The agreement struck between the two parties last year received a massive shot in the arm when an estimated 2500-plus turned out to see a Kangaroos intra-club practice match at Eureka Stadium Ballarat on Wednesday night.

The crowd had all parties kicking up their heels.

If this number are prepared to see the Kangaroo players line up against each other, what sort of crowd will an AFL pre-season challenge match in Ballarat on Saturday, March 6, attract?

Exactly who lines up in that clash will not be known until after the second round of the pre-season cup.

The Kangaroos will return to Ballarat if they are an early loser in the competition.

If Ballarat is to achieve its ultimate goal of having AFL matches played for premiership points in the city, just as Launceston in Tasmania does with Hawthorn, it must win over the AFL.

The attendance on Wednesday night is certainly a good starting point.

If Ballarat can show it can pull crowds of close to 10,000 to pre-season matches, it will also make a strong case in persuading the AFL and all levels of government to develop infrastructure to cater for such attendances at Eureka Stadium.

Regional centres throughout Queensland and New South Wales (Cairns, Townsville, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Central Coast and Wollongong) have stadiums that cater for national football codes _ rugby league and soccer _ and international fixtures.

Geelong's Skilled Stadium is Victoria's only sports stadium of note outside Melbourne.

Now with North Melbourne as a catalyst, Ballarat can not only become the Kangaroos' second home, but also an opportunity to build a case to acquire a major sports facility, which is available for various elite sporting events.