You don’t have to be a football lover to get excited about the development at Eureka Stadium. Not only does AFL games mark a milestone for a growing city but the model indicates substantial subsidiary economic benefit form all those who visit Ballarat for the first time. But the boost to the capacity of the area is not without its problems.
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A first issue will be transport to the ground. In order to make this as viable as possible, public transport must be a major part of the equation particularly for the thousands it is predicted and hoped will make the journey up from Melbourne. Public Transport Victoria should be alert to this opportunity and be planning with extra services to show just how good and rapid a commute to Ballarat can be. But that still leaves the shuffle at the far end. So far the council is keen to employ as many buses as possible but if we are talking a crowd of up to 10,000 of whom a fair percentage come from Melbourne this could rapidly descend into chaos. For a footy-going public used to a pleasant stroll across purpose-built bridges at Etihad or the MCG, this may not be the most pleasant of transfers. Many people will wonder why, with a functioning V/line track right at the Creswick Road oval’s doorstep, trains can’t make the extra 3km to Ballarat north. A dedicated platform to meet these trains is apparently part of the long-term plan but despite some complexities (ramps or temporary Myki machines) no one has yet seen fit to make it a priority. This is a pity because the invariable fallback for anyone wanting to avoid the hassle will be a car.
Anyone who has tried to find parking at a Central Highlands grand final will know what chaos Creswick Road turns into when the crowd at Eureka must rely predominantly on car transport. If the overflow down Howitt and surrounding streets is any indication many footy fans could be in for a very long walk. The showgrounds have been mooted as a temporary carpark and while this has worked well at past NAB games preliminary to the season, the largely grass space that caters well in a dry February may not be so suitable in a wet Ballarat winter.
Why is all this important? Because apart from inconveniencing a few footy fans one of the key reasons for investment in the centre was to encourage outside visitors and garner the economic benefit they bring. Initial impressions can be formative and the planning needs to be in place to ensure a first AFL game in Ballarat is not a traffic nightmare.
