Cricket Victoria is set to seal a move to the Junction Oval, thereby freeing up the MCG for the start of the AFL season. Source: Herald Sun
A SOLUTION to the long-running feud between cricket and footy over use of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is in sight.
The Herald Sun can reveal plans to shift Cricket Victoria to a new centre of excellence at the Junction Oval are back on the State Government's agenda.
It means the AFL could secure access to the MCG in early March each year -- allowing room in the fixture for a second mid-season break. In return, Cricket Victoria would get a revamped 7000-seat Junction Oval to stage key domestic matches, such as the Sheffield Shield final.
Cricket has contractual rights to the MCG from October 1 to March 31 until 2019 and has been unwilling to bow to the AFL's demands for earlier access.
In March, MCG groundstaff will have just 48 hours to prepare the surface for the Carlton-Richmond Round 1 blockbuster if the Bushrangers host the Shield final.
Plans to revamp the historic Junction Oval were approved by the former Brumby government before the 2010 state election, but were shelved after Ted Baillieu's surprise victory.
Cricket Victoria has bemoaned for years that it's the only state without a designated facility for the sport.
Its wish list for the Junction Oval is in three parts -- capacity to host first-class matches, a high-performance training facility and a community centre. Most domestic cricket matches would remain at the MCG.
Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide said the development was great news, following lengthy consultation with the Government.
"I think, for us and the AFL, it seems a pretty logical solution to what is an ongoing problem," he said.
"Having played our first four matches of the domestic season on the road, the need for an alternative first-class facility outside of the MCG, which continues to be caught in the middle of conflicting needs of cricket and football, remains pivotal."
Dodemaide said the needs of Victoria's elite and developing cricketers had outgrown the MCG facilities, some of which aren't available year-round.
If plans were finalised soon, it would be logical to free the MCG from Cricket Victoria's requirements in time for the 2015 World Cup.
The MCG is battling Adelaide and Sydney for the right to host the final, scheduled for late March 2015.
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