Considering there is zero infrastructure on the premises they will have to partly fund for the upgrades of water, gas, electricity etc for 15,000 patrons.

Parramatta for example would've had all this sitting at the stadiums doorstep.
Not the case on a farm in Tarneit.

Farm? 😂😂

Well with all the negatives around this club, one positive is that they have officially reached 5000 members. Not the greatest number in the world but definitely highlights the interest in the club by the western suburbs/geelong area is present and that they can sustain themselves, especially considering people are signing up to watch in the current oval based field home matches.

For the first game of the season, you got a membership if you bought a ticket to the opening game.
I wouldn't be paying too much too much attention to that number.

i see what you're saying, but WU are actually bucking against the trend. they have 5,000 members, but are averaging 5,800 per home game. Victory has about 24,000 members and are averaging 18,000. Sydney has over 14,000 members and are averaging 12,000, City have 12,000 members and are averaging 9,000. 

I'm not saying they're doing well, but its hard to argue a high percentage of their membership are token, because those numbers would suggest their members are showing up

does anyone think the good friday match against city will be postponed from ballarat to footscray? 

This is exactly what WSW club management did with BankWest as if it was going to magically fix everything that had gone wrong on and off the field during the Homebush years. As we’ve seen, it hasn’t. 

It's a stadium that will be around for at least 30 years. I think they're taking the long view.  :laugh:

Isn’t the average inflated due to hosting a couple of derby games?

Interesting. They seem to know how to build a cheap stadium fast in MLS.
https://forum.insidesport.com.au/2725005/Western-United-Thread?PageIndex=87
 oops
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew0Ll814Wl4

They don’t even have a phone number to call them on 

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/western-united-seek-alternatives-after-last-match-in-geelong-20200227-p544wy.html

Interesting that they mention Melbourne Showgrounds. I could be wrong here, but I was under the impression that it was too small to fit a regulation size football pitch.

The main arena is exactly 100x100m, but there's room the northeast side to extend the field, and temporary seats could be put in along the northwest end. There's lighting, the rooms on the southwest wouldn't be that hard to adapt into back-of-house player and official facilities, plenty of access and power for broadcast as it's an events venue, connected to public transit if they activate the showgrounds train, or by tram. It's not an oval. So crazy it might actually work. The existing seats are even in WU's colours lol





Or they could just build their own stadium.

Bit of a tight fit. Wouldn't hold that many but may be ok considering it's a temporary solution. 

geez i would love an away trip there 

Wouldn't need to lol

That southwestern stand holds about 2.9k so I guess my quick photoshopped venue would hold about 6k, which is plenty for WU and would look amazing packed out, especially compared to their current options.

More temporary seats could easily be added on the northeast side of the field if needed, that's just flat asphalt.

Definitely ticks a bunch of boxes as a short term solution. Excellent public transport, literally has it's own train station as well as the trams on Epsom rd. Plenty of easily accessible car parks. WU would probably have to fund the temp stands and other modifications. Showgrounds are not owned by the government, so there is probably more scope for negotiations on fees. Location isn't exactly west, probably more north than west, which is not ideal.

The Showgrounds has multiple events per year with just as much temporary seating in its multiple spaces. One row of temporary seating, laying down some temporary grass, installing some temporary showers and lockers in the adjacent buildings, a few power and data lines for broadcast and some marquees behind the southeastern seats for the prawn sangas would be really basic stuff for a venue of this type, and frankly not that expensive compared to what they would be paying at their current venues.


https://www.melbourneshowgrounds.com/spaces/main-arena/

The show grounds? It'll be a tight fit and baseball tried it once and left after a year despite them saying they'll never use Melbourne baseball park . 

Using venues purpose-built for your own sport in Melbourne's west?

First year they didn't want a bar of it. Ceo was adamant . Next year roles around and they're at baseball park. Iirc either mooney valley kicked them out or they walked away from their 3 year deal. 

According to wiki:
The Showgrounds was deemed to be an unsuitable field to play on in the 3rd season. The main reasons being the Aces would not be the sole occupants of the field, having to compete with Carnivals, Horse shows, Music Festivals etc. The Showgrounds were also alleged to be booked out until late December, meaning the Aces would have to find a different home venue for the first half of the season.

The only thing this complete joke of a franchise has offered football is a bottomless pit of incompetence and comedy. 

I had thought of this places ages ago,  i remember the aces playing there.  Just assumed it wasnt the right size or didn't exist anymore. 
If they could replicate the main stand with temporary stands on the opposite side and did all the other stuff that's required it would be a pretty fantastic place to go to. 

Just my opinion and it’s not a bad suggestion the showgrounds.

But surely Knights Stadium would be the most economical solution for Western United if they need a temporary home.
For the showgrounds, if they have to fork out $$$ to add in temporary stands, relay the pitch, the turf itself isn’t exactly immaculate as it’s used for cattle and festivals.
Not sure those stands have any corporate suites or boxes either which may be a vital source of corporate revenue for WU.

At least at Knights Stadium you have a stand that covers from the elements and would create an intimate feel.
It certainly was a fascinating tie when Melb Knights played Adel Utd and the atmosphere was great to watch (4,000 in attendance).
I know Whitten Oval has better transport links but due to the Bulldogs training there & AFLW it will always be in Oval configuration.

If you want a rectangular stadium that would be economical to hire and create an intimate atmosphere then Knights Stadium appears to be the obvious option.

Although Knights stadium is a good stadium, they have already said that Knights stadium would require a bunch of upgrades to be suitable and the owners of the stadium have said that WU would have to pay for it. Then there is the issue of accessibility. There is zero public transport, minimal parking and only suburban streets in and out of the stadium. At the moment, there isn't really a good option. It's more about choosing the least worst option. I reckon next season the majority of games will be at Whitten with a few games at Ballarat. Showgrounds is a bit of a long shot but could work. Knights stadium doesn't tick enough boxes. 

slightly pedantic i would have thought. Its probably more north-west than west but very close to western suburbs such as Kensington, Flemington, Footscray and Maribyrnong. easily accessible to people from the west. Ironically its literally next door to Victory’s failed COE site at Footscray Park.  

The Royal Melbourne Show is in September, so that’s fine. They do have 2-3 music festivals during the summer, but I'm sure they can work around it. And I think they can work in conjunction with the spring racing carnival and other horse racing days at Flemington. 7:30pm kickoff after the derby day races with discount entry with your horse racing ticket might get more punters through the turnstyles. 


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I think the horse show they were referring to was Equitana. It is held over a weekend in late November and uses that main arena area. Not sure how how bad the impact on the field is, but I imagine having a bunch of horses on a football pitch would have to have a negative effect on the surface. Music festivals can be pretty rough on the surface as well, especially if they cop some wet weather. That being said, it's definitely a venue worth exploring, even if it's for a handful of games.