New day dawns for sports precinct
THE UPGRADES TO KARDINIA PARK – ONCE A ZOO, A SPEEDWAY, A WADAWURRUNG MEETING SITE, AND NOW HOME OF THE CATS – WILL DELIVER NEW COMMUNITY OPTIONS
What is the history of the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust?
In January 2015, the state government announced its intention to establish the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust, a statutory authority established under its own act of parliament – the Kardinia Park Stadium Act 2016 – to oversee the development and operations of the stadium.
The trust, governed by a board of seven trustees, was established to administer, promote and manage the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust Land, more commonly known as GMHBA Stadium.
We proudly run the state’s largest regional stadium on behalf of the people of Victoria.
The Trust operates under the overarching objective of contributing to the economic, community and liveability benefits for the region that arise from the use of the stadium.
The Kardinia Park precinct that surrounds the 36,000-crowd capacity stadium is an icon of Geelong and is steeped in history.
Do the Trust’s obligations extend beyond the management of GMHBA Stadium?
As a community asset and as part of the trust’s mission we look to evolve, expand and enhance people’s experiences. Success for us comes when our fans and community members leave with valued memories.
The total direct economic contribution that the trust provides is $62.3m to the Victorian economy, along with 472 jobs.
The trust is committed to our ethical framework, which governs the work we do and includes a diversity and inclusion pillar.
The trust provides a range of services and initiatives that are designed to be inclusive and accessible to ensure greater engagement from our local and regional community.
The trust is a signatory to the
Geelong Regional Opportunities for
Work (GROW) compact to have a positive social impact in our region and to work with GROW and the Stage 5 builder, BESIX Watpac to ensure we meet the state government procurement policies for big builds.
What does stage 5 of the GMHBA Stadium redevelopment, now under way, entail?
The Stage 5 redevelopment will involve the construction of a 14,000 capacity, two-tier northern stand to replace the ageing Ford Stand and Ablett Terrace, which will increase the stadium’s capacity to more than 40,000, boosting Geelong’s ability to attract national and international events.
The new stand will include professional unisex change rooms and a home for the Geelong Cricket Club, including the creation of a regional cricket hub.
The $142m Stage 5 works will benefit hundreds of thousands of sports fans and users each year, especially those from Geelong and the Western District.
What will it mean for visitors to the ground?
Once the stand is completed, the visitor experience at GMHBA Stadium will be very different. A new Gate 1 will become the main entrance located in the Northern Plaza with gardens, trees and art installations for people as they arrive.
The increased capacity and versatility will attract further special events including large scale outdoor concerts and a variety of sporting codes to the stadium.
There will be a new Geelong Sports Museum, an inclusive, innovative, interactive space designed to appeal to lovers of sports aged from 8-80.
Has Kardinia Park long been an important meeting place for people in Geelong?
For almost 150 years, the Kardinia Park precinct has been a place of significance for the community.
Kardinia Park is on Wadawurrung Country; prior to the park becoming crown land in 1872 it was a place of meeting and significance for the Traditional Owners. “Kardinioo”, from which Kardinia comes, is the traditional Wadawurrung word for sunrise.
The precinct has operated under many guises, having been a zoo, a motorcycle speedway, a place for lakeside picnics, a home for cricket and now is fondly known as the home of the Geelong Cats.
Today, the precinct more broadly is the home for sport in Geelong, with activities occurring in the precinct most nights of the week and weekends for both elite and community sport.
How is the Trust honouring the region’s indigenous history?
The Trust is very proud that we are leading the way for state government sporting facilities with Kardinia Park’s first Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan endorsed by Reconciliation Australia in June 2021.
The Trust has commenced this journey and is forging some strong relationships with our local Traditional Owners and other like-minded regional organisations.
The Trust already works closely with the Geelong Football Club, a leader in this area for the AFL.
The trust is only five years old and we have achieved strong outcomes in this short period, our Reconciliation Action Plan being an important key project.
The Stage 5 redevelopment will bring with it many substantial cultural inclusions that are currently in planning.
These inclusions – the result of working closely with the Traditional Owners – will be of statewide significance.
How will the ground be better used over summer?
The summer season at GMHBA Stadium is a very busy time.
This is when the ground can show how versatile it is, being able to host many different sports and special entertainment events.
During Summer 2021-22 the trust will host two A-League games, two Big Bash League games and the famous Nitro Circus extreme sports spectacular, as well as AFLW.
In 2022, the stadium will be the only regional city to host matches for the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup.