Telstra Dome set for Rectangular-mode
Austadiums can confirm that the retractable seating at Telstra Dome will be rolled out for a sporting event for the first time since July 2001 when Australia takes on New Zealand in the Tri-Nations Rugby League on 21st October.
It is also believed the A-League clash one week earlier between Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United will be transferred from Olympic Park Stadium to the Dome, which will also make use of the reconfigured seating.
The lower level of seating at the Docklands venue is able to be rolled forward in four sections to bring fans closer to the action for rectangular sports.
The retractable seating has been used just once for a sporting event, on July 29th 2001, when the Melbourne Storm hosted the Brisbane Broncos in a Round 21 NRL game. A crowd of 15,470 showed up for the landmark event.
Reasons for the lack of use appear to be wear and tear of the ground's surface, cost, as well as reduced capacity. To bring the seating forward, turf needs to be removed to reveal tracks, similar to how Telstra Stadium's seating works. There is also a substantial cost involved while it takes approximately 8 hours to deploy. The stadium's capacity is also reduced by around 3,000 seats, in the four corners between the retractable seats.
Following on from the success of Melbourne Victory's first A-League game at Telstra Dome in which just under 40,000 fans attended, a record home & away attendance for Australia's new Soccer competition, it is believed the club is moving at least one further game from Olympic Park Stadium to the Dome. The Round 8 match against Adelaide will be played on the Sunday before the Rugby League Tri-Nations, while the Round 17 game against Sydney may also be relocated.
The retractable seating will bring fans closer to the action for the upcoming two events, something which is sure to please many people, and prove Telstra Dome's status as a true multi-purpose stadium. Over 2,000,000 sports fans have visited the stadium thus far in 2006, demonstrating the venue's popularity.
