Lakeside Stadium
Encyclopedia
Lakeside Stadium is an athletics track and soccer stadium
in Albert Park
, Melbourne
, Australia
. Built on the site of the former Australian rules football
ground the Lake Oval
, it currently serves as the home ground and administrative base for the South Melbourne FC
, Athletics Victoria, Athletics Australia
, Victorian Institute of Sport
and Australian Little Athletics. Previously the venue was solely a soccer venue for South Melbourne FC
however the venue was completely rebuilt in 2011 to accomodate the state's premier athletics facilities after the demolition of Olympic Park
.
a former home ground for the Australian rules football
and home of the South Melbourne Swans
before the club relocated to Sydney in 1982. The ground had a significant VFL/AFL history, having been the host venue for both the VFL Grand Final
(1901) and the night premiership series (1952–1971).
A remnant of the old Lake Oval structure, a grandstand built in 1926, still remains standing at the venue, but it is no longer used and has fallen into disrepair. Its continued existence was the subject of debate. At one stage the Sydney Swans
football club showed interest in repurchasing it to be used as a museum and administrative building, while there were also calls from others to demolish the building because of its derelict state. Under the remodelling of the venue in 2011, the stand was refurbished to house the VIS.
to make way for the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
.
The stadium was built with a capacity of 14,000 people, which was achieved or approached several times in South Melbourne
's history at the ground. A grandstand
with an approximate capacity of 3,000 people was situated on one side, with a social club, reception centre and administrative facilities built in, while the other 3 sides of the ground consisted of open terraces with wooden seats. At one stage, a second two tiered stand for the outer side was proposed, but only preliminary plans were produced.
As well as being the home of South Melbourne FC, the venue also hosted games by the Socceroos, Young Socceroos
, Australia's national women's team the Matildas, and grand finals and finals matches of the Victorian Premier League
.
. The Victorian Institute of Sport
, Athletics Victoria and South Melbourne FC
would share tenancy of the venue. Major Projects Victoria committed $60 million to the project. South Melbourne played its final match under Lakeside Stadium's previous configuration in April 2010, and construction work on the remodeled venue began in June 2010.
The synthetic 8-lane athletics track was contructed to international IAAF standards. A 6-lane 60 metre warm-up track was also constructed. The remodelling also saw a FIFA
sized natural grass soccer pitch, a new electronic scoreboard, upgraded lighting, a new northern stand and new spectator amenities. The old grandstand was also renovated to accomodate offices.
The venue is operated by the State Sports Centre Trust, the operators of the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre
and the State Netball Hockey Centre.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Albert Park
Albert Park, Victoria
Albert Park is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip. At the 2006 Census, Albert Park had a population of 5827....
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Built on the site of the former Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
ground the Lake Oval
Lake Oval
The Lake Oval was an Australian rules football and cricket stadium located in Albert Park, Victoria. It was the home of the South Melbourne Football Club from 1878 until their relocation to Sydney in 1982 , and also of the South Melbourne Cricket Club...
, it currently serves as the home ground and administrative base for the South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
, Athletics Victoria, Athletics Australia
Athletics Australia
Athletics Australia is the National Sporting Organisation recognised by the Australian Sports Commission for the sport of athletics in Australia....
, Victorian Institute of Sport
Victorian Institute of Sport
The Victorian Institute of Sport is the government-funded sporting institute of the Australian state of Victoria. It runs a number of programs for sports training. The headquarters are located in Melbourne. The inaugural executive director of the institute was Frank Pyke....
and Australian Little Athletics. Previously the venue was solely a soccer venue for South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
however the venue was completely rebuilt in 2011 to accomodate the state's premier athletics facilities after the demolition of Olympic Park
Olympic Park
An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics complex in the case of the summer games, or the main...
.
The Lake Oval and Australian rules football
Lakeside Stadium stands on the site of the former Lake OvalLake Oval
The Lake Oval was an Australian rules football and cricket stadium located in Albert Park, Victoria. It was the home of the South Melbourne Football Club from 1878 until their relocation to Sydney in 1982 , and also of the South Melbourne Cricket Club...
a former home ground for the Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
and home of the South Melbourne Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
before the club relocated to Sydney in 1982. The ground had a significant VFL/AFL history, having been the host venue for both the VFL Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
(1901) and the night premiership series (1952–1971).
A remnant of the old Lake Oval structure, a grandstand built in 1926, still remains standing at the venue, but it is no longer used and has fallen into disrepair. Its continued existence was the subject of debate. At one stage the Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
football club showed interest in repurchasing it to be used as a museum and administrative building, while there were also calls from others to demolish the building because of its derelict state. Under the remodelling of the venue in 2011, the stand was refurbished to house the VIS.
Soccer Ground
Construction of the soccer stadium took place in 1995 when South Melbourne FC was forced out of their old home at Middle ParkMiddle Park (stadium)
Middle Park was a Football venue located in Middle Park, Victoria, Australia. Built in 1959, it was used by South Melbourne FC as a home ground from their inception in 1959, as well as Melbourne Hakoah, until the ground was demolished in 1994 as part of works for the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit...
to make way for the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit is a street circuit around Albert Park Lake, only a few kilometres south of central Melbourne. It is used annually as a racetrack for the Australian Grand Prix and associated support races.-Design:...
.
The stadium was built with a capacity of 14,000 people, which was achieved or approached several times in South Melbourne
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
's history at the ground. A grandstand
Grandstand
A grandstand is a large and normally permanent structure for seating spectators, most often at a racetrack. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap all or most of the way...
with an approximate capacity of 3,000 people was situated on one side, with a social club, reception centre and administrative facilities built in, while the other 3 sides of the ground consisted of open terraces with wooden seats. At one stage, a second two tiered stand for the outer side was proposed, but only preliminary plans were produced.
As well as being the home of South Melbourne FC, the venue also hosted games by the Socceroos, Young Socceroos
Australia national under-20 football team
The Australia national under-20 association football team, more commonly known as the Young Socceroos, is controlled by Football Federation Australia and represents Australia in international Under 20 or youth football competitions....
, Australia's national women's team the Matildas, and grand finals and finals matches of the Victorian Premier League
Victorian Premier League
The Victorian Premier League is the highest State level association football competition in Victoria, Australia, and second highest nationally after the A-League...
.
Athletics venue
In May 2008 the State Government announced that Lakeside Stadium would undergo a major redevelopment, in order to accommodate an athletics track, as part of moving Athletics Victoria from Olympic ParkOlympic Park, Melbourne
The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct is a series of sports venues and stadia, located in Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia. The precinct is situated around 3 km east of the Melbourne city centre, between the suburbs of East Melbourne and Richmond, and close to the north-eastern bank of...
. The Victorian Institute of Sport
Victorian Institute of Sport
The Victorian Institute of Sport is the government-funded sporting institute of the Australian state of Victoria. It runs a number of programs for sports training. The headquarters are located in Melbourne. The inaugural executive director of the institute was Frank Pyke....
, Athletics Victoria and South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
would share tenancy of the venue. Major Projects Victoria committed $60 million to the project. South Melbourne played its final match under Lakeside Stadium's previous configuration in April 2010, and construction work on the remodeled venue began in June 2010.
The synthetic 8-lane athletics track was contructed to international IAAF standards. A 6-lane 60 metre warm-up track was also constructed. The remodelling also saw a FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
sized natural grass soccer pitch, a new electronic scoreboard, upgraded lighting, a new northern stand and new spectator amenities. The old grandstand was also renovated to accomodate offices.
The venue is operated by the State Sports Centre Trust, the operators of the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre
Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre
The Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre is an international sporting venue located in Albert Park, Victoria, Australia. The centre was opened on the 24th of July 1997 at a construction cost of A$65 million. The cost was funded by the State Government of Victoria and the City of Port Phillip...
and the State Netball Hockey Centre.