Welcome to the new MCG
Austadiums • Friday 21st April 2006
Football will make its long-awaited return to the game's spiritual home of the newly-improved MCG on Anzac Day, with the ground ready in time to celebrate its makeover by hosting the annual Collingwood v Essendon blockbuster.
The game's return to the 'G' takes place after a prolonged six-month absence, in which the removal of the Commonwealth Games athletics track and infrastructure meant a round four, rather than round one opening game.
Before the 2005 grand final, redevelopments had meant the ground had been well below its capacity for almost three years. Then, the day after the Swans broke a 72-year grand final hoodoo last year, the turf began its transformation into a world-class athletics track for the March Games.
Now, just on a month after the closing ceremony, the turf has been relaid and the grandstands stretch the circumference of the oval once again - and football is ready to come home.
Project director Steven Gough spoke of the redevelopments and said it was rewarding to see football return to the 'G' after a lengthy absence.
"We will see new change rooms, new facilities for members, the public and corporates, as well as new major entrance points while the food and beverages will be better than ever before," he told afl.com.au.
"Having had a very successful redevelopment culminating in the Commonwealth Games, it is very satisfying to see the ground return to form for the Anzac Day clash.
"We particularly look forward to having a completed MCG for the rest of the season and the AFL finals, and having capacity crowds in attendance again."
The idea for the redevelopment project began in 1999 when the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) met with the MCG trust and discussed the possibility of an upgrade to the northern stand of the world famous sporting ground.
The decision was made before it was confirmed Melbourne would host the Commonwealth Games, but once that decision was finalised, the Victorian government announced it would assist the project to get the ground ready in time for March 2006.
The state government contributed $77 million to the cause and the AFL chipped in with $5 million while the MCC will continue to make an annual contribution of $29 million.
The demolition works on the Ponsford Stand commenced in September 2002 and was conducted in five stages with the aim to continuously build while still holding events at the ground.
In total, there was an excavation of 142,000 cubic metres, 55,000 cubic metres of concrete poured, 17,000 lineal metres of precast seating plats installed, 5500 tonnes of concrete reinforcing steel used, and the main roof consists of 1,100 tonnes of structural steel and 53,000 lineal metres of steel cable supports.
Now, seven years later, the Melbourne landmark's $434 million facelift is complete and it will consequently offer a capacity crowd of 100,000 - plus standing room - for the Australia v Greece soccer match to be played in May.
Getting the ground to this stage hasn't been an easy task. After the completion of the Commonwealth Games, not only did the turf have to be restored from an athletics track to a grassy oval, but massive internal logistics were also required.
The staff from Melbourne 2006 were required to remove the staging that played a large part in the Closing Ceremony, while the track and asphalt were removed, the surface flattened, the sand laid and the turf inserted - all on a strict timeline.
Then, Games staff had to remove their temporary infrastructure and residency from inside the 'G' while the seats were returned and the press tribune lifted out. The media centre was also restored to pre-Games form.
The Games athletics track may be a distant memory, but not all seats are yet to be installed in the new-look MCG and consequently capacity will be slightly under for the Anzac Day Collingwood v Essendon blockbuster, although the ground is still expected to have 98,000 seats available for the match.
With re-laying the turf the main priority in getting the ground ready for the game, installing the seats took a slight back seat and the ground is now expected to be at its full capacity of 100,000 in middle to late May.
Facilities that sports-goers can look forward to enjoying in the new stand include seats that are 30 per-cent bigger with 80 per-cent of them under cover, as well as over half of the entire stadium seating also under cover.
New escalators and lifts (13 escalators, 12 passenger lifts and three goods lifts) mean electrical transport is provided all the way to level four in the new stand, while new amenities, gates, atriums, and eateries - with a reported higher standard of food - have all been installed.
Another impressive aspect of the new stand is the utilisation of space. With the entrances/exits, bars, TAB's, eateries and amenities formerly all on the ground floor, traffic congestion was a large problem during breaks in play, before and after the match.
Now, the majority of those facilities will be on level B1 instead, leaving the ground floor clearer to make accessibility to the ground and outer surroundings quicker and easier.
The public gate for the new stand is Gate 3, while Gate 1 remains the Ponsford gate and Gate 2 the MCC Members entry while the new players' dressing rooms are located in the Ponsford Stand below the city end of the ground, with a total of four rooms available.
Coaches will view games from a prime location in the new coaches' boxes which are situated on level two, on centre-wing, and adjacent to the MCC Committee Room.
The media wasn't forgotten in the redevelopment and their new facilities will reside on centre wing on the new MCC members side, slightly higher and more towards half-forward than the previous press area.
The stadium will boast eight radio boxes and two television boxes, and capacity for the new press box will be in the low 50s while there will be 540 television monitors throughout the new stand.
The game's return to the 'G' takes place after a prolonged six-month absence, in which the removal of the Commonwealth Games athletics track and infrastructure meant a round four, rather than round one opening game.
Before the 2005 grand final, redevelopments had meant the ground had been well below its capacity for almost three years. Then, the day after the Swans broke a 72-year grand final hoodoo last year, the turf began its transformation into a world-class athletics track for the March Games.
Now, just on a month after the closing ceremony, the turf has been relaid and the grandstands stretch the circumference of the oval once again - and football is ready to come home.
Project director Steven Gough spoke of the redevelopments and said it was rewarding to see football return to the 'G' after a lengthy absence.
"We will see new change rooms, new facilities for members, the public and corporates, as well as new major entrance points while the food and beverages will be better than ever before," he told afl.com.au.
"Having had a very successful redevelopment culminating in the Commonwealth Games, it is very satisfying to see the ground return to form for the Anzac Day clash.
"We particularly look forward to having a completed MCG for the rest of the season and the AFL finals, and having capacity crowds in attendance again."
The idea for the redevelopment project began in 1999 when the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) met with the MCG trust and discussed the possibility of an upgrade to the northern stand of the world famous sporting ground.
The decision was made before it was confirmed Melbourne would host the Commonwealth Games, but once that decision was finalised, the Victorian government announced it would assist the project to get the ground ready in time for March 2006.
The state government contributed $77 million to the cause and the AFL chipped in with $5 million while the MCC will continue to make an annual contribution of $29 million.
The demolition works on the Ponsford Stand commenced in September 2002 and was conducted in five stages with the aim to continuously build while still holding events at the ground.
In total, there was an excavation of 142,000 cubic metres, 55,000 cubic metres of concrete poured, 17,000 lineal metres of precast seating plats installed, 5500 tonnes of concrete reinforcing steel used, and the main roof consists of 1,100 tonnes of structural steel and 53,000 lineal metres of steel cable supports.
Now, seven years later, the Melbourne landmark's $434 million facelift is complete and it will consequently offer a capacity crowd of 100,000 - plus standing room - for the Australia v Greece soccer match to be played in May.
Getting the ground to this stage hasn't been an easy task. After the completion of the Commonwealth Games, not only did the turf have to be restored from an athletics track to a grassy oval, but massive internal logistics were also required.
The staff from Melbourne 2006 were required to remove the staging that played a large part in the Closing Ceremony, while the track and asphalt were removed, the surface flattened, the sand laid and the turf inserted - all on a strict timeline.
Then, Games staff had to remove their temporary infrastructure and residency from inside the 'G' while the seats were returned and the press tribune lifted out. The media centre was also restored to pre-Games form.
The Games athletics track may be a distant memory, but not all seats are yet to be installed in the new-look MCG and consequently capacity will be slightly under for the Anzac Day Collingwood v Essendon blockbuster, although the ground is still expected to have 98,000 seats available for the match.
With re-laying the turf the main priority in getting the ground ready for the game, installing the seats took a slight back seat and the ground is now expected to be at its full capacity of 100,000 in middle to late May.
Facilities that sports-goers can look forward to enjoying in the new stand include seats that are 30 per-cent bigger with 80 per-cent of them under cover, as well as over half of the entire stadium seating also under cover.
New escalators and lifts (13 escalators, 12 passenger lifts and three goods lifts) mean electrical transport is provided all the way to level four in the new stand, while new amenities, gates, atriums, and eateries - with a reported higher standard of food - have all been installed.
Another impressive aspect of the new stand is the utilisation of space. With the entrances/exits, bars, TAB's, eateries and amenities formerly all on the ground floor, traffic congestion was a large problem during breaks in play, before and after the match.
Now, the majority of those facilities will be on level B1 instead, leaving the ground floor clearer to make accessibility to the ground and outer surroundings quicker and easier.
The public gate for the new stand is Gate 3, while Gate 1 remains the Ponsford gate and Gate 2 the MCC Members entry while the new players' dressing rooms are located in the Ponsford Stand below the city end of the ground, with a total of four rooms available.
Coaches will view games from a prime location in the new coaches' boxes which are situated on level two, on centre-wing, and adjacent to the MCC Committee Room.
The media wasn't forgotten in the redevelopment and their new facilities will reside on centre wing on the new MCC members side, slightly higher and more towards half-forward than the previous press area.
The stadium will boast eight radio boxes and two television boxes, and capacity for the new press box will be in the low 50s while there will be 540 television monitors throughout the new stand.
