The Perth sporting public have been casting an envious eye across the nation and to many other cities around the world as new sporting stadia are built and open for use, while here in the most isolated city in the World our politicians pontificate and we crawl towards having a much needed world class venue. While they um and argh, major events come and go.
Maybe those same people running our state are involved with Port Vale Football Club in England.
Port Vale has finally finished building on a new stand at Vale Park, 13 years after construction started.
The UKL3million plans were unveiled in 1998, when they were sitting eigth in what is now the Championship, but a poor run of form on the park saw them slide down the divisions, and the stand abandoned due to a lack of funds. The stand was only half completed.
Now US firm Blue Sky has stepped in to complete the stand and are also funding training facilities, as well as a Robbie Williams Suite named after the club’s major shareholder.
Williams helped the club several years ago by wearing a Port Vale shirt on stage, helping them have the highest demand for club shirts in the club’s history.
Vale Park has been Port Vale’s home ground since 1950. Originally planned to be as massive as an 80,000 capacity stadia. Vale Park has a notional capacity of around 22,000; however with all the developments and a switch to an all–seater stadium in recent years, it is more likely around 18 or 19,000 once Lorne Street is completed.
I was there the year they stated it – the directors box became a portakabin perched on stilts overlooking the pitch.
The when with STFC, we won 3-0 there in one th ebest performances of the 2001 season. Unfortunately that night the supporters club bus was stoned by fans!