BALLARAT residents will receive their first chance to get a glimpse of the new-look Eureka Stadium this Friday night when the North Ballarat Roosters take on Geelong under lights.
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The Roosters first hit-out on home turf will be played on a brand new surface under new lights. The lights were installed in March and will brighten the ground to the VFL standard of 300 lux
The ground’s dimensions have also been changed in order to improve spectator viewing of the stadium. While the old surface covered the same area as the MCG, the new ground is closer to Etihad Stadium in dimensions.
The goalposts have also been moved, with the new goals at the Creswick Road end being placed closer to the current club rooms and the posts on the far side now directly in front of the score board.
Roosters coach Marc Greig said while the VFL side would take some time to get used to the new ground, the new-look stadium offered immeasurable opportunities for Ballarat in the long term.
“We’ll have to learn to play on it and adjust to the wind changes,” Greig said.
“But for the older guys the hardest adjustment will be the goals.”
Perhaps the most noticeable change for spectators will be the newly-built hill which sits on the Howitt Street end of the ground.
While cars will no longer be allowed inside the ground, North Ballarat chief executive Mark Patterson said he hoped families would venture to the ground with chairs and rugs to enjoy the view from the hill.
“It’s a very exciting time for the club and for Ballarat,” Patterson said.
“It’s just amazing to think that we have an AFL quality facility here for the VFL to play on.
“Friday night footy particularly early in the season is something I think we should push for, so I encourage Ballarat people to come out and have a look at what should be a really high quality game.”
By the end of 2016 construction of the grandstand will be competed, which will see the seating capacity for the stadium extended to 11,000 in preparation for the two home-and-away matches the Western Bulldogs will play in Ballarat in 2017.
The existing stand will also be completely overhauled, with new seating to be installed which will push right up to the ground’s fence, and the walkway to be relocated to behind the seating.
Infrastructure has also been installed in the middle of the ground to allow a drop-in cricket pitch, meaning the ground could possibly be used for one-off cricket matches in the future.
Greig said he believed in the next five years the ground had the potential to hold crowd favourite events such as the Big Bash 20/20 cricket, as well as more AFL fixtures. “You’ve got to have vision,” Greig said.
The main ground is not the only part of the precinct to receive a revamp, with the number two oval also being redeveloped.
The second oval is the same surface and dimension as the main ground, and will utilise the lights previously located on Eureka Stadium.
