If that can get to a regular length field, I'm a fan. 

You should be able to see the 100m I measured out in google maps along the bottom left seats that I scaled field size with, so I can say for sure that there's more than enough room for a proper field there.

It's a great idea. Bottom right (in line with the half way line) is the Cattlemans Bar which would be a great spot to watch it. Behind the goals at the top right is the cattle sheds/empty pavilion which is where I think could be setup as a temporary change rooms/facilities but I know that pavilion is used throughout the year for different events so no idea if the the Royal Ag Society would let their cash cow go. 

Where did the Aces use as their change rooms? There is also a large pavilion to the lower left that is not in the photo

I'd imagine the players would be using building 5 in the bottom centre which has smaller rooms, shouldn't be too hard with some temporary modifications, that might be the building the baseball used, not sure. I know the building on the top right is one of their busier expo halls so I didn't dare take more space from its loading dock with temporary seats on that end of the pitch, but that might be negotiable if necessary. 

There are several issues with WU using the showgrounds, which include:
- too hard to access for most of its target market
- events on at that location will impact the availability of the venue 
- No covered seating available

I don’t really like the Whitten Oval option either as it was sub-optimal in many ways. Great transport access but suffers from antiquated facilities and next to no atmosphere for anyone but those on the main stand side of the pitch. I went along to the game that they had there and sat on the hill near the scoreboard and it was just too far from the play and couldn’t really hear anything from the main stands.

Knights Stadium also suffers from bad transport access and not well located to tap into its main target market. It’s not the most modern venue, but likely the best out of the other ideas out there. Whatever way that WU turn they are faced with limited options that tick the boxes they need. 

The Showgrounds has a train and a tram - https://www.melbourneshowgrounds.com/visitors/getting-here/ although the train does only operate on event days. The train tends to run direct from North Melbourne during the show or race days at Flemington so I don't think access from the western suburbs compared to West Footscray Station would be an issue.

https://www.melbourneshowgrounds.com/spaces/main-arena/ The main arena already has 4300 seats so extra seating may not be required. There is lighting but I'd hazard a guess it wouldn't be suitable for soccer.

The space right now is roughly 80m x 70m of grass (Lang Road end to Cattlemans Bar 80m - 90 degrees to the picture above). Including the surrounding dirt it's about 100m x 90m. According to the Football NSW regs (what I found in Google quickly) a minimum of 106m x 74m is required. If the pitch is orientated as per paladisious above then it will all fit nicely, although one side will possibly be miles away from the action (I think you'd have to operate with a minimum length x maximum width pitch).

Honestly, I think this is an effort in futility as Whitten Oval is just easier as a temporary venue. If Wyndam Stadium doesn't get off the ground the Showgrounds may be a really good backup option as a permanent home though.

Man if the Showgrounds go ahead as their main ground then all those arguments about Lakeside being too close to the inner city start looking like a load of nonsense. Would be pretty funny that they'd be playing on the wrong side of the west gate bridge given all the fluff about it being part of their identity.

My preference is still that they play at Knights stadium. It's a football owned ground, it's the right shape and they will gain lot more legitimacy playing there which they seriously need atm.

 Transport might be shit but really it also was in the NSL and it still managed to get a similar amount of people in that WU are getting now.

Running trains for match days likely costs money for the club, so it may well be a harder model to work. When I say they need to appeal to their main target market, that is mostly the outer western suburbs and regional centres, so PT access would be far harder than the Whitten Oval for many, given that the Showgrounds without train services would likely require train-train-tram connections to get to get there. 

That can work but will the state government tip in some finance?....

State govt has no money. The  debt is piling up and will need to cut spending at some point.

Can’t see this being a priority.

I don’t have access to the herald sun article due to paywall.
However I believe there is an article published where the stadium is listed amongst 166 different projects to help stimulate the Victorian economy.

Can anyone cut and paste it here?

What’s the link?

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/plan-to-reboot-victorias-economy-revealed/news-story/1e607859b00c8f68e37364a603bf622e

No detail other than "already locked in". New picture looks great too

Plan to reboot Victoria’s economy revealed

A daring new plan to restart the state’s post-pandemic economy is in the works, including 66 projects designed to create 300,000 jobs. And it has unprecedented bipartisan support. SEE THE PLANS.Matt Johnston, Major Projects Editor, Herald SunSubscriber only|August 24, 2020 11:07am

A new blueprint to transform Melbourne’s north and west — including a second Metro tunnel and an outer-northern suburbs hospital — is being launched to kickstart the post-pandemic economy.A total of 66 major projects are detailed in the plan which aims to create 300,000 jobs over the next two decades.Launched today by former Victorian premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby and Federal Senate president Scott Ryan, the bipartisan strategy has the unprecedented backing of all 13 councils across an area that will be home to three million people by 2040.It has been created as part of the Commonwealth’s City Deals scheme — designed to accelerate growth and jobs in specific areas of need.The biggest new initiative is a second Melbourne Metro tunnel, connecting the Mernda line across the city to Fishermans Bend and under Yarra River to Newport.An outer-northern suburbs hospital near Beveridge and a food export hub in Epping are among other new projects.Several other road and rail schemes and community developments already in the pipeline are also proposed to be fast-tracked.One such major road is a 100km outer metropolitan super highway, linking the Hume Freeway in the north to the Princes Freeway southwest of Werribee, with state and federal governments are already working on the business case.With tens of thousands of people unemployed in Melbourne’s north and west as a result of the coronavirus, Mr Brumby said the City Deal identified shovel ready “stimulus” projects for prioritisation and a longer-term recovery strategy.

Mr Bracks said the “compelling case” would be submitted to the federal government in order to become the 11th City Deal across the nation and the second in Victoria after Geelong.“This … is a blueprint for the region to respond to the impacts of the pandemic,” he said.“It has significant benefits for the whole of the Australian economy”.As one of Australia’s fastest growing areas, Melbourne’s north and west will house one in 12 Australians – more than the whole of South Australia – within two decades.The blueprint also details how to attract investment around major infrastructure developments already locked in, including the Airport Rail Link, new A-League stadium in Wyndham, and $16 billion North East Link.New jobs “hubs” would be created to entice private sector cash to areas such as Sunshine, set to explode due to new airport rail and regional rail upgrades, and Beveridge where massive freight and logistics centres will be built.

With Melbourne Airport, the Port of Melbourne, the national freight rail terminal, and the Hume Freeway all within the region, Senator Ryan said its economic importance was obvious.“For our nation to succeed, the North and West Melbourne region needs to succeed,” Senator Ryan said.As part of the strategy a new Melbourne Centre for Civil Construction at Werribee would train high-skilled workers for major projects, which industry groups say currently have shortfalls.Another key project is La Trobe University’s $5 billion City of the Future, which would drive $3.5 billion in economic activity in just a decade.The strategy also urges the Andrews Government to start the western sections of its Suburban Rail Loop at the same time as its Cheltenham-Box Hill “stage one” — in 2022.About 60 per cent of coronavirus cases in Victoria have been within the footprint of the north and west Melbourne region, which already includes eight of the 10 most disadvantaged council areas.

More than 5000 cases have been identified in the past month in five local government areas alone – Whittlesea, Hume, Brimbank, Melton and Wyndham.Mr Brumby, who was the member for Broadmeadows and is now chancellor of La Trobe University, said “you can’t really begin to think about Australia’s economic recovery until this area, the north and the west, are firing on all cylinders”.“So far, around 80,000 jobs have been lost in the North, with thousands more employees on reduced hours, and almost half of the businesses in the West have lost more than 25 per cent of their revenue compared to same period last year as a result of COVID-19,” Mr Brumby said.Many workers struggling to make ends meet during lockdowns in Melbourne have taken on multiple jobs, with movement between workplaces likely to have been a factor in the second wave.

Part of the City Deal plan, which will be submitted to the federal government’s Infrastructure Department and the Andrews Government to be formally endorsed, would be to bring back manufacturing in the traditional working class area.This would include the development of advanced technology-based work, as well as energy and waste reuse industries.The City Deal blueprint had input from business, education and health groups, and says that “game-changing infrastructure projects need to be delivered to enable access to employment clusters and key precincts across the entire region”.

Renders are from last July last year unfortunately. Nothing new there. Does look good though.

Shovel ready was the phrase I remember from the bid at the time they applied for the licence.

FFS

Well, the one good news is that the plans would have bipartisan state govt approval if they want to fast track it.

The issue is that article was like a wishlist, with next to no money to back it up.

it seems as hollow as the promises to build the stadium in the first place. I fell for their words, but damn it’s disappointing to hear nothing but the occasional feel good comment that they make about the stadium. 

Yes, agree on all counts, just trying to highlight the positive.

Good for trying to put a positive spin on things.

Covid has maybe changed that with regards the stadium, who knows where that would be if it wasn't for the pandemic that has hit the world.

Any news or inklings on where WU will be playing their matches next season? They seemed keen to get out of Geelong.

It's probably a bit difficult to say until a season start date is set and clarification on what restrictions (if any) will be imposed on large gatherings. Way too many unknowns at the moment.

Heard Whitten Oval and some Gmhbabcde Stadium in Geelong and Mars Stadium in Orbit.

Whitten Oval will be a disaster for any game with inclement weather. There is one stand with seating and the rest is open to the elements. 

Steve Horvat tweeting that tomorrow is a big day for WU, can’t copy and paste ‘cause fuck this forum.

Joey Lynch is saying its related to the stadium. 

Yup, their stadium, not another.

Sooooo what's the news?