After months of wrangling between the state and the federal government over the reconstruction of the arena, Steve Bracks, Victoria's premier, said: "The redevelopment of the MCG is a project of significance not only to Victoria but also is a project of international significance. By 2006 it will be the centrepiece of the Commonwealth Games and will be one of the best stadiums in the world."
John Wylie, the chairman of the MCG Trust, added: "Today's announcement is the culmination of three years hard work, largely behind the scenes by the MCG Trust and the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC)...the increase in public seating is in effect 10 percent due to the reduction of restricted viewing seats which exists today, which goes against the global trend of stadia designed to cater for TV audiences as opposed to live audiences."
But he added that the new stadium would still keep some of its old traditions: "In relation to no naming rights, it's a bit like the white shorts at Wimbledon. The MCG wil remain true to the tradition of this stadium's pure focus on sport."
