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CHALPAT SONTI
December 9, 2009 - 1:53PM Comments 4
Premier will rebuild Subiaco Oval if WA hosts the World Cup.
Colin Barnett has promised a completely new stadium will be built on the site of Subiaco Oval if Australia wins the hosting rights to the 2018 or 2022 soccer World Cup.
The State Government will reveal the plans - which will be centred around a progressive rebuild of the existing Subiaco stadium - in about 12 months' time.
Mr Barnett told Radio 6PR's Simon Beaumont that a progressive rebuild - where the stadium is demolished a section at a time and rebuilt - would involve a greater spend than the recently announced $450 million Adelaide Oval revamp.
But it would cost much less than the $1 billion the former Labor government proposed to outlay for a new stadium at Kitchener Park.
"As part of that (World Cup bid) Western Australia has made a commitment we will have a FIFA compliant stadium should we win the World Cup," Mr Barnett said.
"We will at some stage, probably in about 12 months time, come out with our plans for a rebuild of Subiaco."
However, unlike Adelaide, any new stadium would not accommodate AFL and cricket.
The rebuilt stadium would need to have a capacity of more than 50,000 "and probably over 60,000 if we want to get a semi-final", Mr Barnett said.
He also held out hope for proponents of a larger special-purpose rectangular stadium for rugby union and soccer.
Mr Barnett recently visited Skilled Stadium on the Gold Coast - home of National Rugby League side Gold Coast Titans and the A-League's Gold Coast United - and said that ground's 27,000 capacity was similar to what was required here.
The present revamp of ME Bank Stadium will still leave that ground with a capacity of just 20,500.
http://www.watoday.com.au/sport/socc...1209-kjkj.html