THE head of the A-League has thrown his support behind bringing matches to Ballarat, provided Morshead Park gains an additional grandstand.
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A-League boss Damien de Bohun said if the Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility was upgraded to a 10,000 capacity stadium, the city would be in with a genuine chance of hosting A-League matches.
Ballarat hosted an FFA Cup knockout match between Melbourne City and Sydney FC in July which attracted almost 3000 people, but the city is yet to host an A-League match for premiership points.
De Bohun was at that match and said there was clear interest from supporters that would warrant an A-League game in Ballarat, if facilities allowed.
The A-League chief called on the government and the City of Ballarat to invest further into the facility to create an opportunity for A-League games to hit regional Victoria.
“I can’t see why FFA-sanctioned matches could not be played in Ballarat if the stadium held on or close to 10,000 people”, de Bohun told The Courier.
“As the competitions continue their growth into the mainstream of Australian sport, we will also continue to look for new locations to host matches during the pre-season or regular season.
“As I said publicly on the night to the people who were gathered for the FFA Cup match, it was clear to me that the Ballarat stadium was a great platform upon which the region could build an excellent boutique football stadium.”
De Bohun said an additional grandstand on the Pleasant Street side of Morshead Park would most likely make Ballarat a suitable venue for Australia’s top brand of soccer.
“In order to be able to host matches of this nature, the capacity of the stadium would need to accommodate approximately 10,000 fans,” he said.
“My understanding based on discussions with football people in Ballarat is that this could be achieved by building a second grandstand on the Pleasant Street side of the stadium, housing media and corporate facilities, seating and community offices.
“A development of this nature in Ballarat would undoubtedly see it being one of the pre-eminent football venues in Victoria.”
De Bohun would not comment on Ballarat Red Devils chairman Duncan Smith’s push to bring a permanent A-League team to Ballarat.
patrick.nolan@fairfaxmedia.com.au
