Former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has made a radical proposal amid billion-dollar plans for the biggest redevelopment in MCG history, calling for a roof to be put on the iconic venue.
The Age reported the Victorian government was preparing a feasibility study that would decide the future of the 45,000-seat Great Southern Stand, which accommodates almost half of the 100,024-strong capacity.
The study is expected to propose a full rebuild of the 30-year-old stand at a cost of more than $1 billion, amid concerns the venue will soon be eclipsed by stadiums in Australia and abroad.
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The MCG’s 100,000-seat capacity is likely to be reduced and renovations are predicted to take two to three years.
The MCG will become the second major Melbourne sporting venue to have a roof – the other is Docklands Stadium – if McGuire’s proposal is acted on.
“It’s got to be a knock-over, because the (Great Southern) Stand itself is just structurally not the right shape for where we need to go with what we need to build at the MCG,” McGuire, who attended this month’s Super Bowl at the $7.7 billion SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, said on SEN radio.
“To be perfectly honest, we should be looking at even putting a roof on the MCG, or at least a sliding roof over the top of it. The difference between the stadium and what we saw the other day (at the Super Bowl) was the unbelievable audiovisual opportunities with that screen that was right around the stadium perimeter inside hanging down.
“It’s not that long ago that we used to get excited about maybe having a video screen at your seat.
“It has to be a better experience than what you have at home, and we’ve had two years to be at home.”
MCG management, the Melbourne Cricket Club, is concerned about the Great Southern Stand’s limited disability access, a lack of food and beverage options, old seating and congestion at entry and exit points.
AFL, cricket and other sports will continue to be played at the MCG if rebuild plans for the venue go ahead, The Age reported.
COVID-19 complications dealt the Gabba and Perth Stadium the 2020 and 2021 AFL grand finals respectively, but the MCG is contracted to host the game’s showpiece event until 2059.
“Before we say we should be spending money on hospitals, there are buckets of cash,” McGuire said.
“There are ways of doing it. One of those things is to look at the Southern Stand. At the moment it’s a stand for sport when it’s on. But if we do it properly, these can become many sorts of things.
“Let’s use this precinct and turn it into something sensational, not just the footy game itself.”
While The Age reported the MCG capacity was likely to be reduced, McGuire suggested doing the opposite.
“The MCG is our beating heart of the city and the citadel of all sports,” McGuire said.
“If we’re going to continue to get big sports in, we need to have 100,000 or maybe even get up to 105,000 or 110,000.
“There is an opportunity for us to build the best stand for the general public of any facility in the world.”
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