News GMHBA Stadium Stage 5 Redevelopment

[Thunder Road]

40,000
Planning next year
The end of standing room?

 

[Thunder Road]

From the club web site...


The final stage of the Simonds Stadium redevelopment - the replacement of the Ford Stand and Gary Ablett Terrace - looks set to get a big boost in the upcoming Victorian State Budget.

The Andrews Government, which wants Simonds Stadium to be the best stadium in regional Australia, is expected to allocate $3.9 million to kick-start planning and design work.

Victorian Sports Minister and Lara MP John Eren spoke to the Geelong Advertiser about the need for Stage Five to be completed.

"Geelong experienced one of its best summers thanks to a bonanza of major events," Eren said.

"This next stage will only make things better by bringing even more superstars and more business to our region."

Cats chief executive Brian Cook said he was delighted to be briefed on the State Government’s commitment.

“Our club is very happy with the State Government decision to fund the design work leading up to the possible construction of the final stage of redevelopment at Simonds Stadium,” Cook said.

“We all look forward to the completion of the stadium, which started with stage one around 15 years ago.”

Stage Five is expected to cost around $90 million, with funding to be sought from the Federal Government.

Stage Four - the new Charles Brownlow Stand - will open when the Cats host the Western Bulldogs at Simonds Stadium on May 19.

 

[catempire]

Would I be right in assuming stage five wouldn't cause the same disruption to fixturing as previous stages?

 

[Boxhead_31]

Would I be right in assuming stage five wouldn't cause the same disruption to fixturing as previous stages?

That would be correct as it is basically fresh ground the build will be quicker and there would be no disruption to player or club facilities

 

[Boxhead_31]

 

[Sticksman]

Ahh the advantage of a stadium in a nest of marginals. No one seeking election will have a bad word to say about it.

 

[Turbocat]

Not a bad idea to get that stuff on page one..it seems as time gets one we forget and query the capacity etc.

If 40,000 is number espoused ... 1000 seat function room...how many seats for the normal punter?

My guess is its a technical 40,000 and we probably never see that number.. it more like 39,000 and change.


I look at that altered photo above , and its still a shame we have spent all this dorayme and we are so compacted on Moorabool street side , especially when that what we see on TV.

 

[dazbroncos]

The interesting and perhaps most important part of all that is the multiple disciplines lining up to use the facility other than GFC - and thats massive.
To have it tied to more than one medium( footy) is paramount to the Stage 5 going thru.

Its way bigger than just GFC and footy - and that's good for continued development and the area as well.

Cricket, soccer, footy, events and maybe even some concerts of sorts.

Lots of diversity in revenue and utilisiation makes it easier to "sell" for funds and financing.

Go Catters

 

[Tony Barber]

The interesting and perhaps most important part of all that is the multiple disciplines lining up to use the facility other than GFC - and thats massive.
To have it tied to more than one medium( footy) is paramount to the Stage 5 going thru.

Its way bigger than just GFC and footy - and that's good for continued development and the area as well.

Cricket, soccer, footy, events and maybe even some concerts of sorts.

Lots of diversity in revenue and utilisiation makes it easier to "sell" for funds and financing.

Go Catters

Absolutely, and its key.
I remember chatting to someone years ago about companies (different I know). But he said to me that you have to be prepared to move premises every 20 years. I asked why. He said because technology changes. The way your business operates changes. You need to start afresh every 20. Put in new machinery, update your internet technologies, stream line the whole way the business runs utilising new technology. And it's far more expensive to update what you have than to rip it down and start again.

So you'd have to think that in 20 years that some of these stands will be way out of date.
They are already talking about Etihad being out of date now. So what you need is some data in let's say 2035 that shows all the events. All of the local revenue. And then it wouldn't be anywhere near as hard to get the dollars for an upgrade compared to what it has been to get these 5 stages over the line.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

If you don't have a reserved seat it'll cost you $90 for a seat at any one Geelong game after the next stage is completed.

 

[CaptainJayho]

By the time Stage 5 is complete we'll all probably be using flying cars so at that point we can tear down the Hickey stand and complete the stadium by extending our footprint across Moorabool Street which will no longer be required as a thoroughfare. That would also get rid of the awful holes in the stadium at either end of the Hickey stand. Bravo.

 

[FredLeDeux]

By the time Stage 5 is complete we'll all probably be using flying cars so at that point we can tear down the Hickey stand and complete the stadium by extending our footprint across Moorabool Street which will no longer be required as a thoroughfare. That would also get rid of the awful holes in the stadium at either end of the Hickey stand. Bravo.

If you extend it across Moorabool Street, the flying cars will crash into the top storey.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

If you extend it across Moorabool Street, the flying cars will crash into the top storey.

Not me, I'm a A rated driver.

 

[Turbocat]

If you don't have a reserved seat it'll cost you $90 for a seat at any one Geelong game after the next stage is completed.

Considering the type of teams we play , shouldn't Dynamic pricing make it cheaper for us?

 

[Turbocat]

By the time Stage 5 is complete we'll all probably be using flying cars so at that point we can tear down the Hickey stand and complete the stadium by extending our footprint across Moorabool Street which will no longer be required as a thoroughfare. That would also get rid of the awful holes in the stadium at either end of the Hickey stand. Bravo.

You don't need flying cars..just dig a tunnel.. only cost another 100 or so wouldn't it

 

[Sticksman]

If you don't have a reserved seat it'll cost you $90 for a seat at any one Geelong game after the next stage is completed.

Gosh I hope not. I have a seat which cost almost $300 for 8 or 9 games plus a club affiliate AFL membership costing around $700 making it a grand all up which is good value. A golf club membership at a good course would cost twice that at least.

Any idea what a home membership and reserved seat costs?

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Any idea what a home membership and reserved seat costs?

$350 for the year I think. That's also dependent on what area you're sitting. I'm about 6 rows from the fence between the goal and point post in the players stand.

Last year for a family of 4 it cost $880 for 2 adult memberships, 2 child memberships and 4 reserve seats.

 

[Sticksman]

$350 for the year I think. That's also dependent on what area you're sitting. I'm about 6 rows from the fence between the goal and point post in the players stand.

Last year for a family of 4 it cost $880 for 2 adult memberships, 2 child memberships and 4 reserve seats.

OK. It must be said though that the pain in the hip pocket is offset by our very high winning ratio. Leaving a game disappointed with a loss and each feeling $50 poorer can be pretty demoralising over a long stretch.

 

[CaptainJayho]

If you extend it across Moorabool Street, the flying cars will crash into the top storey.

Nah, where we're going we won't need roads...

 

[Tony Barber]

If you don't have a reserved seat it'll cost you $90 for a seat at any one Geelong game after the next stage is completed.

No way.

 

[thejester]

What happens to the Ablett terrace?

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

No way.

According to the email my wife received today, yes.

 

[Turbocat]

What happens to the Ablett terrace?

What happened to the Doug Wade Stand? Or Ross Drew?

 

[JohnZ]

From memory, Stage 5 also includes a light refurb of the hickey stand as well (half life refresh) with the intention being That eventually a stage 6 will occur 20 years down the track whereby the hickey stand is rebuilt to make the full ring with moorabool st re routed

 

[Tony Barber]

According to the email my wife received today, yes.

$180 for a couple, or assuming 9 games over 5 1/2 months at $1620 just isn't sustainable.
They couldn't do it. The stadium won't fill over 30,000 unless it was an unexpected blockbuster.

No ones paying that unless it's social club / corporate.
They'd be shooting themselves in the foot. What was the origin of the email?