There was always two issues at play at Docklands: one was how hard it was, and the other was that the grass didn't knit. The two in combination was terrible. The latter issue was solved by buying and running heat/light lamps over the surface. The former has never really been resolved, and as has been explained to me relates to the carpark under the stadium. I'm sure there is heaps of soil between the concrete slab of the carpark and the playing surface at Docklands, but it still seems be harder than most grounds. I have no idea if the carpark causes the issue or if it's merely a coincidence. But if it is harder and you play more than half your games there, it could be an issue over time.
Perth Stadium's grass looks ok, but the ground is still hard. All I know is that at least one tenderer was spooked by the playing surface issue, so I've always been curious as to how the builders and stadium managers resolved it. How do you keep the grass above an old tip stable where it isn't a structure connected to pylons drilled into the bedrock?
It might be a red herring, but in the thousands of articles about Perth Stadium I've never heard anyone explain it.
