[COM] Memorial Drive upgrade

[ml69]

Are there any successful international examples where such an arrangement been done? Incorporating a soccer field into a stadium/arena also suitable for basketball and tennis (which have much smaller playing areas) ... how do you do that? I presume that it would involve retractable lower tiers of seating to increase the field size for soccer? And also a retractable grass pitch for soccer.

Been scouting around on the Internet today for international examples where a soccer stadium has been combined with a basketball and tennis arena. Basically, I drew a big blank until I came across this ingenious stadium/arena in Lille, France. Completed in 2012, and costing €282M, it is a great example of what we could do here if our pockets were deep enough!

The Lille stadium seats 50,000 people in soccer mode, 30,000 indoor sports mode and 25,000 in concert mode. Of course ours wouldn't need to be as big .... possibly 20,000 soccer, 12,000 basketball/tennis and 10,000 concert mode would be an appropriate size in my opinion.

Check out the YouTube clip --> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oHxh4x9emnI

[how good is he]

Great find! A comment on the ’Tiser website suggested they bowl over the Adelaide Aquatic centre and build it there. Probably too away even though they could extend the tram down O’Connell St to there. However it had me thinking... as they want to combine a stadium, an arena etc they may as well throw in an Olympic swimming pool. Then all bases are covered!

[Ho Really]

Algernon, you'll be surprised but if the stadium needs some expansion in capacity and room for concourses it will have to move a distance more than 10 metres. That's why I said 50metres. When I say the sightlines are not good, I mean everyone from their seats must be able to see the touchline and the linesman closest to them, and of course over the person in front of you without them blocking your view. If you can't, then the design is all wrong. This is a bad feature of the Adelaide Oval. The Level 1 seats, the seats closest to the boundary fence. A mistake that should've been rectified when they rebuilt the first stand. They should've demolished it completely after removing any historial or heritage material and built something similar to Etihad Stadium in Melbourne minus the retractable roof. I won't go any further, you get the gist of what I'm saying.

Cheers

[Ho Really]

Are there any successful international examples where such an arrangement been done? Incorporating a soccer field into a stadium/arena also suitable for basketball and tennis (which have much smaller playing areas) ... how do you do that? I presume that it would involve retractable lower tiers of seating to increase the field size for soccer? And also a retractable grass pitch for soccer.

Been scouting around on the Internet today for international examples where a soccer stadium has been combined with a basketball and tennis arena. Basically, I drew a big blank until I came across this ingenious stadium/arena in Lille, France. Completed in 2012, and costing €282M, it is a great example of what we could do here if our pockets were deep enough!

The Lille stadium seats 50,000 people in soccer mode, 30,000 indoor sports mode and 25,000 in concert mode. Of course ours wouldn't need to be as big .... possibly 20,000 soccer, 12,000 basketball/tennis and 10,000 concert mode would be an appropriate size in my opinion.

Check out the YouTube clip --> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oHxh4x9emnI

It's an interesting concept, but two stadiums would be better. One for football (soccer) and outdoor events and one for indoor sports and events. Lille is a small city compared to Adelaide. We need to think big.

Cheers

[Ho Really]

Great find! A comment on the ’Tiser website suggested they bowl over the Adelaide Aquatic centre and build it there. Probably too away even though they could extend the tram down O’Connell St to there. However it had me thinking... as they want to combine a stadium, an arena etc they may as well throw in an Olympic swimming pool. Then all bases are covered!

Think about it properly. The Aquatic Centre is in the parklands. So no way and you know why. There are other places in the parklands that would be better, but again no way. However I personally wouldn't be against it. Why? Because in my plans for a better city it would be located in a suitable place. The only major issue would be parking. Unless of course the parking was on a lower level it may work out OK. Throwing in a swimming pool perhaps not.

Cheers

[Algernon]

Are there any successful international examples where such an arrangement been done? Incorporating a soccer field into a stadium/arena also suitable for basketball and tennis (which have much smaller playing areas) ... how do you do that? I presume that it would involve retractable lower tiers of seating to increase the field size for soccer? And also a retractable grass pitch for soccer.

Been scouting around on the Internet today for international examples where a soccer stadium has been combined with a basketball and tennis arena. Basically, I drew a big blank until I came across this ingenious stadium/arena in Lille, France. Completed in 2012, and costing €282M, it is a great example of what we could do here if our pockets were deep enough!

The Lille stadium seats 50,000 people in soccer mode, 30,000 indoor sports mode and 25,000 in concert mode. Of course ours wouldn't need to be as big .... possibly 20,000 soccer, 12,000 basketball/tennis and 10,000 concert mode would be an appropriate size in my opinion.

Check out the YouTube clip --> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oHxh4x9emnI

In the 96 Olympics the Georgia Dome (american 'foot'ball) had a partition down the middle, hosting basketball on one side and something else on the other which I can't recall.

About 10 years ago, the owner of Perth Glory in the HAL had a typical spat with the stadium management at Perth Oval and threatened to play games at the Burswood Dome.

The new Major League Soccer side New York City (co owned by CFG,the holding company of Manchester City and Melbourne City, and the New York Yankees) play their games at Yankee Stadium. It's ridiculous but temporary.

In Canberra there was a multi purpose stadium proposal where one goal end is entirely enclosed and has a large roller door - open the door and it's a stand for soccer/rugby, close it and it's a basketball stadium.

In Japan there's a stadium I can't remember the name of, but pretty sure it can theoretically host gridiron, hockey or basketball.

[ml69]

Are there any successful international examples where such an arrangement been done? Incorporating a soccer field into a stadium/arena also suitable for basketball and tennis (which have much smaller playing areas) ... how do you do that? I presume that it would involve retractable lower tiers of seating to increase the field size for soccer? And also a retractable grass pitch for soccer.

Been scouting around on the Internet today for international examples where a soccer stadium has been combined with a basketball and tennis arena. Basically, I drew a big blank until I came across this ingenious stadium/arena in Lille, France. Completed in 2012, and costing €282M, it is a great example of what we could do here if our pockets were deep enough!

The Lille stadium seats 50,000 people in soccer mode, 30,000 indoor sports mode and 25,000 in concert mode. Of course ours wouldn't need to be as big .... possibly 20,000 soccer, 12,000 basketball/tennis and 10,000 concert mode would be an appropriate size in my opinion.

Check out the YouTube clip --> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oHxh4x9emnI

It's an interesting concept, but two stadiums would be better. One for football (soccer) and outdoor events and one for indoor sports and events. Lille is a small city compared to Adelaide. We need to think big.

Cheers

I think the Lille concept IS thinking pretty big! Realistically, does anyone seriously think we are going to get a new indoor arena plus a new rectangular stadium, especially when the rectangular stadium is used about 10 times per year?

The combined concept is the ONLY possibility of soccer getting a state-of-the-art stadium. The other realistic alternative is a new indoor arena and Coopers Stadium basically remaining as it is now.

[Algernon]

Algernon, you'll be surprised but if the stadium needs some expansion in capacity and room for concourses it will have to move a distance more than 10 metres. That's why I said 50metres. When I say the sightlines are not good, I mean everyone from their seats must be able to see the touchline and the linesman closest to them, and of course over the person in front of you without them blocking your view. If you can't, then the design is all wrong. This is a bad feature of the Adelaide Oval. The Level 1 seats, the seats closest to the boundary fence. A mistake that should've been rectified when they rebuilt the first stand. They should've demolished it completely after removing any historial or heritage material and built something similar to Etihad Stadium in Melbourne minus the retractable roof. I won't go any further, you get the gist of what I'm saying.

Cheers

It depends on the target capacity, of course. Personally I think Hindmarsh is the perfect size. But if you want to look at it from a theoretical perspective of what fits in what amount of space, check out a stadium design called Superstadio.

http://www.i-pol.com/index.php?_escaped ... adium_2012

Typical german engineering. It is designed right to the absolute maximum of what is possible for sight lines, to the extent that it whacks standing room in the 3rd, 4th and 5th tiers, the last of which is practically hanging over the pitch. But standing room means different C values, so it actually works theoretically - they can see the pitch.

AFAIK this is the smallest possible footprint for a stadium of capacity 50k. Wouldn't fit on the Hindmarsh site, but it's a damn small area nonetheless.

Absolutely bonkers, but fun nonetheless.

[ml69]

As for a clash of uses, clearly summer would be the peak usage time due to basketball, soccer and tennis seasons. Plus touring concerts. I believe that in most cases, arrangements could be worked out ... eg tennis has it exclusively for a week or two in Jan. Then soccer and basketball could schedule home matches alternately in two week blocks, meaning you would only need to change configuration every fortnight instead of each week. Of course this would disrupted during concerts, however.

It means the new stadium/arena will be heavily booked, and this is a good thing!

[Algernon]

Been scouting around on the Internet today for international examples where a soccer stadium has been combined with a basketball and tennis arena. Basically, I drew a big blank until I came across this ingenious stadium/arena in Lille, France. Completed in 2012, and costing €282M, it is a great example of what we could do here if our pockets were deep enough!

The Lille stadium seats 50,000 people in soccer mode, 30,000 indoor sports mode and 25,000 in concert mode. Of course ours wouldn't need to be as big .... possibly 20,000 soccer, 12,000 basketball/tennis and 10,000 concert mode would be an appropriate size in my opinion.

Check out the YouTube clip --> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oHxh4x9emnI

It's an interesting concept, but two stadiums would be better. One for football (soccer) and outdoor events and one for indoor sports and events. Lille is a small city compared to Adelaide. We need to think big.

Cheers

I think the Lille concept IS thinking pretty big! Realistically, does anyone seriously think we are going to get a new indoor arena plus a new rectangular stadium, especially when the rectangular stadium is used about 10 times per year?

The combined concept is the ONLY possibility of soccer getting a state-of-the-art stadium. The other realistic alternative is a new indoor arena and Coopers Stadium basically remaining as it is now.

The chances of this going ahead would depend on getting the FIFA women's world cup. I don't think we're much chance of winning it, and we're actually teetering on the edge of being booted from international football if the FFA EGM on October 2 doesn't pass the congress reforms mandated by FIFA.

In the current HAL format, Adelaide United hosts 27 regular season games per 2 years. There's potential for more - HAL finals, Asian Champions League, and FFA Cup. Also, after mooted HAL expansion occurs next season that number may change again. It's a bit more than 10. It justifies the need for having Hindmarsh in its current configuration, nothing bigger. They would only go larger for this world cup bid. The stadium is also used for one off NRL games and NPL finals, but the latter doesn't warrant more than a few thousand seats.

The only other factor to consider would be that Hindmarsh is now approaching 20 years of age. Structurally she's sound, but stadiums typically need a refresh of sorts in their amenity far before the structure itself expires. It's the best HAL venue in many respects, but amenity wise it's falling behind.

[Algernon]

As for a clash of uses, clearly summer would be the peak usage time due to basketball, soccer and tennis seasons. Plus touring concerts. I believe that in most cases, arrangements could be worked out ... eg tennis has it exclusively for a week or two in Jan. Then soccer and basketball could schedule home matches alternately in two week blocks, meaning you would only need to change configuration every fortnight instead of each week. Of course this would disrupted during concerts, however.

It means the new stadium/arena will be heavily booked, and this is a good thing!

Soccer can't really do this. There are international windows - season halts and players released for international duties. Also we have no control over champions league fixtures - they must be scheduled on Wednesdays/Thursdays, they must occur during the scheduled weeks (in a confederation spanning from Autralia to Japan to the Middle East) and some matches must be played simultaneously with other group members to avoid cheating/gaming the system. Also these matches are mid week and occur during HAL season - there are mandatory rest periods to ensure players aren't flying back from Japan/China etc on a Thursday then fronting up for a game on Friday. It's not just a question of stadium availability for soocer, but soccer availability for the stadium. The added burden of stadium availability would be impossible to manage. Even if it could be, we would likely be booted out of tournaments such as the champions league because AFC requirements are highly specific - Marden is well short of the AFC stadium criteria, and also Adelaide Oval fails in some areas - standing room is forbidden. If Adelaide United didn't have the right of veto of other events at the stadium it wouldn't be workable.

[ml69]

The chances of this going ahead would depend on getting the FIFA women's world cup.

Yes I agree with you there. Either that or winning the Commonwealth Games.

[rev]

It's an interesting concept, but two stadiums would be better. One for football (soccer) and outdoor events and one for indoor sports and events. Lille is a small city compared to Adelaide. We need to think big.

Cheers

I think the Lille concept IS thinking pretty big! Realistically, does anyone seriously think we are going to get a new indoor arena plus a new rectangular stadium, especially when the rectangular stadium is used about 10 times per year?

The combined concept is the ONLY possibility of soccer getting a state-of-the-art stadium. The other realistic alternative is a new indoor arena and Coopers Stadium basically remaining as it is now.

The chances of this going ahead would depend on getting the FIFA women's world cup. I don't think we're much chance of winning it, and we're actually teetering on the edge of being booted from international football if the FFA EGM on October 2 doesn't pass the congress reforms mandated by FIFA.

In the current HAL format, Adelaide United hosts 27 regular season games per 2 years. There's potential for more - HAL finals, Asian Champions League, and FFA Cup. Also, after mooted HAL expansion occurs next season that number may change again. It's a bit more than 10. It justifies the need for having Hindmarsh in its current configuration, nothing bigger. They would only go larger for this world cup bid. The stadium is also used for one off NRL games and NPL finals, but the latter doesn't warrant more than a few thousand seats.

The only other factor to consider would be that Hindmarsh is now approaching 20 years of age. Structurally she's sound, but stadiums typically need a refresh of sorts in their amenity far before the structure itself expires. It's the best HAL venue in many respects, but amenity wise it's falling behind.

Speaking of the A League, here's what's proposed for Western Melbourne in their bid for an expansion license.




So..if successful, Melbourne will have two purpose built rectangular stadiums, light years ahead of Hindmarsh/Coopers, but you guys keep telling your selves that Hindmarsh/Coopers is the best soccer stadium in Australia, it just needs a refresh.

[fifty]

Gotta admit, that Lille stadium is ingenious! That would be the model.

Still not gonna happen coz of the practicalities and overlap across three sporting codes and events.

Again, the mostly unused, big enough, and perfectly sited position on the riverbank and next to public transport between the railyard and the river west of Morphett st, is the perfect spot.

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[Ho Really]

[...]

Again, the mostly unused, big enough, and perfectly sited position on the riverbank and next to public transport between the railyard and the river west of Morphett st, is the perfect spot.

True, one of several other options.

Cheers