- Feb 12, 2017
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New northern stand at Kardinia Park to be named after Cats legend Joel Selwood
Joel Selwood has added yet another string to his bow with Kardinia Park’s new stand to be named after the Cats’ games record holder.
Joel Selwood will be immortalised at the ground where he thrilled fans and terrified opponents, with the new northern stand at Kardinia Park to be named in his honour.
It’s an almost unimaginable achievement for someone just 35 years old, but few, if any, would argue the decision.
The four-time Cats premiership player, long-serving club captain, three-time All-Australian captain, and club games record holder was typically humble in his response.
“It’s not something I ever dreamt of … I was just a kid rocking up to do the best he possibly could day in, day out, and I probably never lost that,” he said.
“For me, it’s a thank you to many, many people who have helped me along the way.
“Not only the players who I played with, hopefully they see a bit of a reward in it too, but also the administrators and the day-to-day people who worked inside the footy club to make it what it was.”
The naming of the stand comes as the state government confirmed the $142m GMHBA Stadium redevelopment would be completed in time for the Cats’ round one Saturday night clash against St Kilda on March 16.
The Joel Selwood Stand is the cornerstone of the redevelopment.
Replacing the Ford Stand, it will hold 14,000 people and include a Gary Ablett Terrace on the ground level of the two-tiered stand.
It will also contain a new Fred Flanagan Room.
The announcement comes soon after it was revealed that the new northern entry point to Kardinia Park will be known as Djilang Plaza.
The process to name the stand started last year when the state government sought ideas via its Engage Victoria website.
The Kardinia Park Stadium Trust (KPST) managed the process on the government’s behalf and chief executive Gerard Griffin said it became quickly apparent that Selwood’s name would be hard to top.
The decision was formalised by the KPST board and signed off by Sports Minister Steve Dimopoulos.
Mr Griffin said while it was unusual for such an honour to be bestowed on someone so young, the KPST wanted to “get ahead of the curve”.
“An unbelievable record on the field and an extremely fine human being off the field – it’s a pretty good package to name a stand after,” he said.
“It’s going to take a remarkable player to match his record and what he’s got on his CV, simply in playing terms – premierships, the record amount of games, finals – it’s a phenomenal record in the history of AFL/VFL football.
“The other part of the story that is so strong is the character we are talking about and the upstanding citizen he is.”
