Optus Stadium's management is working toward reducing the firmness of its ground.GETTY IMAGES
The surface of Perth's new Optus Stadium is "getting a soft makeover." Australian Football League GM of Football Operations Steve Hocking said that the league and the stadium's management were working toward reducing the firmness of the ground, "even though it falls within acceptable hardness readings." He said, "Players are so finely tuned now, they notice the variation in surfaces from ground to ground. I'm not dismissing the fact that there is work to be done at Optus." The surface will be cored, with groundskeepers "seeding more suitable rye grass into a predominately Santa Ana couch covering" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 4/25).
A new 12,000-seat arena for Wellington, New Zealand, would "almost double the 40 events held at the TSB Arena annually," bringing in events worth about NZ$26M ($18.5M) to the region. Wellington "misses out on large performances, family and sport events because it does not have an appropriately-sized venue," so a NZ$200M ($142.4M) indoor arena was proposed. A draft report presented to the Wellington region's mayors on Tuesday "put forward the strategic case for the new arena, paving the way for more work to be done" (STUFF, 4/24).
The 2019 Rugby World Cup stadium under construction in Kamaishi, Japan, "which suffered major damage" in the March '11 earthquake and tsunami disaster, will open on Aug. 19, the city said Tuesday. Kamaishi Unosumai Recovery Memorial Stadium in Iwate Prefecture is the "only new venue for the World Cup," which kicks off Sept. 20. The stadium will host two games during the tournament (KYODO, 4/24).
French esports organization Team Vitality partnered with Gaming Campus to "develop a career-long training program for its players." Gaming Campus is an esports startup that is "building a dedicated campus for esports education." The campus received private funding from "a number of individual investors" including Apollo Group co-Founder Julien Lopizzo and Vivendi co-Founder Patrick Amiel. Located in Lyon, France, the 1,200-square-meter campus will feature three programs (THE ESPORTS OBSERVER, 4/24).
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