Western Bulldogs and their partnership with Ballarat a success

[lachy]

Different capacity, but games were played at the G in the 1991 season with the old Southern Stand completely demolished and new one not completed until early 1992 for ICC World Cup. Lots of televised games featured blue coats strategically placed to retrieve balls that went over the fence, and some balls were irretrievable if they went into hazardous areas. (And why the 1991 Batmobile GF was played at Waverley.)

But I agree, 5,000 capacity, with the same construction in line of sight for both game telecasts this year, is an 'interesting' decision. But the AFL as we all know is nothing if not enamoured of 'interesting' decisions...

It has and always will be an issue. Capacity is too low for regular season AFL games, but we need the funds and can reassess in 2027.

I am going to the first game, away for the second. Though not a fan of our Ballarat games at all, will always try to get to as many games as possible. Travelling to Canberra next weekend.

 

[Hoges64]

If absolutely nothing else, the place is becoming a very happy hunting ground for us.

 

[Here we go dogs]

So what will the stadium capacity get to post the upgrades?

I think we should want this to be around the 15k mark.

I’d of been close to every game there. There is only one that sticks out that wasn’t close to full and it was negative degrees.

 

[RWnBluey]

So what will the stadium capacity get to post the upgrades?

I think we should want this to be around the 15k mark.

I’d of been close to every game there. There is only one that sticks out that wasn’t close to full and it was negative degrees.

Think I read 10k seating plus 2k standing. Hopefully someone else can chime in to confirm or deny that.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

Source here

….”The project will see the premier regional venue receive 5,000 new permanent seats, raising the overall seated capacity to 10,000 (the venue’s total capacity will remain at approximately 11,000 inclusive of the additional 5,000 seats). New seats also mean more amenities and more food and beverage options to continue to improve the spectator experience at the venue.”…

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

Think I read 10k seating plus 2k standing. Hopefully someone else can chime in to confirm or deny that.

Roogal used to be the expert but seems to have left BF

 

[lachy]

Source here

….”The project will see the premier regional venue receive 5,000 new permanent seats, raising the overall seated capacity to 10,000 (the venue’s total capacity will remain at approximately 11,000 inclusive of the additional 5,000 seats). New seats also mean more amenities and more food and beverage options to continue to improve the spectator experience at the venue.”…

It will be more comfortable but still have a low capacity for AFL games. Mirror the 2 new stands behind the goals and have a 15,000 all seat capacity should be the long term aim to get something more than just money from the arrangement

 

[LondonBulldog]

So does anyone know what the capacity of the ground will be after the stands. Surely not 11k! Why didn't they build the new stand back from the fence and adds some further standing to increase the capacity of the ground. Or are they going to at least build a standing terrace behind the goals?

Ballarat needs to be 20k minimum for it to allow for expected growth of fans in the region, otherwise why bother.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

So does anyone know what the capacity of the ground will be after the stands. Surely not 11k! Why didn't they build the new stand back from the fence and adds some further standing to increase the capacity of the ground. Or are they going to at least build a standing terrace behind the goals?

Ballarat needs to be 20k minimum for it to allow for expected growth of fans in the region, otherwise why bother.

I think we're trying to turn it in a premium venue of sorts where a higher proportion of the attendees are paying $60+ for a ticket or whatever.

 

[Ratdweller]

So does anyone know what the capacity of the ground will be after the stands. Surely not 11k! Why didn't they build the new stand back from the fence and adds some further standing to increase the capacity of the ground. Or are they going to at least build a standing terrace behind the goals?

Ballarat needs to be 20k minimum for it to allow for expected growth of fans in the region, otherwise why bother.

I think that it will be 12,000. The main purpose of the new stands is to establish the template for eventual construction of two more stands (one at the scoreboard end and one which will be an extention of the existing Eastern Stand). Those additions would bring seated capacity to about 15-16,000 at some point in the future. That is what was discussed with Development Victoria and City Council reps at an information session last July. Anything beyond that would involve major reconstruction of the Sports Club. Although nobody is expecting any significant ground expansion beyond the current construction works for a considerable time. The Council have recently suggested that the next stages of development in the next few years will likely focus on the surrounds, including eventual rebuilding the Midland Highway to duel carriageway with an emphasis on parking and bus drop points, upgrading the stadium's lighting and continued lobbying for establishment of a train platform in the vicinity of the stadium.

 

[LondonBulldog]

I think that it will be 12,000. The main purpose of the new stands is to establish the template for eventual construction of two more stands (one at the scoreboard end and one which will be an extention of the existing Eastern Stand). Those additions would bring seated capacity to about 15-16,000 at some point in the future. That is what was discussed with Development Victoria and City Council reps at an information session last July. Anything beyond that would involve major reconstruction of the Sports Club. Although nobody is expecting any significant ground expansion beyond the current construction works for a considerable time. The Council have recently suggested that the next stages of development in the next few years will likely focus on the surrounds, including eventual rebuilding the Midland Highway to duel carriageway with an emphasis on parking and bus drop points, upgrading the stadium's lighting and continued lobbying for establishment of a train platform in the vicinity of the stadium.

So we can play Adelaide at Ballarat and get 12k or we can play them at Marvel and get 41k (this year) day game, full of families enjoying the day. No brainer really, get out of the Ballarat deal asap. Have a preseason game up there each year.

 

[Ratdweller]

So we can play Adelaide at Ballarat and get 12k or we can play them at Marvel and get 41k (this year) day game, full of families enjoying the day. No brainer really, get out of the Ballarat deal asap. Have a preseason game up there each year.

I don't know what you're moaning about. Consider the "Gather Round" which we are all forced to play in South Australia where two thirds of the Victorian teams are made to play at the significantly archaic, oddly shaped and 10,000 capacity Norwood Oval or at pop up facilities in the Adelaide hills. Yet nobody seems to complain about that! Outside the major State Capital cities AFL games rarely pull crowds of more than 12,000 with Geelong being the exception. Average attendance figures for Hobart, Darwin, Canberra, Cairns and Launceston are between 11,000 to 12,000. In Hobart the figures have regularly been as low as 6,000.

We luckily play 2 (only two) generously sponsored home games per season 90 minutes from Melbourne's CBD or 70 minutes from the Whitten Oval at a modern facility which has been developed specifically to support the future growth and development of our club. Other Melbourne based clubs with similar membership numbers to ours, who have similar Marvel Stadium home game attendance figures as ours, are forced to play 2-3 sponsored home games interstate at venues that are as small or smaller than Mars Stadium, that are less modern and less spectator friendly. When you throw venues like Alice Springs and Bunbury into the mix, I don't know aout anybody else but I know which arrangement I prefer.

I wouldn't get too wrapped up over Adelaide. After all, only two seasons ago they were on the bottom of the ladder and we would lose money playing them in front of 25,000 at Marvel. The AFL can't predict the future form of certain teams when they are doing the next season fixtures each November.

 

[LondonBulldog]

I don't know what you're moaning about. Consider the "Gather Round" which we are all forced to play in South Australia where two thirds of the Victorian teams are made to play at the significantly archaic, oddly shaped and 10,000 capacity Norwood Oval or at pop up facilities in the Adelaide hills. Yet nobody seems to complain about that! Outside the major State Capital cities AFL games rarely pull crowds of more than 12,000 with Geelong being the exception. Average attendance figures for Hobart, Darwin, Canberra, Cairns and Launceston are between 11,000 to 12,000. In Hobart the figures have regularly been as low as 6,000.

We luckily play 2 (only two) generously sponsored home games per season 90 minutes from Melbourne's CBD or 70 minutes from the Whitten Oval at a modern facility which has been developed specifically to support the future growth and development of our club. Other Melbourne based clubs with similar membership numbers to ours, who have similar Marvel Stadium home game attendance figures as ours, are forced to play 2-3 sponsored home games interstate at venues that are as small or smaller than Mars Stadium, that are less modern and less spectator friendly. When you throw venues like Alice Springs and Bunbury into the mix, I don't know aout anybody else but I know which arrangement I prefer.

I wouldn't get too wrapped up over Adelaide. After all, only two seasons ago they were on the bottom of the ladder and we would lose money playing them in front of 25,000 at Marvel. The AFL can't predict the future form of certain teams when they are doing the next season fixtures each November.

I understand all the points, I go to Ballarat games and yes would prefer Ballarat over other options such as Darwin.

Yet I would prefer 9 home games at Marvel and 2 blockbusters at the MCG and if we want to continue to grow that should be the goal. To me the club will grow more that way and the Adeliade game just confirmed that for me. It was a wonderful, day, fan zone for kids, free giveaways, that's the sort of thing which grabs kids for life. It was such a good site to see so many bulldog families at marvel after playing so many night games. Thats growth, not playing in smaller venues in regional centres where if they love the dogs it and hour and 15 mins train ride straight to southern cross anyway. yes support the regional, go to school play a preseason game there, but that should be it in my view.

I understand everyone's got different views on this topic as well.

 

[Ratdweller]

Mars Stadium update from Saturday 16th August. It was bitterly cold. I watched the North Ballarat (Roosters) v the Sebastopol (Burras) and had an opportunity to take a couple of photos. All of the main seating support framework for rows 10-30 is in place for the first (Eastern) stand. When completed the lower sections will have eight regular terraced seating rows between the boundary and the concourse that separates the upper seating that will be supported by the framework. A ninth seating row will be on the concourse for people with disabilities. The shape of the stand and framework indicates that the upper sections will comprise eleven rows of seating at the edges to 20 rows in the centre of each stand.

They are definitely prioritising the first stand with the second stand still a few weeks away from rising above the ground. I am guessing that the builders have been told to at least have one stand completed for usage by February next year. This is because there is a Freestyle Kings Motocross and BMX Show being held there on 15th February. The last such show two years ago drew a crowd of 9000. Having the first stand completed by then would give the ground seating capacity for 7500.




The second stand will be erected from the edge of the concrete to the right of the steelwork and extend around the boundary to the edge of the green toilet block which has been presently annexed by construction crews.

 

[Ratdweller]

1 Million Pats Later, it's time for Caesar to finally hang up his leash and make way for his mate "Sunny":

 

[Ratdweller]

Images at Mars Stadium taken yesterday. They started assembling the base framework for the second stand last Monday.




How the above image will appear several months from now. But I am guessing that women won't be wearing high heels to the footy

 

[Ratdweller]

Concrete for seating now being installed on the first stand and the spread of the Southern Stand revealed. The Southern Stand is exactly four - five weeks behind construction pace of the Eastern Stand. The concrete crew were boring holes around the front of the stands on Friday and pouring concrete for the footings for the front eight rows of seating. Behind the stands, the ground works to completely level the athletics site have been completed and the foundations for the athletics pavilion have been completed. The favourable weather this Winter helped to get things moving much faster than anticipated. Although the weather is now starting to fall into a more traditional Spring pattern with regular showers almost every day. Pretty normal for Ballarat at this time of year although it shouldn't slow construction at the main stadium herein as 90% of remaining construction is now above ground.


Photo taken today Sunday 21st September. So far this is five and a half months of construction. The current belief from the staff at the North Ballarat Sports Club is that they will both be completed by March or April next year, which would allow for two games to be programmed for 2026 (Likely May and August). Perhaps later this year when the AFL announces next year's fixtures we might expect the AFL to go firm with a date for the August game and to provisionally name a date for an earlier season fixture, subject to the stadium being fully ready.

Photos below taken Tuesday 23rd September for the VLine Junior Cup.

 

[Ratdweller]

Today 12th October. All concrete has been fitted to stand 1, works are well underway to create the first eight rows in front of the new stands. All steel framework in place on stand 2 and concrete to start being fitted to it this week.

 

[Ratdweller]

The ground crew have started preparing the ground for the AFLW game on Sunday week:

 

[Pugz89]

#lawnporn right there. Turf looks fantastic!

 

[Ratdweller]

#lawnporn right there. Turf looks fantastic!

It was done up for some kind of media dog and pony show about half an hour after these photos were taken. But the ground is looking much better now since there has been no footy on it for the last three weeks.

 

[Ratdweller]

'Better than a Jumbotron': new upgrades at Mars Stadium announced

Ballarat's Mars Stadium will be fitted out with a larger videoboard, a new standing room embankment and extra changerooms to support double-header games, but construction isn't expected to finish before the end of the 2026 men's AFL season. These new upgrades to the city's premier sporting venue were confirmed on Friday, October 24, 2025, and will be completed as part of its ongoing redevelopment.

The stadium is currently undergoing the construction of a new 5000-seat grandstand on the Creswick Road side of the ground, which was intended to be completed for the now-cancelled 2026 Victorian Commonwealth Games.

City of Ballarat Mayor Tracey Hargreaves and Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison at MARS Stadium on October 24, 2025. Picture by Lachlan Bence

On Friday, Member for Wendouree Julianna Addison said the stadium would now also receive a 15-metre-wide scoreboard (twice as large as the previous board) at its southern end, with the old screen to be repurposed at the new neighbouring athletics track.

She also said the new screen would be adorned with artwork by Wadawurrung woman Dr Deanne Gilson. "It's going to be better than a Jumbotron," Ms Addison said. "This is going to be absolutely amazing. Everyone who comes here and looks at the scoreboard is going to see this beautiful Wadawurrung design, which is based off the shields that the Wadawurrung used."

Will Ballarat host AFL games in 2026?

However, Ms Addison also said the stadium wouldn't have full capacity reinstated to the public until late 2026, and she was unable to comment on how this would affect Ballarat's hosting of AFL games next year. In May 2025, the club's remaining AFL game against the Adelaide Crows was relocated to Melbourne after only 4,814 people were able to attend its round eight clash with Port Adelaide.

When asked if construction works would result in Ballarat missing out on AFL games again next year, Ms Addison would not comment.

 

[maddog37]

Cringe.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

Unfortunate for the Dogs but will still get paid sponsorship

 

[Ratdweller]

Cringe.

I agree with the cringe factor. This whole project has been about politics, Labor Party ideology and trying to squeeze votes from its inception. The Commonwealth Games was nothing more than a political stunt and when they were finally canned the reaction from businesses, councils and communities in Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Shepparton and Gippsland was palpable. They knew that they had been played for votes in the 2022 State Election. The compensatory upgrades that each of these locations are getting to sporting infrastructure are ALL coincidentally timed to be completed just one month out before the 2026 State Election. In true ALP fashion they can't do anything without a Welcome to Country, a Smoking Ceremony or Aboriginal art being incorporated. The truth is that the pace at which Mars Stadium is being completed ATM, they could easily have it ready in time for next year's AFL season, but it's all about politics and votes. So yes, it and other projects in Bendigo, Geelong and Gippsland won't be declared finished until the end of next years AFL season amid a flurry of welcome to country and smoking ceremonies with each venue adorned with local aboriginal art. Of course there will also be State Premier ("There's no crime problem in Melbourne", "Our State bail laws are toughest in the land", and "Victoria's regional roads are world class") Jacinta Allen's smiling face there to cut all of the ribbons at these venues just in time for the election campaign. That's politics!