BALLARAT Council has ramped up its case to win funding from the Federal Government for its biggest project to date aimed at turning the revamped Eureka Stadium into a major events precinct.A new business case developed by consultants Ernst and Young will be used by council in its submission to the Regional Development Australia Fund including data that AFL home and away games have the potential to bring millions of dollars in direct and flow-on economic benefit to Ballarat. The report has outlined a $17.8million events and exhibition space and a $25 million upgrade of Eureka stadium to seat 14,000 as the highest priorities of the staged $80 million project to overhaul the North Ballarat oval and showgrounds site. While council has released figures on the economic benefits of the exhibition space, the new calculations indicate a capacity crowd of 19,500 at the upgraded stadium could also generate about $2.4 million per game in value-added benefits. The business case is based on two scenarios where Ballarat would host three or five home-and-away AFL games reaping as much as $13 million per year in direct and flow-on benefits. Council chief executive officer Anthony Schinck said the key to the case for Eureka Stadium was showing not only that it had broad community benefits but could ensure good economic return. "We wanted to have another look specifically at the economic impact and ensure we had accurate and defensible numbers in terms of bringing AFL to Ballarat,'' Mr Schinck said. He remained confident Ballarat could replicate the lucrative Launceston and Skilled Stadium models of AFL economic return but said a combined events and AFL precinct in Ballarat would ensure its success. "We also want to make sure this is an all-year round and all-purpose event precinct.'' Mr Schinck said council would look to share the cost with federal and state governments and other stakeholders but was now focusing on meeting the criteria of the RDAF which offered a maximum of $25 million in contributions. He said with council approval, they will be working towards making a submission for the second round of funding before the end of the year, with a second Canberra meeting scheduled for next month.Follow @ballaratcourier