Windy Hill Redevelopment

The Victorian

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 23, 2018
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SPORT AND COMMUNITY - IMPROVED FACILITIES FOR ALL
  • Windy Hill would become a new premier home for female football in Victoria and the match-day home of the Essendon AFLW, VFLW and VFL teams (subject to the satisfactory relocation of existing tenants)

  • Improved facilities for the Essendon Cricket Club (ECC) and Essendon Bowls Club (EBC) at upgraded sites within the municipality (subject to agreement by those clubs, the confirmation of an appropriate site, approval of designs, council planning endorsement and necessary funding commitments being achieved)

  • Establishment of a new multi-purpose community sports centre

  • New soft-play areas and casual meeting spaces for children, families and local schools

  • Creation of new areas of open parklands to deliver recreation spaces for community events

  • Refurbished grandstands for improved spectator viewing, new oval lighting, scoreboard, four unisex changerooms and public café facilities

  • Reshaping, expansion and resurfacing of the Windy Hill ground in line with elite standards

  • Increased training and playing capacity for community football, particularly the 35 community clubs of the Essendon District Football League (EDFL)

  • Relocation of the Windy Hill Venue (subject to planning approval) with the opportunity to develop an integrated community hub in its place

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WINDY HILL PRECINCT REDEVELOPMENT - STAGE 1
Windy Hill precinct redevelopment would occur in two stages, with the first focused on facilities delivering sporting outcomes from community to professional levels.

Stage 1 of the development would enable Windy Hill to become the new match-day home for the Bombers’ AFLW team (set to enter the competition in 2022) as well as existing VFLW and VFL teams.

Year-round access will be provided for community football as well as opportunities for further integration through AFL talent pathways and other development programs for girls and boys (subject to reaching appropriate agreement and meeting the necessary planning and funding requirements with relevant stakeholders).

To enable this once-in-a-generation opportunity for the community, important improvements will be undertaken across the site, including:

  • Four new (unisex) changerooms

  • Improved administration offices for the EDFL

  • Refurbished match-day social club and function areas

  • Installation of new oval lighting and digital scoreboard

  • Public café and refurbishment of a number of original grandstands to improve the spectator experience and honour the rich history of the site

  • New open and accessible parkland areas will also be developed to support physical recreation and community events across the site
The vision contemplates planning for improved facilities for the Essendon Cricket Club (ECC). Opportunities are currently being explored with ECC, in conjunction with MVCC, to realise a significant opportunity to create a new home for ECC within the municipality on a single site, subject to broad community and stakeholder engagement, detailed planning and funding approvals being achieved.

Should these milestones be achieved, this would deliver contemporary facilities befitting premier cricket use, relieve the current constraints of aged facilities at Windy Hill (including a lack of player and spectator amenity), appropriately recognise the long-standing history and importance to community, and unify ECC at a single site.

As a further significant opportunity for the precinct, during this stage EFC will pursue the relocation of the Windy Hill Venue to a new site (subject to relevant council, planning and regulatory approvals). In its place would provide further capacity for community-related services on site.

WINDY HILL PRECINCT REDEVELOPMENT - STAGE 2
Stage 2 of the vision is focused on further enhancing facilities for the community, including:

  • A multi-sport community sports centre, along with new children’s outdoor play areas and other sporting amenities such as a synthetic training track

  • Improved and relocated facilities for the Essendon Bowls Club (EBC). Opportunities are being explored with EBC, in conjunction with MVCC, for development of a Bowls ‘super centre’ within the municipality, with synthetic greens sheltered by domes to enable play throughout the year
Realising the full vision is estimated to cost in excess of $50 million, which includes establishing new facilities for ECC and EBC, but excludes costs associated with the relocation of the Windy Hill Venue.
 
Aug 14, 2011
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Hopefully they realise that a permanent fence needs to be erected around the playing field as I can tell you, as a Sturt supporter whose club had to put-up and take down temporary fencing around the field for many years on match day, the costs add up!
 

acm21

Club Legend
May 7, 2019
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losing the traditional old grandstands I presume ? Like most of the other grounds.
Only one stand is going from what I've heard. The side which houses the hird stand will be retained)

The difference between windy Hill and Alberton is that the training for the afl/w and vfl/w teams will not be at the venue (its just game day and local league). It's going to be difficult to find alternative venues for both the cricket and bowls clubs (I feel the bowls team will be harder to move, with the cricket club already being split between another venue). Interesting (and inevitable) that the club house will be looking to move, looked very old and run down in the last video I saw of it.
 
Every club does it. A good portion of the money will be more focused on community sport and the clubs that use the facilities already.

Oh yeah, it isn't a criticism of the Bombers. It is the established model now.

It does prove that to an extent the "size" of a club doesn't matter that much in real terms any more.

Where exactly can bigger clubs spend their cash to create on an onfield advantage these days?

Gone are the days when the Bombers had world class training facilities while North had portables etc
 
Aug 14, 2011
44,794
16,853
Trafalgar
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
Mclaren Mercedes F1
Oh yeah, it isn't a criticism of the Bombers. It is the established model now.

It does prove that to an extent the "size" of a club doesn't matter that much in real terms any more.

Where exactly can bigger clubs spend their cash to create on an onfield advantage these days?

Gone are the days when the Bombers had world class training facilities while North had portables etc

I do remember Collingwood wanting the facility all for themself & out went the VIS:

Do AFL clubs actually share?
 

acm21

Club Legend
May 7, 2019
2,683
1,379
AFL Club
Essendon
I do remember Collingwood wanting the facility all for themself & out went the VIS:

Do AFL clubs actually share?
Melbourne do, same as essendon with Western United and the paralympics. Sydney also have some facilities with the roosters and at one point atleast the netball. I don't think Olympic Park is actually very big and they would use the oval alot which doesn't really work.
 
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