Australian Football League side Richmond Tigers proposed a "glittering third stadium for Melbourne as an alternative to Eddie McGuire’s proposed 60,000-seat extravaganza across the railway tracks," according to Mark Robinson of the HERALD SUN. The Punt Road Oval master plan centers on "a new stadium with up to 40,000 seats" and a fan zone area between the ground and the neighboring Melbourne Cricket Ground. Importantly, Richmond railway station "is part of the redevelopment plan." Tigers CEO Brendon Gale said, "Is a third stadium worth exploring? I don’t know, that will be up to the AFL, but we want to be in the discussion." Former AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou was "a key supporter of the plans when they were mooted" in '13 and the cost of an 18,000-seat stadium was put at A$180M ($138M). A capacity increase to 40,000 "would mean a blowout" to an estimated A$380M ($290M). Funding would be "expected to come from the AFL and the State Government and would not require the sale of Etihad Stadium, like the McGuire plan." There is no State Government engagement as yet, but Gale believes Premier Daniel Andrews, who is also a supporter in principle of McGuire's stadium plan, "should be a substantial funds contributor." Gale: "The economic impact of this game is huge, A$3 billion, half a million members, how many fans are there in Victoria?" (HERALD SUN, 3/17).
