Actual Works to be done on ME

[Thequeerone]

This contains slightly different information from the article in perthnow earlier this week but at least there is a breakdown

http://www.rugbyweek.com/news/article.asp?id=22287

The interim upgrade and temporary works/repairs at ME Bank Stadium include:

- upgrade of the Stadium lighting (to 1400 lux) to comply with Foxtel requirements

- temporary seating to provide for a capacity of 21,165

- upgrade of the change-rooms for player comfort and amenity

- installation of interim/temporary facilities and 11 new temporary corporate suites

- improvement and upgrade of existing fixtures and fittings

- installation and upgrade of the media boxes and new Television Match Official (TMO) seating

- upgrade of the playing surface sub-soil drainage

- demolition of the former Caretaker's Cottage on the Bulwer Street frontage of Loton Park and new landscape works.

As part of the upgrade, the Town of Vincent will provide approximately $250,000 towards the various works.

[frontrow]

Bugger the landscaping, get the stadium ready first...

[Photog]

...The interim upgrade and temporary works/repairs at ME Bank Stadium include:

- upgrade of the Stadium lighting (to 1400 lux) to comply with Foxtel requirements....

About ferking time...

[Thequeerone]

Am in 2 minds about the landscaping myself - whilst it is nice to have some TV pictures of Perth being transmitted about the Planet looking not a like dog pit and worthy of the not sure if that kind of Budget is enough in commercial terms to do anything other than put up some crowd control rails around the bar.

[TrevorM]

Those changes at MES sound like putting more paint onto termite infested timber-work.
What about this totally unlikely and completely fictional scenario?

1. The Victorian RU finally tells the ARU where to put its bid for the 15th Super Rugby franchise, and covertly lobbies SANZAR against awarding it to an ARU dominated franchise in Victoria.
2. The 15th Super Rugby franchise goes to South Africa.
3. Super 14 matches start at MES in February 2010 and immediately there are grumbles and complaints from both the spectators and the players about the standard of the facilities.
4. Attendances at MES Super 14 matches continue to drop, with many members who were assigned "seats" in the northern and southern stands, and in the low quality E1-E2, W1-W2, E12-E14 and W14-W16 blocks staying away and watching the games on Fox.
5. Players from other franchises vote MES as having the worst player facilities of any Super 14 venue, and the ARU receives the first of what will be several formal complaints about MES from RUPA.
6. Foxtel complains to the ARU about the lighting and the facilities at MES, and threatens to stop broadcasting Super 14 games played at MES.
7. The ARU lawyers, who have been trawling through the franchise agreements with Rugby WA ever since the 15th franchise was lost to South Africa, find a loop-hole in the documents concerning the Western Force.
8. In April 2010, the ARU announces that in response to serious player complaints about the facilities at MES and the continuing drop in attendances there, the ARU has reached an agreement with Foxtel and the VRU to transfer the remaining Western Force home games for 2010 to the MRS.
9. In late 2010, the ARU announces that because of poor attendances at the 2009 Tri-Nations test and the 2010 England-Australia test at Subiaco Oval, the ARU reluctantly has decided not to schedule further Tri-Nations tests for Perth. The ARU reiterates its commitment to the development of rugby union in Western Australia by announcing that it will schedule individual tests between an Australia A team and teams from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Japan and possibly Italy during the 2011-2020 decade.
10. The Melbourne Force opens the 2011 Super 15 season against the Waratahs at the MRS. The battle of the rugby codes in Victoria, between Melbourne Force and Melbourne Storm, has begun.

[shasta]

Are you always so optimistic?

[blueandblack]

....[*] In late 2010, the ARU announces that because of poor attendances at the 2009 Tri-Nations test and the 2010 England-Australia test at Subiaco Oval, the ARU has reluctantly decided not to schedule further Tri-Nations tests for Perth. The ARU reiterates its commitment to the development of rugby union in Western Australia by announcing that it will be scheduling individual tests between the Wallabies and Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Japan and possibly Italy over the following decade.
....

what about against the usa, canada, denmark, uzbekistan and the antarctic (which would be like a "rest of the world" team in cricket)?

[GIGS20]

I guess it depends upon what you'd call a low-quality seat Trevor M.

It appears you have binoculars for eyes but a vital concern for what contacts your bum.

I have sat in several gold seats at Subi and had difficulty seeing the game, I have, similarly sat (and stood) in various locations around MES and find the view better.

The Force (i believe) STILL has the highest membership of any Australian team

The Force are moving to a stadium which will cost a fraction of the price being paid for it's current arrangements.

OK the changerooms are shit, and the pitch is pretty poor. Corporates have to put up with sitting in the open where you can hear the vulgar bleating of sweaty men playing a game of rugby, but I think I could market that.

The Force will make more money in MES even if they don't fill it week in-week out. They will also have greater control over how they use their facility because they will be the big fish. They will also have closer ties to club rugby through playing on the same field.

There are two major flaws in your scenario. 1 South Africa getting the 15th franchise is LUNACY, even SA money won't push that through SANZAR, because the New Zealanders realise it's stupid. 2 If the Force move to Melbourne, where woud the Brumbies go?

[TrevorM]

In the last couple of seasons, we had not so bad Gold seats at Subi - in the first 2 seasons, we had row D Gold seats (the ones that Rugby WA decided to give a discount on in the 2007 season).

We got lumbered with seats in block W15 (I think) at the MES pre-season - they were excrutiatingly sh!t seats and a waste of money.

If we get offered Gold membership seats in something like W15 again, even at a discount, then we'll probably pass. Loyalty to the Western Force is one thing - wasting good money is quite another.

Rugby WA will come out ahead at MES if it retains a significant majority of its current corporate hospitality clients and most of its Diamond/Gold/Silver membership. The real trick will be in how Rugby WA manages to provide seating for the corporate hospitality crowd which it holds on to, and at the same time makes an equitable distribution of the remaining seats to its existing Diamond, Gold, Silver, Nickel and Iron members - and that's ignoring anyone who may want to come back into membership as a result of the move to MES.

[Darren]

w15 at MES would be about the same as block 107 (edge of Gold seating) at Subi - 'cept for being 20 metres closer to the side line...

[mudskipper]

Where is the TWF pie'n'pint stand?

[TrevorM]

In theory, yes - but where we were sitting in W15, the view to our left was blocked and the only way to see what was happening in the northern part of the paddock was to stand up, which of course annoyed the sh!t out of the people seated to our right and behind us.

So if you were at the Crusaders preseason and had some annoying person in front of you (for the first few minutes of the first half, until someone threw an empty soft-drink can at him) who kept standing up to see what was happening, then please accept this apology.

[Darren]

heh - wasn't me Can't say I've sat in the corner and didn't realise the blocked view - was basing my assumptions on position relative to sidelines only. There will always be some not happy, and some rightfully so - It will be intersting to see how many.

[robyn <3]

I think TQ1 you have a good point, with the landscape stuff they are trying to make perth look good. Whether or not that's really important, I don't know. But 21 and a bit K seating, that's not bad. Could be worse. I hope they've already started so it's all done in time!

So if you were at the Crusaders preseason and had some annoying person in front of you

Sorry Coach

[Darren]

funny thing is, Robyn would stand up only to ask the person in front of her to stand up