Calls For Melbourne's Etihad Stadium To Be Demolished

Though it's one of Australia's most popular entertainment and sporting stadiums, there are now calls for Melbourne's Etihad Stadium to be demolished to make way for a new ground on the site of Hisense Arena. 

While TV personality and president of the Collingwood AFL club Eddie McGuire initiated the call for a new stadium to be built with a capacity of up to 60,000, The Guardian have reported that Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is interested in the idea as he is currently looking at ways to develop the MCG precinct. 

Etihad Stadium has played host to a number of high profile concerts over the years including Eminem, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2 and Taylor Swift, while just last year names such as One Direction and Foo Fighters performed at the iconic site. 

Most recently, Aussie legends AC/DC performed at the stadium in support of their Rock Or Bust world tour last December. 

If the proposal was approved, it is likely that Hisense Arena would be relocated not far from its current location near the MCG, though it would be positioned above underground railway lines.

The call has been contested by AFL clubs, while former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett, who was in control of the stadium when it was built in 1997, believes demolishing the stadium is too great a risk in regards to the world famous Australian Open tennis tournament, which has an agreement with the Melbourne Olympic Park Trust that also includes Hisense Arena until 2036. 

"(It) is the biggest sporting event in Australia over two weeks that gives us lots of promotion overseas," Kennett said.

"I'm not prepared to put at risk the Australian Open in Melbourne for a new stadium there fundamentally for football in all its various forms."