Western Bulldogs hope to play either Adelaide or Greater Western Sydney in their first AFL home and away match at Ballarat’s Eureka Stadium next year.
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Either of these match-ups would be of blockbuster status, with all three clubs playing in this year’s finals series.
Bulldogs president Peter Gordon told AFL.com.au that the club would ask the AFL to schedule the game late in the 2017 season to ensure the stadium was in perfect shape for the historic encounter.
Construction on a grandstand and redevelopment of existing spectator facilities is in its formative stages.
Gordon said he hoped the five-year agreement between the club, the AFL and the state government to play games in Ballarat would turn into a 100-year commitment.
The Bulldogs will play one AFL game at the stadium next season and two games a season in the following years of the initial agreement.
"If the opponent is Adelaide, for example, we would be hoping to get people driving from Adelaide and increasing the tourist return for Ballarat,” Gordon said.
“We would be hoping for a strong local interest from the people in Ballarat and we would be hoping for our own supporters from Melbourne to turn up.
"That might produce a result where there is 13,000 [spectators] inside and 30,000 outside."