The Soaring

After what seems to have been an eternity, the State Government has given the Kitchener Park site in Subiaco the green light to become the city’s long awaited new stadium.

It will seat 60,000 with a capacity to increase to 70,000 - at least a 17,000 increase on Subiaco Oval - but more importantly a more contemporary design, a versatile configuration for sports other than Aussie Rules and far better access and amenities than the current antiquated structure between Subiaco and Roberts Rd.

So what is Subi Oval Version 2.0 going to mean for the average punter?

• Don’t get too carried away with the thought of leg room that won’t make your knees bleed. The Stadium won’t be ready for football until 2014 and won’t be finished until 2016. Now work out how old you will be then. Yep, a long way off.
• The Kitchener Park site was chosen in the end, and given the spin about the “good access to Subiaco from the city by train etc.” it is not surprising. Parking of course, is still an unsolved nightmare. It is bad enough with 40 odd thousand turning up. But now add in up to 10000 or so more cars and that nightmare is likely to get considerably worse. Who knows what is planned to tackle this?
• Talking of the site chosen, we still find ourselves dealing (a term I’d use loosely) with the Subiaco City Council. In the past they’ve treated having a facility such as Subi Oval as a nuisance rather than a massive opportunity and have quickly got in behind their bleeting residents at every turn to seek to impose limitations and oppose development at the ground. Never mind the fact the facility has been there the best part of 80 years. Perhaps now that the stadium issue has raised the possibility of alternate sites, the welcome the SCC gave to the Kitchener option will hopefully signal a change in thought. We can hope.
• Don’t have too much detail on the actual Stadium Design but let’s hope some architectural imagination is used to make this a place that is an awesome place to watch sport but also a place Perthite’s can be proud of. Maybe they could use some creative elements in the construction to add originality. I like the idea of following the lead of Qwest Field in Seattle which was designed to maximise the noise from the stands to the field of play:
  

  Qwest Field has earned a reputation as arguably the loudest stadium in the NFL. Allen had the architects design the structure of the stadium, especially the roof, to direct as much crowd noise as possible on the field. In addition, the north end zone seating, called the “Hawks Nest”, was specifically designed for rowdy fans; the seating consists of metal bleachers which reflect sound, and fans often stomp to create even more.

• The other area we need to get sorted out is what size playing field? Talk of multi-sport use might mean that the playing surface dimensions might be determined by a committee. Heaven help us if that’s the case. I favour a move to an MCG-like ground personally as I think it is conducive to attractive football and will hold our team in good stead for finals played there. Having said that a smaller Telstra dome like playing surface is more likely given the multi-sport nature of the ground.

Having said that, this stadium is welcomed and long over due. The sooner we can get the sort of facilities this city needs and deserves the better.