I am sort of in support.
Although what happens if the Warriors win the right to hold the One Day Competition or the Shield Final?
Surely they will have precedence over the Rugby?
Late Season Matches at Leederville? One Day Domestic Final at Leederville would be fantastic
It just doesn't make sense though, play your earlier matches at the WACA and then play games at an inferior venue for the finals...although drop in wickets will probably make this problem less of a deal then I am making it out to be...You could probably feasibly play cricket one week and rugby union on the same ground the week after with a drop in wicket?
It means a slightly inferior rectangular stadium, but with the added bonus for additional capacity for one day internationals (that currently sell out yearly)...and Ashes Test Matches.
Anyways here's the report, basically as I suggested except for the two tier stands on both sides of the ground.
www.thewest.com.au
WACA in revamp pitch for Super 14
JOHN TOWNSEND
The WA Cricket Association will build a retractable stand seating 20,000 fans, use drop-in pitches and play its late season matches at another venue in a bold bid to attract the Western Force as a permanent tenant.
Desperate to find another income source to guarantee its long-term survival at WA's cricket headquarters, the WACA has made a strong play to also become the home of WA's Super 14 team.
Pre-empting the interim report of the Langoulant stadium task force, WACA officials have given Rugby WA a proposal to move to East Perth by offering to:
Demolish the existing Inverarity and Prindiville stands to make way for a new retractable stand on the northern flank.
Move cricket away in February and March.
Remove the 10-pitch centre square and replace it with a drop-in playing surface.Obviously their previous concerns about the pitch changing have evaporated after this season.
The major redevelopment - the biggest in the ground's chequered history - would lift the capacity to 35,000 and cost more than $50 million.
It would require significant State Government support with the WACA eyeing the $25 million committed by then premier Geoff Gallop to an upgrade of Members Equity Stadium during WA's bid in 2004 to secure the new Super 14 licence.
WACA chairman David Williams presented the redevelopment plan to Alan Carpenter last month as well as to the Langoulant task force.
"The WACA officials used the occasion to discuss a proposal they are developing with Rugby WA," the Premier said. "The proposal was purely conceptual and preliminary. I indicated I would be happy to meet them again once they developed more specific details."
Cricket officials believe the task force will recommend a two-stadium deal with a greenfields site or revamped Subiaco Oval hosting football while the WACA could be the site of the rectangular stadium required for rugby and soccer. I am tipping that Cockburn has rocketed into contention over the last few months.
It would also become the centrepiece of a new residential and commercial precinct as part of the East Perth Gateway project.
"The WACA is not a sustainable business case long term with cricket as its only tenant,"(Different to what Dodemaide told me last season) Mr Williams said. "We are having a serious crack at getting rugby to the WACA.
"It will require a lot of money so we could knock down the Prindiville and Inverarity stands and erect a retractable stand that would be out for cricket and in February would go in for rugby."
Mr Williams said the WACA would continue to host international cricket but would transfer State matches to another ground once the Super 14 season started in February.
Rugby WA chairman Geoff Stooke confirmed positive discussions had been held with the WACA but nothing further would develop until the Langoulant report was released.
