The reason behind giant ball spotted on the MCG
The MCG pitch has been under fire as Boxing Day fast approaches. Has this giant orange ball spotted during curator works this morning got anything to do with the solution? And no, it’s not from Bay 13.
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We’ve seen plenty of different pitch rollers over the years, but never before have we seen one that’s bright orange and shaped like a ball.
With weighted bags hanging from chains attached to it, this ball on the edge of the MCG pitch caused some head-scratching when it was snapped by Herald Sun photographer Jay Town this morning.
Was it an innovative new solution to improve an MCG pitch that has been under fire as Boxing Day fast approaches?
Nope, think again.
It has nothing to do with the pitch at all.
It turns out the ball is being used as a centre-point to align the MCG’s new LED lighting system being installed in the ground’s light towers.
The venue is undergoing an $11 million operation to change over its lights in a bid to not only better illuminate the iconic ground but also use less energy.
The new system will also allow lights to be switched on and off instantly, rather than taking as long as 15 minutes to warm up.
The changeover of the lights is set to be complete by the end of February.