Stadium and Training Facility funding and announcements

No doubt this will lead to a whose got what discussion.

I've been keeping a Mega Facilities file since about 2014 to track all these facilities development, as they became the new arms race once the AFL put caps on football department spend around that time.

This graphic below was in the Advertiser and posted on the Port board in February when Port made the announcement of the Alberton Oval precinct redevelopment and that they were chasing $15m federal funding like most clubs had received in cash or had been promised by the feds.

Some of these $15m amounts were pledges before the May 2019 election and haven't been dished out yet, eg Adelaide didn't get approval to build their facility in the Adelaide Parklands, then Covid hit and they pulled out of that option and are now looking at other locations.

Sydney got $20m from NSW govt Oct 2018 in lead up to March 2019 state election and $15m from the feds for a shared $65m facility, with NSW Swifts Netball team,and the building will house the Sydney Swans Academy, and the future Sydney Swans AFL Women’s Team. A cafe, museum, event and recreation space will be for public use. The Clontarf Foundation and GO Foundation, for Indigenous education, and an Australian Red Cross Blood Service donation centre.

That was pulled when Covid hit but put back on the agenda just before they lodged their bid for an AFLW team in August. Its changed, but its not clear how much it has.

In April 2020, with works weeks from commencing, the Swans and its partners were forced to surrender the lease, owing to the unprecedented uncertainty related to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over recent months, the Sydney Swans and its partners have worked closely with the NSW Government and Greater Sydney Parklands to re-enliven the project.


The Geelong one is wrong and relates to Kardinia Park stadium development. The $100m was from the state government pledged in 2019 not the federal government, and they then said in the November 2020 state budget they would fully fund the $142mil stage 5 development which would have a lot of facilities for Geelong to use. The first 3 stages cost just over $100m. Stage 4 had facilities for Geelong to use and cost $89mil and $75mil come from the state government and $6mil from the council and the AFL and Geelong split the balance.

The Western Bulldogs looks like the land granted at Whitten oval $16mil + grants, plus stadium upgrade at Ballarat of $15mil+ and might also include the original $3mil+ from the Bracks government in the '00's.

The list in the link below, above the table from the Advertiser, from a Footy Almanac author isn't 100% accurate, but its pretty close and comes from April 2019 in the lead up to the last federal election. I added some stuff I knew was missing in a thread on the Port board about the Alberton Oval precinct redevelopment.

Its written by Greg Blood a Sport librarian for over 30 years with an interest in Australian sport history and policy. Member of the Australian Society for Sports History, after the April 2019 Budget and he has written 2 more articles re sports funding, in May 2019 after the election and in February 2020 about the sports rorts.

The post 2019 federal election article is HERE and the Sports Rorts article HERE

This first article has a list of government funding for AFL and NRL clubs' high performance centres.
https://www.footyalmanac.com.au/should-governments-fund-afl-and-nrl-high-performance-centres/


Graphic from The Advertiser on 22nd February 2021.

1638247139823.png
 
oh thats perfect. I was going to do one up myself
You can double check it to your info Wookie, as the Geelong one is wrong and I'm not 100% sure what is included in the Bulldogs $42.6mil figure for state government grants.
 
I think the $4mil feds funding for Essendon includes stage 2 of the Hangar which was mainly for accomodation for Paralympics as the Victoria base for Paralympics Australia


From February 2019

As part of the funding, $4 million will be directed towards the construction of the Community, Education and Events Centre (CEEC) project at The Hangar in Tullamarine – the Victorian home base to Paralympics Australia and the Essendon Football Club.

This story in January this year says its a $21mil development and includes accomodation for Essendon's NGA players.

The Essendon Football Club’s NEC Hangar is set to boost its status as an inclusive facility, with purpose-built dormitory accommodation to house Australia’s Para-athletes, members of the club’s Next Generation Academy and associated community leagues.

The dorms, which are on track for completion as early as February, are part of phase one of the $21 million stage two development of the NEC Hangar.

They’ll serve as a base for Para-athletes in their preparation for the Tokyo Paralympic Games, with the NEC Hangar continuing to be the home of Paralympics Australia’s Victorian office.
 

.... The project has been made possible thanks to a $20 million contribution from Ipswich City Council, $18 million from the Queensland Government and $15 million from the Australian Government as well as matching investment from the Lions and the AFL ....... ( No idea what the split is)
 
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.... The project has been made possible thanks to a $20 million contribution from Ipswich City Council, $18 million from the Queensland Government and $15 million from the Australian Government as well as matching investment from the Lions and the AFL ....... ( No idea what the split is)

Does all this money end up on club Balance Sheets ?
 
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Bit harsh calling the state and federal funding for Cockburn ARC a club training upgrade given the vast majority of it is a public facility. Freo isn't even the only sports club based there (but obviously by far the largest).
 
I believe the Bulldogs' $42.6m from the state govt. goes like this:
 
Does all this money end up on club Balance Sheets ?
Yep as the club receives the funding.

Geelong get great use and access to Kardinia Park, but 5 years ago the land and all the improvements was moved into the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust when the state government gave $75m of the $89m for stage 4 after the 3 levels of government, Geelong and the AFL contributed $103mil to Stages 1+2+3. The State governments' contribution totaled $46m, Feds $24m, City of Greater Geelong $11m, Geelong $14m AFL $8m.

The Kardinia Park Stadium Trust (Trust) is a statutory authority established under the Kardinia Park Stadium Act, 2016. The Trust, governed by a board of seven Trustees, has been established to administer, promote and manage the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust Land more commonly known as GMHBA Stadium.
 
Bit harsh calling the state and federal funding for Cockburn ARC a club training upgrade given the vast majority of it is a public facility. Freo isn't even the only sports club based there (but obviously by far the largest).
Don't Freo get full use of the oval and have their training facilities area/buildings that they have exclusive use of, but do get access to some of the other facilities eg the aquatics facilities.
 
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Bit harsh calling the state and federal funding for Cockburn ARC a club training upgrade given the vast majority of it is a public facility. Freo isn't even the only sports club based there (but obviously by far the largest).

There was a time when the VIS shared the Collingwood facility at Olympic Park. It didnt last.
 
Maybe a Geelong fan can explain what access they have exclusive rights to at Kardinia Park re the stage 5 development, and maybe stage 4 as well.

Since 2014, ie before stage 4 and stage 5 funding was secured, Geelong have looked at 2 different off site facilities, first one with Deakin Uni about 6 years ago with an MCG dimension training oval and 3 years ago looked at Cape Otway Road Australia developers plan about 25km from Geelong, for a $350m housing and commercial development and a sports precinct that "will cater to nine of the 10 most popular sports in Australia, with world-class fields for AFL, soccer, rugby, cricket and tennis and facilities for swimming, gymnastics, running and cycling."
 
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Don't Freo get full use of the oval and have their training facilities area/buildings that they have exclusive use of, but do get access to some of the other facilities eg the aquatics facilities.

Yep, pretty much. But the point of the whole complex is a public recreation centre. It's not a football club training facility with some token public services added on to give the guise of a public facility. Have a look at their website, the footy club barely gets a mention.
 

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I hope theres some money forthcoming from the various Govts for the current Premiers (and North) , $5 million total looks pretty paltry compared to the rest of the list.
 
I hope theres some money forthcoming from the various Govts for the current Premiers (and North) , $5 million total looks pretty paltry compared to the rest of the list.
That's because Melbourne shifted their base down to Casey in 2020 and the City of Casey council has invested a lot of $$$ into Casey Fields sports precinct so far, and are chasing more $$$ from the feds and state governments, all up will probably be a $40-$50m multi sports facility, when finished, so the monies are going to Casey Fields directly and not Melbourne FC directly, like most of the AFL clubs.


Gary Pert in August 2019 video below talks about the state government, local council and AFL investing $8mil into Casey Fields which Melbourne gets to use these facilities on an exclusive or near exclusive basis.

As you can see from the video its driven by AFLW needs and community needs. If you want government funding, from any of the 3 levels of government, you have to tick those 2 boxes.

Edit; I think this is how the Advertiser got the $5mil state government grant figure;

The project is jointly funded by the State Government through Sport and Recreation Victoria ($5 million), the City of Casey ($2.5 million) and the AFL ($500,000), with production set to commence in September.

And the finished product

 
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I believe the Bulldogs' $42.6m from the state govt. goes like this:

That would be correct, I believe.

I'm not sure how they came up with $15m from the Feds though. There was $8m given way back in 2004 but I haven't seen anything since and I follow these things pretty closely. Mars Stadium hasn't received any Federal funding either and it isn't a training facility.
 
The only reason Melbourne received any funding by Feb 2021 is because of Casey Fields (that's what their $5m state govt funding was for). They didn't get more than that because, like Port Adelaide (until recently), they didn't have any approved plans for upgrades/new facilities. But that is already changing...
The Government will kick in $2 million towards the redevelopment of Gosch’s Paddock oval, with the AFL and Melbourne combining to contribute $1 million.


... and will probably change more so soon:
The club has been working on a design for a new base near AAMI park in Gosch’s paddock, which is set to be funded by a joint venture between Melbourne, the AFL, and the Victorian Government.


North Melbourne is going to get more, beginning with a second oval, once all the details with the Arden precinct is ticked off.

And as far as the Bulldogs' federal govt funding goes, seems like an error to me. Should be pretty easy to prove otherwise if that info is sourced from club websites.
 
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Don't Freo get full use of the oval and have their training facilities area/buildings that they have exclusive use of, but do get access to some of the other facilities eg the aquatics facilities.
Yea, but The majority of the place is for public use (Ie, 8 indoor basketball courts some Futsul courts, pretty much the entire swimming complex bar a private pool/spa in the freo location)

I'ld say its 65% public use 35% freo use
 
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