It seems there's no end to advertising these days. There's Telstra Dome - now Etihad Stadium and the old Olympic Park which was demolished and has been replaced with the new AAMI Park Stadium. All I can think of is that nice smiling face on the AAMI television ads for crash repair insurance! Still if that's the only way our sporting arenas can exist then I guess it really doesn't matter - all that much! After all 'what's in a name'.
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| The square oval! |
I love the new AAMI Park Stadium located in Melbourne's most amazing sporting precinct - consisting of the MCG, Melbourne Park - formerly known as the National Tennis Centre, (I can hardly bring myself to say this - but) the old 1956 Olympic Swimming Centre which is now the home of AFL club Collingwood. And then there's AAMI Park - the first purpose build rectangular stadium - all the others are oval - well I guess they have an oval in them so....
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| The lit up 'caterpillar' (Sandra Davis) |
It replaced the old Olympic Park where sporting activities included not only athletics but also the racing of cars, motor bikes, cyclists and even greyhounds. Completed in 2010 I love the building but like all innovative design it is only now being embraced. My friend thinks it looks like a caterpillar from the outside while I think it looks like a whole lot of soccer balls - 20 actually. Suffice to say it's 'different'. I love it at night. It's like a twinkling fairyland with 1544 environmental LED lights 'performing' a number of sequences.
I must admit I haven't stepped inside (the outside is good enough for me) but I have it on good advice that it has an intimate feel with seating for 30,500 in comparison to the MCG (which last Saturday hosted 99,683).
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| The 'performing' lights |
The stadium's major tenants are 2 soccer teams the Melbourne Victory and
the Melbourne Heart and 2 rugby teams including the Melbourne Rebels.
But more importantly it is also home to the NRL Grand Final winners
the Melbourne Storm.
How ironic that the AFL Grand Final played in Melbourne at the MCG was won by the Sydney Swans while the NRL Grand Final played in Sydney was won by the Melbourne Storm. Yet again the Sydney/Melbourne rivalry has played out. Sydney - the home of rugby - won the AFL Grand Final whilst Melbourne - the home of AFL - won the NRL. Does that make the city rivalry a draw?
It's an easy walk from the Cottage - so why not wander down to see if you agree that it looks like a soccer ball or a caterpillar twinkling at night.
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