Magazine - Etihad to Host Big events Despite Storm Damage

By Editor in General News on 8th Mar 2010 8:00

Etihad Stadium is still determining the full extent of Saturday’s storm damage, but it will host the AFL NAB Cup final and Tuesday’s soccer match.

Melbourne Victory will play at the stadium on Tuesday in an Asian Champions League match before St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs clash in this Saturday night’s Cup final.

Water and structural damage to entertainment areas at the southern and western sections of the stadium meant the St Kilda-Fremantle semi-final on Saturday night was delayed for 20 minutes. But the affected areas are not part of the main stadium structure. The playing surface was not damaged by the wild storm that hit Melbourne on Saturday afternoon. "The most significant damage is in the Livewire and Medallion Club areas, and gates two and three," said venue communications manager Bill Lane. "We’ve had engineers and building inspectors in all day, appraising the damage and it’s going to be ongoing in terms of establishing the extent of the trouble."

Lane said fans attending this week’s matches should prepare for some changed conditions. "As far as Tuesday night, we will isolate those areas that have been impacted and we’ll be able to host the event around those areas," he said. "It will mean some inconvenience and some re-education for patrons coming into the venue. "The same (will apply) with the NAB Cup, we’re equipped to host the event and the event will go ahead as scheduled ... we’re going to have to manage patrons as they come into the venue."

He added the assessment of the damage was ongoing. "At this stage, it’s a little bit hard to appraise where we’re going to be in a couple of weeks’ time," Lane said. "There’s lots of mopping up."

Source & More: www.smh.com.au

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