
Bikesales is not normally on the invite list for major announcements at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne – which is probably apt when the line-up of recent and upcoming events includes AFL football, A-League soccer, darts, a Jehovah’s Witnesses conference and One Direction concert. Until now that is.
That’s because on Thursday, October 9 at 11:00am we’ll be attending a major event announcement at Etihad, which we are assuming will have a motorcycle bent – more specifically that Melbourne has managed to procure a round of the 2015 Speedway World Championship, which has been on the rumour mill for months.
Etihad Stadium, located in the Docklands precinct on the edge of the Melbourne CBD, has a very similar feel to Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, arguably now the blue-chip world speedway round. Etihad also has superb amenities and a retractable roof, which would be used in the event of inclement weather.
Australia last hosted a world speedway round in 2002 at the Olympic Stadium in Sydney. However, the event suffered financially and didn't return the following year.
Etihad was mooted as a potential world speedway venue as long ago as 2009, but the round never got past TBC (to be confirmed) status. But this time it looks like there won’t be a false dawn, and we’ll have full details this Thursday. That’s unless we’re left red-faced when Etihad announces that the world sheep dog trials are coming to town in 2015…