Etihad Stadium - Roof open on clear days

[Eastdog]

This is not an article but as our home ground is Etihad Stadium just wanted to get your thoughts on whether the roof should be open on clear days.

[Maddog37]

Not based on city side, level 2 seats.

[LostDoggy]

It's got a roof for a reason Easty, keep it closed I say.

[GVGjr]

This is not an article but as our home ground is Etihad Stadium just wanted to get your thoughts on whether the roof should be open on clear days.

Have you been to games when it's open Easty? The glare can be bad for both the players and the spectators.
There are good arguments for it to be open but I suspect a lot of considerations come in to play.

[Eastdog]

Have you been to games when it's open Easty? The glare can be bad for both the players and the spectators.
There are good arguments for it to be open but I suspect a lot of considerations come in to play.

Yes Ive been to games when it has been open. How about a clear night though GVG? No sun to worry about.

[Ozza]

Always closed.

The footy is bordering on unwatchable when the roof is open.

[Twodogs]

Yep, close the roof. The glare can interfere with the game and make it unwatchable from some parts of the stadium.

[Remi Moses]

Just keep it closed for crying out loud .
The shadows make awful TV viewing, and the players can't see at one end of the ground.
Be ideal in Summer with the Suns axis .

[Webby]

I agree that they need to close it, but what a sad state of affairs that such a dud configuration was built. Clubs like us have done some massive hard yards for the AFL to be able to hire-purchase the thing over a 25 year period and by the time they get it, they'll realise they've gotten themselves a dud.

Docklands/Colonial/Telstra Dome/Etihad stadium was designed by a company who specialise in soccer stadiums (or stadia if you like!). The rectangular roofs are designed to cover rectangular fields. They are designed to let light cover a rectangular surface. Etihad is a cookie-cutter design which has been modified for an oval playing field. It also faces east-west rather than North-South.

Additionally, the land that it sits on is also worth a fortune. Could it be worth more in 2025 than the stadium's revenue generating capacity? I think the answer is likely to be yes...!

Therefore, looking well forward, could the answer be for the AFL to sell Etihad for the land value and develop a venue next to rail infrastructure somewhere else??

Cue the jungle drums that Peter Gordon is beginning to tap away at. The seeds that he is beginning to plant.. I was almost depressed leaving the glorious sunshine of Saturday week ago to enter the darkness of Etihad. For me, football is an outdoor game. To have a stadium that can't accommodate that is a joke.

Melbourne will need a new stadium in the coming decades. Land is cheaper out west and infrastructure is in place. Watch this space, I reckon.

[Twodogs]

I agree that they need to close it, but what a sad state of affairs that such a dud configuration was built. Clubs like us have done some massive hard yards for the AFL to be able to hire-purchase the thing over a 25 year period and by the time they get it, they'll realise they've gotten themselves a dud.

Docklands/Colonial/Telstra Dome/Etihad stadium was designed by a company who specialise in soccer stadiums (or stadia if you like!). The rectangular roofs are designed to cover rectangular fields. They are designed to let light cover a rectangular surface. Etihad is a cookie-cutter design which has been modified for an oval playing field. It also faces east-west rather than North-South.

Additionally, the land that it sits on is also worth a fortune. Could it be worth more in 2025 than the stadium's revenue generating capacity? I think the answer is likely to be yes...!

Therefore, looking well forward, could the answer be for the AFL to sell Etihad for the land value and develop a venue next to rail infrastructure somewhere else??

Cue the jungle drums that Peter Gordon is beginning to tap away at. The seeds that he is beginning to plant.. I was almost depressed leaving the glorious sunshine of Saturday week ago to enter the darkness of Etihad. For me, football is an outdoor game. To have a stadium that can't accommodate that is a joke.

Melbourne will need a new stadium in the coming decades. Land is cheaper out west and infrastructure is in place. Watch this space, I reckon.

Nice.

When the VFL bought the land to build Waverley they also acquired a similar amount of land in the west. I wonder if they still have it?

[Dancin' Douggy]

I agree that they need to close it, but what a sad state of affairs that such a dud configuration was built. Clubs like us have done some massive hard yards for the AFL to be able to hire-purchase the thing over a 25 year period and by the time they get it, they'll realise they've gotten themselves a dud.

Docklands/Colonial/Telstra Dome/Etihad stadium was designed by a company who specialise in soccer stadiums (or stadia if you like!). The rectangular roofs are designed to cover rectangular fields. They are designed to let light cover a rectangular surface. Etihad is a cookie-cutter design which has been modified for an oval playing field. It also faces east-west rather than North-South.

Additionally, the land that it sits on is also worth a fortune. Could it be worth more in 2025 than the stadium's revenue generating capacity? I think the answer is likely to be yes...!

Therefore, looking well forward, could the answer be for the AFL to sell Etihad for the land value and develop a venue next to rail infrastructure somewhere else??

Cue the jungle drums that Peter Gordon is beginning to tap away at. The seeds that he is beginning to plant.. I was almost depressed leaving the glorious sunshine of Saturday week ago to enter the darkness of Etihad. For me, football is an outdoor game. To have a stadium that can't accommodate that is a joke.

Melbourne will need a new stadium in the coming decades. Land is cheaper out west and infrastructure is in place. Watch this space, I reckon.

Great post Webby. I'm not the only one who hates watching footy INDOORS on a beautiful crisp clear autumn day in Melbourne.
I agree with all your other sentiments as well

[KT31]

Nice.

When the VFL bought the land to build Waverley they also acquired a similar amount of land in the west. I wonder if they still have it?

From memory it was were the State Baseball Softball Centre now stands.

[bornadog]

From memory it was were the State Baseball Softball Centre now stands.

That would be a disaster.

Personally, I find Etihad very convenient, I like the roof especially in the winter time and the viewing is great. The running of the stadium is woeful especially getting the food right and there are lots of other improvements that can be made, but I ssuspect that would be the same at most venues.

[The Pie Man]

I concede the glare is an issue on sunny days, but the few times they've had the roof open on an overcast day actually makes the place feel less plastic.

Dream would be to turn WO into a (not much) smaller version of Kardinia Park. The apetite to turn up to games in Footscray would be there.

[Webby]

A stadium would need to be close to the city and also near rail. Try buying land near the city and rail on the eastern side of town. Crazy money. However, have a look at the Egate proposal for development of the current docks further west - South of Kensington and between Footscray and the Docklands.

Were the AFL to sell Etihad for its land value, it might be able to build something very, very good a bit further towards Footscray. A properly designed stadium with plenty of light and perhaps some standing room. I note that the Germans have the most attended football league in Europe. They bucked the all-seater trend and kept ticket prices low.

They also cope with low sunlight by using glass. I think that in Australia, we could use glass with retractable awnings for summer months - and ditch the roof. Football's an outdoor game.

Do people realise that AFL crowds are well down on three years ago? Although I've been to every Vic WB game this year, I strongly prefer standing at the footy. Sitting frustrates me. I like the WO for that reason. I also noticed a much bigger crowd at Victoria Park in the VFL this year. The AFL cashed in big time with their last TV deal. But it does come at a cost. Every single game being televised MUST impact crowds.. And that is certainly the case. There is therefor a real demand for a smaller stadium. As a TV product, 10,000 vocal fans packed into a tight venue is a WAY better product than double that number scattered around the MCG or Docklands!

In that respect, I prefer a standing/seating area mix at a smaller stadium. If Etihad is to be kept, a third stadium alternative should be looked at. In that respect, the WO is cherry ripe for consideration. So, I think that either way, if Etihad doesn't fit the bill (and it doesn't in so many ways), then a newer, better stadium should be built 2-3 kms west of it, or the WO should be considered for the sub 20k crowds.

[Twodogs]

I prefer to stand at the football too. I still stand with the same guys at Etihad that I used to stand with at Whitten Oval back in the day.