FORMER Western Bulldogs captain Matthew Boyd says his club’s NAB Challenge match against Melbourne at Eureka Stadium will be the first big step to a successful expansion into the west.
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Speaking exclusively to The Courier on Tuesday, Boyd believes the encounter will set the ball rolling as the Dogs aim to establish a base at Eureka Stadium for 2015 and beyond.
“It’s going to give us a bit of a platform to launch into Ballarat post-2015,” Boyd said.
“It’s really exciting for us and gives the fans the opportunity to see us in action (in a game sense) for the first time.”
While not scheduled to play AFL premiership points matches in Ballarat until at least 2017, Boyd believes the club must start its push for relevance in Ballarat while it waits for the completion of Labor’s planned $31.5 million upgrade for Eureka Stadium.
Included in the upgrade is an increased stadium capacity of between 15,000 and 20,000.
The Bulldogs will leave for an intense, nine-day pre-season training camp on the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday.
After a month of solid training, the club will host a community camp in Ballarat from March 4-5, before squaring off against the Demons on March 16.
Boyd says the Dogs are keen to play all their home matches in Victoria after moving several of them interstate in recent seasons.
“We’ve had matches in Darwin, Cairns and Canberra in past seasons and there’s been a real push from the club to get those games back to Victoria,” he said.
“From what I remember, it’s (Eureka Stadium) a great ground to play and there will be some investment into upgrading it in the next few years.”
Tickets for the 2015 NAB Challenge will go on sale on Thursday.
The Bulldogs are encouraging all club members and the Ballarat public to pre-book a ticket for Eureka Stadium, with expectations that the match will sell out.
AFL and club access members are entitled to free entry to their team’s NAB Challenge matches this year.
“The great thing about the NAB format now is that a lot of the games are playing in regional areas and it’s a big opportunity for us to get out and play in front of Ballarat,” Boyd said.
“We’re the team of the west and we know we’ve got a lot of supporters in the Ballarat area.”
michael.pollock@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Roughead a ‘fantastic appointment’, page 38
