AFL keen to join Magpies at new home
Caroline Wilson | October 30, 2008
VFL GAMES by the Yarra River look set to become one feature of Collingwood's new training ground at the Olympic Park site under a proposal by the Magpies that is being supported by the AFL.
Collingwood is negotiating with the State Government and the Melbourne Olympic Park Trust to transform its soon-to-be-completed MCG-size training facility alongside the Lexus Centre into a match-day venue for its VFL team.
And the AFL, which has been searching for a second-tier ground to stage big under-18 TAC fixtures and national under-age matches, looks set to become a player in the Olympic Park and Lexus redevelopment, possibly building a new grandstand and helping to fund the new facility to be used by AFL Victoria.
Magpies chief executive Gary Pert said the club would also investigate whether Collingwood's VFL games could be played under lights at the new ground, just as rugby league, rugby union, soccer and athletic events have been run there at night.
"The ground will obviously be used as a training facility, and if it worked and if all the criteria could be met to play VFL games there, we would be keen to do that," he said. "We've got lights and I would have to get independent advice as to whether they would be strong enough to contest football games. They are certainly good enough for the athletes."
The Victorian Institute of Sport and all major Victorian athletic events will be moved to a redevelopment at Albert Park at the site of the Bob Jane Stadium as a direct result of Collingwood's tenancy agreement with the MOPT and the new rectangular stadium set to become the home of Melbourne Victory, Melbourne Storm and potentially the Melbourne Football Club. Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, a driving force behind the Magpies' historic move from Victoria Park, remains on the board of Athletics Australia.
Originally, the Magpies were to have been given the rectangular stadium site as their training ground but relinquished their right to that land in exchange for the Olympic Park athletics stadium.
The redevelopment is conservatively expected to be completed within two years but rebuilding cannot start until the athletics events and the VIS can move into Albert Park.
The size, proximity and quality of the new training ground has loomed as a tantalising one for the VFL as well as the competition's governing body given its lack of control over the MCG.
"We're working closely with Collingwood and the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation over the possibility of staging under-18 and VFL games there," said AFL chief Andrew Demetriou.
"It's got some merit and the discussions surrounding the grandstand being built by the AFL through our facilities reserve and using it for AFL Victoria is a possibility."
Although it was once mooted that the Demons would share the training venue with Collingwood, that possibility appears certain not to eventuate and even the prospect of Melbourne having a training venue within the Olympic Park precinct has become more remote.
The Demons will start training at their new ground at Casey early next month.
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/afl-may-join-magpies-at-new-home/2008/10/29/1224956137812.html
