Essendon’s decision to honour former captain Matthew Lloyd by renaming the Coventry End at Etihad Stadium the Lloyd End has caused a massive uproar. One of the men leading the charge is Collingwood President Eddie McGuire, and he feels the name should remain.
The main issue in this matter is who owes the naming right at Etihad Stadium? It is the AFL, the home club in a particular game, or Etihad Stadium?
If we compare Etihad to the MCG, then the answer to the question is Etihad Stadium. Etihad Stadium is the body who owns the ground and in the end all the advertising and signage, including the names that sit at each end.
The home club shouldn’t be allowed to name the ends, otherwise we will have no continuity with the names of the ends and the wings changing three times a round.
It is a fair idea to honour Lloyd’s career in a one off match, but since the ground opened in 2000, the ends at Etihad Stadium have been called the Coventry and Lockett ends.
With a stadium, which has had three names itself, it is important that some things remain the same and the end names should be that.
Can Matthew Lloyd really expect that when compared to Tony Lockett and Gordon Coventry, that his name should be ahead of either of those two? Probably not.
Jason Dunstall would have to be next man in line for having an end at the ground named after him, but there are only two ends and the top two scorers are up there.
Etihad Stadium needs to make sure some names at the ground remain the same. The ground will assume numerous names in the next fifty years, but at least the end names can remain the same.
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