AFL close to buying Etihad Stadium in win for Victorian footy fans

UDPATE: GILLON McLachlan confirms the AFL is close to buying Etihad Stadium, meaning a $300m revamp could come quicker than planned. Find out what it means for footy fans.

• Etihad Stadium $300m revamp plans unveiled
• Eddie McGuire reveals $1bn plan to replace Etihad Stadium
• McGuire plan for boutique stadium hits grand hurdle

THE AFL is on the brink of buying Etihad Stadium in a win for Victorian fans.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan confirmed the league was getting closer to securing the maligned venue.

The Herald Sun reported “significant movement” in talks between league chiefs and the consortium that operates the Docklands ground and a sale worth about $150 million is tipped before Christmas.

McLachlan said the AFL wanted to make the stadium better for fans and tenant clubs.

“There’s a chance, there’s a chance six months ago, a chance a year ago, we just keep chipping away, yeah, there’s a chance (sale finalised before the end of the year),” McLachlan said on 3AW.

“Really what we want to do is make it better, spend money in the stadium for our supporters and our fans and also our tenant deals for our clubs so they make some money.”

The AFL plans a $300 million revamp of Etihad Stadium.

The vision is to open the stadium up to the Docklands waterfront.

The AFL could take ownership of the stadium for just $30 in March 2025, but has been negotiating its early release.

A deal would dramatically improve gate returns for three of the stadium’s five tenant clubs — North Melbourne, St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs. Essendon and Carlton have different arrangements.

The AFL is planning a $300 million revamp of Etihad Stadium, including a new waterside gateway, open-air bars, restaurants, parks and a running track, as revealed by the Herald Sun ­earlier this year.

The league hopes an overhaul of Etihad would kill off a rival plan pitched by Collingwood president Eddie McGuire to build a $1 billion stadium next door to the MCG.

But a redevelopment is dependent on the State Government forking out the costs.

McGuire’s concept involves the bulldozing and sale of Etihad and construction of a 60,000-seat venue in Melbourne Park.

Commercial real estate experts estimate that if the AFL decided to sell the 7.5ha Etihad Stadium site to developers, it could reap a $1.3 billion ­payday.

A state government taskforce was established in June to decide the future of Melbourne’s sporting stadiums and precincts.

The Cabinet committee, led by Premier Daniel Andrews, is exploring a series of proposed redevelopments of Punt Rd, Brunton Ave, Richmond railway station, Olympic Park and the Docklands.

Plans to build over the railway tracks that separate the MCG from the Melbourne Park Tennis Centre are also being examined.

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