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i know ive posted in this before, but the more i think about it the more irritated i get over this. As a part of the bid for the 4th franchise wasn't it promised that within 3 or 4 years we would be playing out of a RECTANGULAR stadium?? You can go anywhere else in the country and you will find a rectangular stadium, obviously NSW and QLD have plentty due to rugby/league being the dominant sports in those states,BUT you will also find 1st class oval grounds in NSW and QLD. Even Melbourne is about to/currently constructing a 30,000 seat RECTANGULAR ground to suit the Melbourne Victory and the Melbourne Storm. Ok Subiaco Oval is getting a bit a run down even for AFL BUT the ground was upgraded LESS than a decade ago by the WAFC who didnt have the foresight to see what they needed in future and instead upgraded for what they needed at the time. In the end they went cap in hand to the government becasue their costs were blowing out over budget, the government allocated PUBLIC money and the WAFC then dares to dictate to other sports when and how to use the ground. They also dare to make money of other sports (Rugby/Soccer) when they only pay $1 a year in rent due to a deal with the government (or was it the local council??).
This is nothing but the government bowing down to the pro AFL public, the WAFC and the AFL by taking the $25 million we were promised for a rectangular stadium and putting it to a multi purpose stadium, which may sound better then an oval, but if the WAFC gets their grubby little hands into the management they will continue to shaft us over the the configuration of the ground due to issues with the turf when the ground is moved from rugby to AFL configuration.
I have news for you Carpenter and your happy little mob of pro footy cronies, there are other sports on this planet, sports that are played in alot more countries, sports that your petty combination of basketball and cross country running could never hope to match in playing numbers and popularity world wide. Big woop i hear you say, it is a well known fact that junior AFL player numbers have been dropping for numerous years while your sport has been under siege by rugby and soccer while junior player numbers in both those sports are on the up. You didnt do it last time when you revamped subiaco oval, but how about you have the brains to plan for the future. I'm sure that in that mammoth budget surplus you could probably spare the money for both options (that was why i was a fan of james packers idea, costly yes, but good for everyone yes), but all of a sudden just as the stadium report came out the last month (or so) jim mcginty came out with plans for a new hospital?? I hadnt heard of his plan for a hospital at all, probably just trying to get some votes by putting it out there and saing whats beeter a stadium or a hospital?? We are in the middle of a once in a generation boom and i'm sure (and so do some journos in "the west australian" agree) that we could probably afford all three options (rectangular stadium, NEW oval stadium and a hospital) and have plenty left in the bank.
In my opinion we have been sold down the river, if we get a 60,000 multi purose stadium we will be doomed to have a dodgy atmosphere (which is one of the big attractions to actually going to the game in my opinion) we may not even get to have the ground in rectangular configuration all the time. My friends on this website, and fans of sports that are not AFL (although i dont mind a bit myself) we have been shafted. We should start our own political party
p.s i dont know how relevant any of this but i need to rant and now im gonna have a beer