What’s a footy ground look like when it’s stripped naked? When it’s dug up, piped-in to local stormwater, re-laid?
What’s it look like when there’s no footy or cricket for 18 months?
Back in 2010 and 2011, the Williamstown Cricket Ground in Victoria had major earthworks, as well as a re-build of the grandstand (and the demolition of the old scoreboard).
The earthworks seem to have been worth it: the Williamstown reserves (sorry, development team) has won flags in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and next Sunday 27 September the Williamstown seniors play Box Hill Hawks in the Grand Final of the VFL. It’s 25 years since Williamstown last won a flag as a stand-alone side. (In 2003 the Seagulls were aligned with Collingwood when they beat Box Hill in The Big One.) Go the Gulls!
In a few weeks’ time we’ll look at what happened to the old grandstand.
Scoreboard pressure 