Cats to give up on home final bid
NEW Geelong chief executive Steve Hocking has parked the club’s persistent lobbying for a home final at GMHBA Stadium despite the old Kardinia Park’s new 40,000-seat capacity by 2023.
Hocking said in his first extensive interview as Cats chief executive he would not waste time pushing the AFL on what is seemingly a futile mission.
Former Cats president Colin Carter was furious at the AFL for its failure to hand the club a home-ground advantage in finals, with coach Chris Scott also upset at the doublestandard with non-Victorian venues.
But Hocking said that push would now end despite the stage 5 development handing the city a venue third only to the MCG and Marvel Stadium for seating capacity in Melbourne.
“In my time as CEO at Geelong that will be an AFL decision,” he said.
“I am not sure it’s a departure, I have an opportunity to support the AFL, we are part of a big ecosystem. And we will play our role within that. That is our duty but at the same time making sure all of our members get access to outstanding games at GMHBA Stadium.
“We are going to have the third biggest stadium in the state, which we will all welcome in Geelong.”
At some stage over the next two years capacity at GMHBA Stadium will be reduced to 26,000 fans depending on the speed of the works but Hocking said it would more likely be in the 2023 season.
“It’s going to complete the stadium. Hopefully you get a sense of how excited we are about stage five. Talk about a legacy piece. It will be a fully
completed stadium and a jewel in the region.
“It’s going to afford the whole of Geelong a range of different events. We are committed to nine games at GMHBA Stadium.”
The newly finished facility will also mean the Cats pursue an alternative training facility for the AFL and AFLW teams given a range of events including the Big Bash over summer.
The Cats could attempt to find something in the Kardinia Park precinct or solidify their relationship with Deakin University, where they sometimes train when GMHBA Stadium is not available.
Hocking is also keen to fasttrack the club’s AFLW team into a full-time professional side, aware clubs need to explore ways to help their players.
“We have to be really strong on that.
“I came through an era whereby I was semi-professional and it was really difficult. It’s not lost on me.
“I ran a bricklaying and landscaping business through that period (when he played 199 games for Geelong) and it’s even harder now.
“So as a club, we can’t continue to look at the AFL to be leading on that.”