Nathan MottonCollingwood set to move into a world of its own
May 2nd 2008 13:22
Premier John Brumby's announcement earlier in the week has signaled stage two of Collingwood's stranglehold as the leagues premier club.
And most thought stage one was big and bold enough.
This scribe remembers an article written in a major Melbourne newspaper accusing the Collingwood Football Club of having lost its soul following its move from Victoria Park to the Lexus Centre.
It accused the Magpies new base of lacking the kind of culture and history that seeps from the rafters of Victoria Park.
And it queried how the league's most powerful club could train on a 'paddock' seemingly in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by, well, nothing.
But with changes to the Olympic Park precinct, foreshadowed by the Premier on Monday, Collingwood will take over the entirety of the Lexus Centre and will have exclusive access to the adjoining training ground.
Although in its early stages, the deal will allow the club to undertake significant renovations including; an interactive museum, a social club, an expanded sports science area and sports medicine suites.
The museum would draw inspiration from the newly renovated MCG Hall of Fame museum.
The new football oval on the athletics track would have small grandstands constructed, partly to showcase VFL matches, but also to block some of the southerly winds that howl through Gosch's Paddock.
Athletics Australia initially slammed the move, and accused the Magpies takeover of abandoning 50-year-old Olympic tradition.
Who cares?
What about more than a century of history of loyalty, passion and commitment for the most famous sporting club in Australia.
Money talks in all facets of life, and always will.
Collingwood needs room to move, and with soaring membership figures (over 40,000) the biggest club in the league needs to accommodate more and more people.
It's players have unparalleled access to facilities second to none, and these will only get better.
And while other clubs have only just started the introduction of new facilities attempting to mimic the Lexus Centre, the Magpies will forge ahead, expand further and create even more of a distance between the other 15 clubs.
But more importantly build on tradition and history established in a domain of the 21st century.
A great former president Alan McAlister coined the idea all those years ago.
The Yarra river end of Swan Street could now be known as 'Maggieland.'
And most thought stage one was big and bold enough.
This scribe remembers an article written in a major Melbourne newspaper accusing the Collingwood Football Club of having lost its soul following its move from Victoria Park to the Lexus Centre.
It accused the Magpies new base of lacking the kind of culture and history that seeps from the rafters of Victoria Park.
And it queried how the league's most powerful club could train on a 'paddock' seemingly in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by, well, nothing.
Although in its early stages, the deal will allow the club to undertake significant renovations including; an interactive museum, a social club, an expanded sports science area and sports medicine suites.
The museum would draw inspiration from the newly renovated MCG Hall of Fame museum.
The new football oval on the athletics track would have small grandstands constructed, partly to showcase VFL matches, but also to block some of the southerly winds that howl through Gosch's Paddock.
Athletics Australia initially slammed the move, and accused the Magpies takeover of abandoning 50-year-old Olympic tradition.
Who cares?
What about more than a century of history of loyalty, passion and commitment for the most famous sporting club in Australia.
Money talks in all facets of life, and always will.
Collingwood needs room to move, and with soaring membership figures (over 40,000) the biggest club in the league needs to accommodate more and more people.
And while other clubs have only just started the introduction of new facilities attempting to mimic the Lexus Centre, the Magpies will forge ahead, expand further and create even more of a distance between the other 15 clubs.
But more importantly build on tradition and history established in a domain of the 21st century.
A great former president Alan McAlister coined the idea all those years ago.
The Yarra river end of Swan Street could now be known as 'Maggieland.'
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