Victorian Government Stadium Funding Agreement details

[Roogal]

10k+ thru the gate 2017 - bit under 7k 2018, is it premature to up the capacity?
http://austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums.php?id=348

The issue with the poor crowd at the last game really comes down to the ground's present limited capacity and how the Western Bulldogs are managing that. They are trying to prevent a situation where the ground is locking out and turning away spectators who may have travelled from afar. They are trying to prevent this by managing access to games at Mars Stadium by "booking only", there's no general admission. Further to this they charge their Club Members a $49 premium for admission to the Ballarat games. The only real solution to this is to 'up' the ground's capacity to at least 15,000 seats and have space for at least 5000 to stand. This would at least allow for the club to lift the artificial barriers that they are imposing to contain the numbers. Another issue for Mars Stadium is the lack of public transport access. There is a perfectly good railway line right next to the ground but no station or platform yet. The Ballarat Council have done a first class job coordinating transit busses that ferry people from and to designated parking areas and from the Ballarat Station, they are fast, clean and run every ten minutes; but the real solution is to construct more car parking near the ground and to build an events day train platform next to the ground.

Finally, consider that there were only 7,194 people at the North Melbourne vs GWS game yesterday at a ground where capacity isn't an issue. The GWS have only managed 10,222 people as an average attendance to their games so far for this year while GC Suns have managed 14,390. North Melbourne have averaged 24,597, while the Western Bulldogs numbers have dropped several thousand this year and are managing 25,506. Compare this with the bigger clubs Collingwood and Richmond who are averaging 59,000. Then you get a perspective of the drawing power of the Bulldogs and Gold Coast.

 

[Fizzler]

If they’re going to charge Bulldogs members that much, and it’s their home game I’d hate to see how much they would charge me with a Victorian 11 game membership (admits you into Port games in Vic and let’s you balance out the rest with any game in Victoria except Anzac Day)

 

[Roogal]

If they’re going to charge Bulldogs members that much, and it’s their home game I’d hate to see how much they would charge me with a Victorian 11 game membership (admits you into Port games in Vic and let’s you balance out the rest with any game in Victoria except Anzac Day)

There's no issue for the opposition club fans getting into Mars as they allocate a certain amount of space at the ground for the opposition supporters. They reserve around 60% of capacity for the Western Bulldogs Members and the remainder is allocated to the opposition. At the last game there were almost seven thousand people there in a ground that can legally hold 11,200 out of which probably about 500 were Gold Coast supporters. This tells me that the Western Bulldogs met their allocated capacity with about 6,300 present being Bulldogs supporters. Last August there was over 10,000 at the game of which about 65% present were Bulldogs Supporters but there was a solid group of at least 3,500 - 4000 Port Adelaide supporters.

 

[Kwality]

If they’re going to charge Bulldogs members that much, and it’s their home game I’d hate to see how much they would charge me with a Victorian 11 game membership (admits you into Port games in Vic and let’s you balance out the rest with any game in Victoria except Anzac Day)

Whats that cost Fizza, are you seated with the hoi poloi or seated with as a group of Port supporters?

 

[Kwality]

They reserve around 60% of capacity for the Western Bulldogs Members and the reminder is allocated to the opposition.

You missed the general public, hopefully a game will be an event for the locals of Ballarat proper & surrounds. Give Sheeds a call?

 

[Fizzler]

Whats that cost Fizza, are you seated with the hoi poloi or seated with as a group of Port supporters?

I probably wouldn’t be with the hoi poloi (those words look so funny) since the membership gets you into the away members IIRC.

 

[Kwality]

I probably wouldn’t be with the hoi poloi (those words look so funny) since the membership gets you into the away members IIRC.

Cheers, time with the hoi poloi grounds you in my experience (all good).

 

[Roogal]

You missed the general public, hopefully a game will be an event for the locals of Ballarat proper & surrounds. Give Sheeds a call?

That was my point, the general public don't really get a look in ATM which is indeed why the ground needs to be larger.

 

[Kwality]

That was my point, the general public don't really get a look in ATM which is indeed why the ground needs to be larger.

So there is no GA, bit hard to believe the State Govt would allow that, given its their money funding it.

 

[Roogal]

So there is no GA, bit hard to believe the State Govt would allow that, given its their money funding it.

It is hopefully only a short-term thing. If elected later this year then it is likely that a significant expansion will be announced. Plus we don't really know what announcements that they are keeping in their election war chest either

 

[The_Wookie]

 

[The_Wookie]

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/mcc-acts-to-ensure-full-houses-at-big-games-20190222-p50zph.html

 

[Pessimistic]

A response on the age quotes someone’s who says that waiting 20 years for the membership gives them the right to admire their empty seat on the TV

 

[tandino]

Ultimately it's give and take if they want the rights to host the Grand Final.

 

[Kwality]

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/mcc-acts-to-ensure-full-houses-at-big-games-20190222-p50zph.html

Was the MCC claim delivered in 2019?

AFL Tables - Crowds - M.C.G.

afltables.com

More generally has the Govt spend been delivered preCovid? Either way it should be relatively easy to construction of smaller facilities under way.

 

[The_Wookie]

Was the MCC claim delivered in 2019?

AFL Tables - Crowds - M.C.G.

afltables.com

More generally has the Govt spend been delivered preCovid? Either way it should be relatively easy to construction of smaller facilities under way.

its a gradual thing, it has been partially delivered - i think about 13million or so from memory last year.

 

[Roogal]

Evidently moneys allocated in last year's State budget for stadium upgrades is starting to flow as the Ballarat Council have recently released some tenders to support the $6.6 million upgrade at Mars Stadium including:

• $350.000 for a new covered main entrance
• $250,000 for the planning and design works for more disabled seating, configuration of shower and ablution facilities for female athletes, and design of new permant food and beverage outlets
• $2.3 million for a new covered gate 2, permanent toilets and improved facilities for the standing areas at the SE of the ground.

 

[Kwality]

Evidently moneys allocated in last year's State budget for stadium upgrades is starting to flow as the Ballarat Council have recently released some tenders to support the $6.6 million upgrade at Mars Stadium including:

• $350.000 for a new covered main entrance
• $250,000 for the planning and design works for more disabled seating, configuration of shower and ablution facilities for female athletes, and design of new permant food and beverage outlets
• $2.3 million for a new covered gate 2, permanent toilets and improved facilities for the standing areas at the SE of the ground.

Part of GF deal funding?

 

[Roogal]

Part of GF deal funding?

No, that's a separate issue altogether. This is part of the government's studium upgrade and management plan whereby $300 million is to be allocated to Marvel Stadium, some $90 million for GMHBA Stadium toward Stage 4, and $8 million for VU Whitten Oval and $35 million for Ikon Park upgrade as AFLW hubs. Monies started being allocated in the 2019 state budget.

What you are talking about is the longer term plan still in very early negotiation with the MCG Trust, the AFL and the MCC for the proposed $500 million rebuild of the Great Southern Stand. That's at least another 8-10 years away.

 

[Kwality]

No, that's a separate issue altogether. This is part of the government's studium upgrade and management plan whereby $300 million is to be allocated to Marvel Stadium, some $90 million for GMHBA Stadium toward Stage 4, and $8 million for VU Whitten Oval and $35 million for Ikon Park upgrade as AFLW hubs. Monies started being allocated in the 2019 state budget.

What you are talking about is the longer term plan still in very early negotiation with the MCG Trust, the AFL and the MCC for the proposed $500 million rebuild of the Great Southern Stand. That's at least another 8-10 years away.

So there are 2 parts to the GF deal, or are you suggesting these are separate unrelated deals ?

 

[Roogal]

So there are 2 parts to the GF deal, or are you suggesting these are separate unrelated deals ?

Totally. The stadium development and management review occurred well before the State Government announced the MCG GF deal. The MCG has nothing to do with the motivating issues behind Ikon Park, VU WO, GMHBA Stadium and Mars Stadium redevelopments. Each of those venues are being redeveloped for a raft of separate reasons that might be summarised as follows:

• GMHBA Stadium - Is about decentralising economic activity away from Melbourne, creating construction jobs in Geelong, giving Victoria a third Tier 1 class stadium, and ensuring that AFL senior competition remains entrenched in Geelong with at least nine home games per year.

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• Ikon Park - Is about establishing an AFLW headquarters and hub distinct from the men's comp, as well as being a centre of excellence. It's an aspirational thing for the women who play.
• VUWO - Is again about establishing an AFLW hub in the West of the city. It's got absolutely nothing to do with gifting the Western Bulldogs FC with a competition standard ground on which they can one day play senior AFL home games again. It's all about the women, and don't let a WB supporter try to tell you anything different.
• Mars Stadium - Is being developed as part of a 10 year plan (submitted by the Ballarat Council to the State Government back in 2013) for the Ballarat sports and events precinct which will see the stadium, adjacent ovals (with their established football, cricket and netball clubs) and nearby Ballarat Sports and Events Centre (home of Basketball in Ballarat) developed into a mini-Melbourne Park with a 15-20,000 capacity Mars Stadium bidding for a multitude of sports and public events complemented by two AFL playing standard ovals and a huge indoor basketball/netball complex (opened last year). Mars Stadium is like GMHBA Stadium, it's again about decentralisation and drawing the focus of entertainment and economic activity away from just Melbourne and bringing first class sport and events to a regional population basin of 500,000.

​

• Finally with Mars Stadium, while it is getting $6.6 million in this round, the nearby Ballarat Sports and Events Centre which cost $24 million to build last year (from Federal, State and Council grants) is also getting another $5 million from the State to finish the centre off from the same pool of money.

The image blow shows the BSEC still under construction in early 2019 with the older yellow pavilion about to be redeveloped and to have new outdoor public courts built to the front:

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Below shows the main arena of the BSEC which more recently had a state of the art video and sound system installed for concerts and tier 1 basketball games:



We need to consider that Victoria's stadia plan also identified and defined long term goals for soccer, hockey, basketball, the MSEC as well as facilities in Bendigo and Shepparton. The securing of the MCG as a future GF venue has nothing to do with other stadia in Victoria by my understanding.

 

[The Victorian]

VUWO- It's got absolutely nothing to do with gifting the Western Bulldogs FC with a competition standard ground on which they can one day play senior AFL home games again. It's all about the women, and don't let a WB supporter try to tell you anything different.

So what is this then???

 

[The_Wookie]

So what is this then???
View attachment 940374

A pipedream.

 

[Kwality]

A pipedream.

Peter Gordon would see it as a trendsetter.

 

[its been done]

Is the E.J Whitten Stand heritage listed at all?