New Stadium in Burswood will be Oval

[AndyS]

"There'll be no grass ripped out here." Hope old mate doesn't live to regret that line...

Probably the same stuff they have at Waikato. My father was there one year where it rained Kiwi heavy from sun-up through to 20minutes short of the 3pm kick-off. Game started on time, and finished with barely a mark on the surface.

If we're to be sharing with League and Soccer, we ought to be looking at something similar.

[Ham105]

add 20% cost for the trade unions cut and all the bullshit WA govt red tape here....

No doubt - (and I did mention that). But do the rough currency conversion and they got the whole project for $150m AUD. Good value at only 10% of the $1.5b speculated earlier for the big white elephant at Burswood. I doubled it up to a lazy 20% to cover mark-ups and contingencies...

Compared another way, it's a whole stadium for the price of the roof upgrade being considered for Sydney's Olympic stadium (another white elephant)... The Desso GrassMaster turf technology looks good too. It has only been around a couple of years in the US and Europe but is used by home stadiums of the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers and a few others. Wasps and London Irish and a couple of other rugby sides in the Aviva premiership play on it in the UK, along with plenty of premier league soccer sides (the surface leaves Wembley for dead).

I reckon it would be great if Perth could build a similar rectangular stadium to Dunedin's (that whole town has only got about 125,000 people).

[Rex Messup]

Didn't the southern Kiwis barr up about building that beautiful stadium? I vaguely remember the picket lines of protest. Kiwis..........a waste of good intentions and money. Why did the world let those belters get the RWC?

It looks sensational. We want one

[unipirate]

So I have done a quick little paint shop job, and you know what, the area where nib stadium is now is more than big enough for a brand new stadium. I have always like Newlands in Cape Town, have a look at the picture; something similar, a little smaller would be awsome!

It wouldn't be too difficult could even keep the old stand in the corner, seems that is a sticking point. Also probably wouldn't have to cut down too many of the old trees either! Could create car parking underground for the important people, the ones who pay the big bucks; got to look after them. The tennis club would be able to stay in place!

Hell it isn't too difficult to see that something could get done here, unfortunately something like this probably couldn't get done in stages. Plus not sure I would want to get rid of the Shed. Just tyring to make a big point that there is more than enough space for a very spacious stadium on the current grounds!

Also how can a stadium only cost 150 Million AUD? That seems bloody cheap, maybe double it and thats what it would cost here, but again that is a hell of a lot cheaper than the 1.5 billion white elephant that would only be used for one sport!!

WA State Government SHOW US THE MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

[Ham105]

Agree, Unipirate. Doing it in stages would be a good way to go. Colin Barnett needs to cough up some cash though!!!

Yeah, Otago's stadium was done very economically, apparently costing only $198m NZD which would be about $150m AUD. For sure, it would cost more than that in Perth, but it does show that big projects can be done on a careful budget. Melbourne's new 30,000 seater cost apparently A$268 million, for comparision.

[Sheikh]

I lived near Maine Road in Manchester for a couple of years. That held 45,000 on a footprint little bigger than current Nib - they just used the space better, had tiered seating and a steep raking to create an intimidating atmosphere.

They could make Nib better cheaply just by putting backs on the South and East stands. Some hard boards on the backs of the stands would:
a) reflect sound back into the stands and onto the pitch (and reduce the noise to locals),
b) reduce the wind, and
c) could be painted as 'Force' or 'Glory' or used as advertising hoardings (generating a bit of extra revenue).

But with us using the ground February-June and the Glory August-February any redevelopment would have to be piecemeal, which probably prevents something as nice as that one in NZ.

[Burgs]

I'd happily go to an alternate facility to allow them to build a first class facility in one hit.

Still say they should buy Claremont Football Oval and use the Showgrounds for dedicated rail, parking and pre/post match entertainment precinct.

[AndyS]

Maybe Subi council might be interested in a new tenant - knock down the three tier before it falls over, knock down the south stand 'cos it's crap and impinges on Roberts Road, new stands to square the field, use the concrete in the remaining stands as foundations for new steel-framed seating,....

Pity the toilet, food and booze facilities would remain so crap though.

[BDAVEY]

Ditch the WACA.... start again there.... know thats a white elephant if ever there was...

[kelv]

It costs to much to be building stadiums and the afl teams need another 1 and that game would by far be more popular.

[Burgs]

WACA site has major logistics issues, absolute shit fight getting people in and out of there.
Love it or hate it, one of the beauties of Subi was the two rail stations so close to there.

[jargan83]

WACA is privately owned and the redevelopment will ensure it's future regardless of State Goverment hand outs or not (last two years has recoreded a profit as well - a touch over $900,000 in 08/09 and over $1 million in 09/10)

Getting in and out depends on how you travel. Public Transport is pretty good with buses to Perth train station every 5 or so minutes. Driving can be a bit iffy though - I usually park on the other side of the river at Burswood and stroll across the Causeway and avoid the traffic

[Happy]

Ditch the WACA.... start again there.... know thats a white elephant if ever there was...

what a load of crap ... with the redevelopment work starting and the work put in from the likes of Lilley and his mates - the WACA is a great example of how to rejuvinate a stadium without asking for billions of support dollars

[Sheikh]

The WACA has plans for a block of flats on the west side. Not sure if I'd want to live there - great views of the cricket, but I'm sure the players will have competitions of 'see how high a window you can smash', especially for the T20 games.

I just walk to the WACA. Takes me all of 90 seconds!

[Happy]

awesome views all round if you live up high .. and yes free cricket all summer would be a bonus