WHAT does the year ahead hold in Ballarat sport? The Courier sports editor DAVID BREHAUT takes an A-Z look at what’s in store for our sporting community in 2015.
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AFL – Western Bulldogs begin a new venture into Ballarat, extending their heartland beyond Melbourne’s western suburbs and into the broader region of Western Victoria. The Bulldogs will begin the push west in earnest with their first community camp in Ballarat on March 4-5 and then play Melbourne in a NAB Challenge match at Eureka Stadium on March 14. The Bulldogs have already played a couple of pre-season games in Ballarat, but on those occasions met North Melbourne, which was then firmly entrenched in a Ballarat partnership, making the Bulldogs the “away” team. This time, Ballarat will be their own patch.
BALLARAT CUP – Ballarat Turf Club last year realised a long-term ambition of a Saturday “stand-alone” Ballarat Cup. It was close to a decade in the making, with the Cup moving from a midweek two-day carnival to a one-day midweek event, and then to a Sunday before being metropolitan race day standing. With more than $1 million in stake money, the Saturday Cup day was a resounding success. Racing Victoria has already locked in the Cup for a Saturday this year. It is a day that will only get bigger and better.
CYCLING – The Cycling Australia Road National Championships has already spearheaded what will be another busy year in cycling in Ballarat. The nationals is the biggest sports event in the city, attracting more than 30,000 people over three days of competition, including 20,000 for the men’s road race at Buninyong. The world- class event remains as strong as ever, reinforced by a new free-to-air television deal. On the cycling scene, there is still more to come, too, with the Tour of the Goldfields in the women’s National Road Series on October 23-25 another headline event.
DOGS – Ballarat Greyhound Racing Club continues to be an industry leader, just as its fellow racing bodies in the city – Ballarat Turf Club and Ballarat and District Trotting Club – are. Like its counterparts, the BGRC has a racing circuit second to none in Australia, thanks to major redevelopments in the past few years.
EMMA Stewart – Ballarat has the distinction of being a leader in many sporting fields. Harness racing is no exception, with trainer Emma Stewart among the best of her profession in Australia. Stewart has already had many career highlights with a string of group 1 and other feature wins, but 2015 shapes up as her biggest year, with two of Australasia’s most exciting pacers, Guaranteed and Philadelphia Man, in her stable and with the potential to dominate the biggest races of them all, such as the Victoria and Hunter cups and the Interdominion.
FOOTBALL (aka soccer) – What a year it was for the sport in 2014. The completion of the first stage of the multimillion-dollar Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility, which in turn brought A-league powerhouses Melbourne City and Sydney FC for an FFA Cup tie; Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City for practice games; and, ultimately, Bahrain for an Asian Cup training camp. Then to launch the new year, Bahrain met Jordan in a friendly at the venue in a historic international for the city. All this is a big act to follow, but with such a facility it is a model that must continue to be built on this year.
G– AFL GOLDFIELDS Commission – It moves into the second year of its 2014-18 strategic plan, spelt out in a comprehensive 46-page document. The commission is a relatively new body and so far has worked quietly behind the scenes. This promises to be particularly significant for the commission as it works with AFL Victoria’s “Player Payments Working Party” to assist with the introduction of a statewide player points system and any other programs identified to assist with arresting the increasing cost of player payment for clubs. A trial is planned for this year.
HIS name is Eric HAYES, and he always seemed destined to take the reins as head coach of Ballarat’s elite men’s basketball team, the Miners. Hayes is one of the Miners’ and South East Australian Basketball League all-time great players, and, since bringing down the curtain on his 462-game career in 2007, he has never been too far away from the scene. What a story it would be if Hayes could lead the Miners back to the top.
IRONMAN – Ironman 70.3 Ballarat added another dimension to the Ballarat sporting calendar last year and will only get bigger. This is already a truly international event, as well as catering for those very much at the social/participation end of the sport. There are few opportunities for swimming in Lake Wendouree, but this was one even though competitors had to be managed carefully to ensure they were able to handle the water and air temperatures of an early Ballarat morning.
JUNIOR sport – The biggest plus for junior sport in Ballarat is the continued improvement in facilities. The development of new tennis courts, upgrades to the baseball complex, an ongoing refurbishment of playing surfaces (Wendouree being the latest), a proposed new multisport indoor facility for the likes of basketball and netball, and the construction of a new 50-metre swimming pool. All these and other projects can only make sport for juniors more attractive and the city better equipped to develop our young talent.
KANGAROOS – North Melbourne’s partnership with the City of Ballarat came to a sudden end last year. Now, the last close link with the Kangaroos-North Ballarat Roosters’ VFL/AFL alignment is in its last year on the ground. The Kangaroos will always hold a special place in Ballarat’s sporting history, being an integral part of three consecutive VFL premierships with North Ballarat from 2008.
LAKE WENDOUREE – Ballarat’s biggest sports hub is a haven for various water sports as well as the backdrop for many others. The inaugural Ironman 70.3 Ballarat was a great addition last year to an extensive rowing schedule, together with canoeing, yachting and angling utilising the water. Then there are any number of sporting events on the banks, as there have always been. The Athletics Victoria XCR Series 15-kilometre road race will continue to be one of these events this year.
MULTI-PURPOSE sports stadium – Ballarat is on the way to getting a facility that will not only give sports such as basketball and netball more court space, but will allow these sports and others to have a complex attracting more events of state and national standings, and even to push harder into the international market. While there is still much lobbying required to attract the funding to realise the ultimate dream, the project will go ahead.
NORTH Ballarat City – A third-consecutive Ballarat Football League senior premiership is the target for North Ballarat City. Sunbury was the last team to achieve the feat – in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Before that it was the North Ballarat Roosters in 1994, 1995 and 1996, with that run ending when it withdrew from the competition to focus on the VFL.
ORREN Stephenson – The Big O is back with North Ballarat in the VFL after three years in the AFL. Stephenson was one of the great stories of the AFL national draft when Geelong plucked the mature-age ruckman for the 2012 season. He stayed with the Cats for one year before being picked up by Richmond for 2013 and 2014. Having the veteran back is a boost for the Roosters.
PROFESSIONAL running – Ballarat remains to the fore. The Ballarat Gift will once again be one of the biggest meets on the Victorian Athletic League circuit, with a two-day meet on February 7-8. Securing young sprint sensation Jake Hale for the gift is a coup and ensures the Ballarat Athletic Club remains to the fore of the sport.
QUOITS – Ballarat remains a stronghold of the sport in Australia, with a strong domestic competition and ongoing prominence in nationals. Certainly something different in the field of sport.
ROWING – The sport which in 1956 made Ballarat an Olympic city is well and truly back in a big way on Lake Wendouree. The world masters last year put the final polish on the sport’s return after a decade of drought. Ballarat had state and national regattas in the lead-up to the worlds, but they were the icing on the cake. There will be the usual rowing events on the lake this year, but Ballarat’s next target is to bring the nationals back. It is surely just a matter of time.
SOVEREIGNS – Can Ballarat finally make an impression in the Victorian Netball League? Pride tried and, unfortunately, was unable to get the pass mark it required to avoid being squeezed out of the competition. Ballarat was fortunate that a new group was able to put together a successful application to fill the vacancy left by Pride’s departure. Now the pressure is on Sovereigns to do what Pride could not. It will not be easy, but for the long-term benefit of netball in Ballarat it needs to be successful. That does not mean premierships, but it does mean being more competitive.
TENNIS – When it comes to marquee events, tennis has taken off in the city in the past few years. Mount Prospect Tennis Association did well to bring the inter-regionals to its Creswick courts for two years. And then, on the open circuit, Ballarat became the home of the Ballarat Gold AMT at the end of the year and Ballarat Regional JT Championship, which Tennis Australia will bring back in April.
ULTIMATE frisbee and rugby UNION – What these sports emphasise is the diversity of sport in Ballarat. Both are working hard to firm up a niche in a highly competitive sporting market in the city. It is not easy, but there is a place for all and sundry. What Ballarat does have is plenty of open space to cater for whatever someone is prepared to have a go at.
VICTORIAN Women’s Football League – When looking to sports on the way up, this is one organisation that is certainly growing. The VWFL revamped itself last year, with Redan and Golden Point forming senior teams. With the growth of youth girls football, there is one way for senior women’s football to go and that’s up.
W – Darren WEIR – What a year 2014 was for the Ballarat thoroughbred horse trainer. He has risen from humble beginnings in Victoria’s northern Mallee to winning his first national and Melbourne metropolitan premierships. He answered almost every challenge thrown at him, but the biggest challenge as we enter a new year is staying at the top. That can be harder than getting there. Weir continues to make the running as one of Australia’s most prolific winning trainers, but what he now needs to do to move into the same realm as the likes of Chris Waller and Gai Waterhouse is to produce more group 1 winners. That’s easier said than done, but that’s the challenge ahead.
X-FACTOR – What does this mean? It can mean anything you like. I’ll just pose the question. What will be the X-factor in Ballarat sport this year? Will we have a national or world champion come from left-field? Will a team come from nowhere to secure a title? Will there be a bonus for the sporting community no one saw coming or, at the other end of the scale, a controversy or drama no one wants to see? We’ll just have to wait on this.
Y – Duer YOA – Ballarat has a grand distance running tradition. Tony Benson, Steve Moneghetti, Shane Nankervis and Collis Birmingham have been headliners. Yoa has the potential this year to take his biggest steps so far. He is already a national champion and has represented Australian on the track and in cross-country. This could and should be the year he makes his mark in the biggest way yet.
ZEST – After a lot of thought, this is the best I can come up with to wrap it up. This is a quality with which most people approach their chosen sports. Ballarat is no exception.
david.brehaut@fairfaxmedia.com.au