be fair reasoning to link the timing of that to the acceleration of our search for a permanent base. AAMI park is nice but its not a viable long term solution.

Any word on a new revenue stream to replace them?

 

[Ned_Flanders]

Any word on a new revenue stream to replace them?

Game day cheese platters

 

[telsor]

Game day cheese platters

What cheese does go with a full bodied whine?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Agreed.

But hey, if they're giving away public land and truckloads of money (not like Melbourne could finance this themselves after all), then Richmond would love those few extra meters to the north and west of PRO that we've been wanting since punt road got widened in the 60s forcing us off our ground. Give us that (and the money) and we'll tear the place down and rebuild it with a full sized oval and a 20-30K stadium good for VFL, VFLW, AFLW games & maybe even a few smaller AFL games.

Much smaller amount of public land needed, bigger upside and we'd actually put some of the money in ourselves.

A 20k seater for VFL and AFW?

What are the other 19,800 seats for?

 

[telsor]

A 20k seater for VFL and AFW?

What are the other 19,800 seats for?

We get around 10K now when games are timed as curtain raisers and that's pretty much capped by capacity.

But really, it'd mostly be for finals and maybe a few bigger games. I don't actually think it'll happen though. (although it might expand by a few thousand with the idea for an overpass to Richmond station...Shouldn't be too hard to work a few seats on that side backing onto the overpass...)

 

[Ned_Flanders]

We get around 10K now when games are timed as curtain raisers and that's pretty much capped by capacity.

But really, it'd mostly be for finals and maybe a few bigger games. I don't actually think it'll happen though. (although it might expand by a few thousand with the idea for an overpass to Richmond station...Shouldn't be too hard to work a few seats on that side backing onto the overpass...)

Link to the last game with 10k

Austadiums has capacity at 6k

 

[bombersfan4000]

Yarra Park... home of the M.C.G...
M.C.G.... home of the Melbourne Football Club.

If any club deserves that parcel of land, it is Melbourne.

I’ve aways thought that Melbourne should have had access to the old Olympic park facilities where Collingwood are based now!

It was only due to eddies contacts & position on boards along with the influence managed to get away with it! Along the process he screwed the tax payer over 60/70 plus million as well with the relocation of Athletics Victoria to south Melbourne stadium that required a large renovation just after the Olympic park had some 11 million spend on it having the track freshly laid! Along with screwing the tax payer another 10 million to build the facility for the pies

 

[blue harvest]

According to this the hq would be built over train line and oval on large patch of grass. Essentially putting a fence on the grass that's already there. Doesn't seem as destructive as many in this thread making it out to be.

Except that large patch of grass shown on the diagram is about 100m, nowhere near big enough for an oval without cutting down trees and re-configuring that whole section of the park. Crazy idea IMO.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Train at Casey.

 

[76woodenspooners]

Agreed.

But hey, if they're giving away public land and truckloads of money (not like Melbourne could finance this themselves after all), then Richmond would love those few extra meters to the north and west of PRO that we've been wanting since punt road got widened in the 60s forcing us off our ground. Give us that (and the money) and we'll tear the place down and rebuild it with a full sized oval and a 20-30K stadium good for VFL, VFLW, AFLW games & maybe even a few smaller AFL games.

Much smaller amount of public land needed, bigger upside and we'd actually put some of the money in ourselves.

Yeah, for all the ovals in Yarra Park, there are none that are ideally suited to AFLW / VFL games. They can and they do play at PRO and OPO but it’s not ideal. Another training oval and half baked ground for watching AFLW / VFL games isn’t what the precinct needs. Either do it properly (taking over PRO / OPO / Gosch’s paddock) or move them somewhere else.

What’s wrong with moving them to Royal Park? That’s just as close to Melbourne’s 3000 postcode as Gosch’s paddock is, and it could probably do with the development.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

A few other options that spring to mind:

- Stay at Gosch's Paddock... I'm sure there'd be architects who could work out space for the HQ and oval

- Fawkner Park - there's two ovals there and room for a building

- Junction Oval, where the Dees used to train. It's now a cricket ground, but there's another oval across Lakeside Drive which i believe is not currently tenanted (stand to be corrected). Possible efficiencies with the huge new Cricket Victoria facilities

- Moran Reserve, immediately south of St Kilda Marina

- Elsternwick Park

- Caulfield Park

- Caulfield Racecourse - the interior of the track is slated for renewal / redevelopment to make better use of it on non-racedays. Could quite possibly include an oval. Access on racedays could be difficult, though it's largely only used for racegoer parking, and there is a lot of space for that. There is also Glenhuntly Park on the southern border, though Caulfield Grammarians are currently based there. Adjoining that is the Neerim Lodge (formally Aquanita) stables, a troubled business which I don't believe are on a long-term lease.

 

[76woodenspooners]

A few other options that spring to mind:

- Stay at Gosch's Paddock... I'm sure there'd be architects who could work out space for the HQ and oval

Ideally you’d want a classic East / West oriented Oval the size of the MCG ground, and give it a small grandstand of 5000 or so for AFLW / VFL games. There just isn’t room to do that at Gosch’s paddock without removing the rectangular training field - and that’s just not going to be allowed to happen next door to Melbiurne’s main purpose built rectangular stadium.

If becomes just another north / south axis training ground that’s non-ideal for hosting actual footy games - we already have enough of those in the precinct.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Ideally you’d want a classic East / West oriented Oval the size of the MCG ground, and give it a small grandstand of 5000 or so for AFLW / VFL games. There just isn’t room to do that at Gosch’s paddock without removing the rectangular training field - and that’s just not going to be allowed to happen next door to Melbiurne’s main purpose built rectangular stadium.

If becomes just another north / south axis training ground that’s non-ideal for hosting actual footy games - we already have enough of those in the precinct.

I highly doubt Melbourne are seeking a mini stadium. I think they’ll just want a training ground. AFLW could be played at Punt Road.

 

[76woodenspooners]

I highly doubt Melbourne are seeking a mini stadium. I think they’ll just want a training ground. AFLW could be played at Punt Road.

I guess I’m drawing on my own experience as a Collingwood supporter that a training ground ideally should have some capacity. Fans watching training / intraclubs / AFLW home ground / VFLW home ground / VFL double headers ... good facilities for a modest number of fans would get well utilised.

 

[The_Wookie]

MELBOURNE has moved to allay fears over its bold Yarra Park relocation plans by declaring the new training oval would not include significant infrastructure.

Melbourne confirmed there would be an administration building on top of the train line but only goal and point posts on the playing field in the north-eastern corner of the park.

Plans do not include fencing or railing, scotching concerns it will be closed-off as part of a Punt Rd-style compound.

Melbourne president Glen Bartlett told the Herald Sun the oval would only be used by the club for six to eight hours a week, leaving it open for community use at other times.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/...d/news-story/3a404dd0db1bdcd8a3c38bc6ad1fe445