The old suburban VFL/AFL grounds

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Dec 18, 2007
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Silent Alarm

Moorabbin's surface looks like its still in good condition, and still suitable for local level footy.

Glenferrie looks like its been over mowed, the other week I was walking around it and their were little weeds sticking up with flowers, I was tempted to suggest to the Hawthorn BF board that the mayblooms were returning but thought the joke would go over their heads.
 

Teagueeee15

Premiership Player
Sep 15, 2004
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I haven't been to Windy Hill for a couple of years, so I thought I would go and check out what has happened around there since Essendon left for Tullamarine. I was pleased to see that there aren't any fences or padlocked gates stopping you from entering the ground and venturing out onto the oval. It was different to see the place in cricket configuration with sight screens on both wings and a council worker rolling the pitch in the middle. I really enjoy seeing those three old stands together and like that there is nothing stopping you from wondering around them, which isn't the case at Glenferrie, Moorabbin or Footscray. It's great because you get the chance to appreciate the history of the place because of all the old wooden bench seating and signs scattered about the place. If I had a bit more time, I would have had lunch in the social club but that wasn't to be.

The only major differences that I noticed was that the old turnstiles were the Showers Stand used to be have been removed and That the club shop that was there has been abandoned. Hopefully the EDFL or similar group move into the administration buildings.

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bombersfan4000

Brownlow Medallist
Jun 30, 2014
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At least the VFL side still play there, should revisit Windy Hill during the VFL season
there isn't much of the place left, a lot of it has been demolished since the glory days:)
the dam bowls club:mad: wouldn't allow Essendon to redevelop much of the place, when Essendon was looking to build a new training facility forcing them to move to Tullamarine:(
 

Silent Alarm

sack Lyon
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Lucky you didn't go to the social club. The only time I've been to Windy Hill I actually had a parma there. It's pretty bad. You have to go up and order yourself and it felt like a trashy pokies clu--hhhh... oh...

I like the ground though, I always go past on the tram but haven't ventured inside since 2013. It's nice to see how much signage is still around, but one day all of that will go and the stands will fall into disrepair and then, in 15 years, most of it will be demolished. That's the reality I suppose. It's a bit weird the club shop has gone, surely they'd like a presence right in their heartland? And you'd think another business would move in. Essendon is a pretty decent suburb and with it being a 30 second walk from the tram junction and train station, why wouldn't a business be in there?
 

bombersfan4000

Brownlow Medallist
Jun 30, 2014
10,169
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Lucky you didn't go to the social club. The only time I've been to Windy Hill I actually had a parma there. It's pretty bad. You have to go up and order yourself and it felt like a trashy pokies clu--hhhh... oh...

I like the ground though, I always go past on the tram but haven't ventured inside since 2013. It's nice to see how much signage is still around, but one day all of that will go and the stands will fall into disrepair and then, in 15 years, most of it will be demolished. That's the reality I suppose. It's a bit weird the club shop has gone, surely they'd like a presence right in their heartland? And you'd think another business would move in. Essendon is a pretty decent suburb and with it being a 30 second walk from the tram junction and train station, why wouldn't a business be in there?
Most of the signage is still there due to the CFL team playing there now days
 

Teagueeee15

Premiership Player
Sep 15, 2004
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Lucky you didn't go to the social club. The only time I've been to Windy Hill I actually had a parma there. It's pretty bad. You have to go up and order yourself and it felt like a trashy pokies clu--hhhh... oh...

I like the ground though, I always go past on the tram but haven't ventured inside since 2013. It's nice to see how much signage is still around, but one day all of that will go and the stands will fall into disrepair and then, in 15 years, most of it will be demolished. That's the reality I suppose. It's a bit weird the club shop has gone, surely they'd like a presence right in their heartland? And you'd think another business would move in. Essendon is a pretty decent suburb and with it being a 30 second walk from the tram junction and train station, why wouldn't a business be in there?

I was hoping that there would be some old relics in that stand, but it sounds no better than your local Zagames.

Old VFL grounds seem to have strange tenancy arrangements. Most of the old stands at Princes Park have tenants, Headspace is at Victoria Park...etc and then you have Glenferrie and Windy Hill, prime real estate that is left vacant. hopefully the EDFL move into the ground like the SFL have moved into Moorabbin.
 

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Max Power 83

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Jan 24, 2012
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Great photos. My only AFL memory of windy hill is 1991, standing in the outer with the old man and my brother.

Close game, Essendon v Melbourne, and IIRC, Steven Clark had a shot after the siren to win.

The crowd ran on the ground and it was a shambles, and (at least in my 7yo mind) cost us the game. I think they brought in the 2nd siren rule soon after that.
 

Max Power 83

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Jan 24, 2012
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Ok, just googled the 2nd siren rule and couldn't find anything. But it did lead me to Wikipedia, which has a list of failed after the siren shots at goal. I was wrong. Steven Clark didn't have a shot to win, it was to draw.
 

Silent Alarm

sack Lyon
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Jul 9, 2010
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Windy Hill is tiny and provincial and almost half forgotten. Vic Park has a legend, Moorabbin was around for a while and had some wide expanses, Optus Oval used until ten years ago... but it's very hard to imagine AFL level footy at that stadium.

Do any other VFL arenas need a re-do? Got time to kill.
 

Teagueeee15

Premiership Player
Sep 15, 2004
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Ok, just googled the 2nd siren rule and couldn't find anything. But it did lead me to Wikipedia, which has a list of failed after the siren shots at goal. I was wrong. Steven Clark didn't have a shot to win, it was to draw.

They have the closing stages of that game on YouTube IIRC. Absolute mayhem when the siren went.

Windy Hill is tiny and provincial and almost half forgotten. Vic Park has a legend, Moorabbin was around for a while and had some wide expanses, Optus Oval used until ten years ago... but it's very hard to imagine AFL level footy at that stadium.

Do any other VFL arenas need a re-do? Got time to kill.

From what I know, the dimensions of the oval at Windy Hill were tiny and after they stopped playing AFL there they widened the boundaries so that on the far side the boundary fence borders the Bowles club. There also used to be two additional stands that aren't there today, the showers stand and one that ran along the outer near the old scoreboard. I'm sure the ground has been lengthened as well, because when you look at old footage the standing room at the school end looks like it goes 20-25 people back, which doesn't match up with what's there today.
 

Silent Alarm

sack Lyon
10k Posts
Jul 9, 2010
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From what I know, the dimensions of the oval at Windy Hill were tiny and after they stopped playing AFL there they widened the boundaries so that on the far side the boundary fence borders the Bowles club. There also used to be two additional stands that aren't there today, the showers stand and one that ran along the outer near the old scoreboard. I'm sure the ground has been lengthened as well, because when you look at old footage the standing room at the school end looks like it goes 20-25 people back, which doesn't match up with what's there today.
I knew about the two stands at the opposite ends. One of them, maybe the Showers where the gym is now, looked really cool. It had this silver, unique shape and seemed built in a period where nothing else was at footy grounds. It's a shame that went but we're lucky so much of it still stands.

I didn't know that about the ground but it makes sense.
 
One positive of Fitzroy's itinerant history was that as a supporter I got to enjoy the Junction Oval, Whitten Oval, Princes Park and Victoria Park as a home member.

Junction Oval was by far my favourite ground to watch footy....I am bloody lucky to have spent so much time watching footy there.
 

Teagueeee15

Premiership Player
Sep 15, 2004
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I managed to make what will probably be my last trip to Moorabbin before the Huggins Stand gets demolished in the new year. I wanted to capture it on video as it will be lost to history soon enough so I had a walk around with a cheap go pro like camera stuck to my head. The quality is ok and gives a first person view of walking around the place (apologies for the shakiness as the terrain there is hilly, mostly gravel and there was dog s**t all over the place).







 

Silent Alarm

sack Lyon
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Oooo, looks like there's a few things you could probably take off with. Might have to con a Saints mate to go down and pillage a bit, because I certainly couldn't drag a few of those things onto the train.

...even though it is the Frankston line...
 

Teagueeee15

Premiership Player
Sep 15, 2004
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Did i see the old Animal Enclosure Teagueeee15 ?

I think the old Animal Enclosure was on the other side of the old race, where there's nothing left. What is left is the terracing in front of the old social club. I'm sure a Saints fan would know for sure.

Oooo, looks like there's a few things you could probably take off with. Might have to con a Saints mate to go down and pillage a bit, because I certainly couldn't drag a few of those things onto the train.

...even though it is the Frankston line...

There's heaps of cool stuff that's just been dumped there. There's a wonderful set of original turnstiles dumped next to those shipping containers. Other items that I noticed were tables, desks, chairs, cupboards and a freezer sitting there waiting for somebody with a ute to take them. These memorial gates in particular would look great in someones yard.

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I may go again when the place is being demolished and look for souvenirs that have been chucked in a skip.
 
I think the old Animal Enclosure was on the other side of the old race, where there's nothing left. What is left is the terracing in front of the old social club. I'm sure a Saints fan would know for sure.



There's heaps of cool stuff that's just been dumped there. There's a wonderful set of original turnstiles dumped next to those shipping containers. Other items that I noticed were tables, desks, chairs, cupboards and a freezer sitting there waiting for somebody with a ute to take them. These memorial gates in particular would look great in someones yard.

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I may go again when the place is being demolished and look for souvenirs that have been chucked in a skip.


Defs get them gates and be all Daryl Kerrigan.
 
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