An AFL Women’s match at Eureka Stadium during 2017 appears “unlikely” according to Western Bulldogs chief operating officer Michael Quinn.
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Quinn was in town on Friday for an official launch of the club’s 2017 Ballarat-based AFL game, which has been confirmed for round 22 on August 19 next year.
It has been fixtured against Port Adelaide and is poised to be the first AFL encounter for premiership points held at a Victorian regional venue other than Geelong since 1952.
In a story in The Courier during May, former Western Bulldogs chief executive Dave Stevenson said playing home games at Eureka Stadium was part of the club’s submission for an AFL Women’s team.
The Bulldogs have been granted one of eight inaugural licences into the 2017 competition.
Quinn said on top of the AFL game in 2017, the club would also love to play NAB Challenge and AFL Women’s fixtures at the venue.
“Obviously with construction of the ground, next year for NAB Challenge and women’s fixtures probably isn’t going to be possible, but we’ll be pushing the AFL and obviously dealing with stakeholders here around ground availability to try and make sure that’s a possibility in the future,” Quinn said.
The AFL is expected to released the 2017 AFL Women’s fixture next month, with the season set to run across February and March next year.
“Given current construction of the ground, I think it would be unlikely there would be a fixture here next year, but again we’ll be aggressively pushing for fixtures for NAB Challenge and women from 2018,” Quinn said.
“Obviously ground use and timing is a key factor, but we are committed to trying to put as much football on in Ballarat as we can and we’re very much one club with three teams, so if we can play women’s football up here, we definitely will.”
City of Ballarat director of development and planning Angelique Lush said that the construction of the new 5000-seat undercover grandstand at Eureka Stadium is progressing well and on track for completion in June next year.
“The facility will be unable to host a game with a significant crowd until construction of the grandstand is complete,” Lush said.
“The City of Ballarat is part of ongoing discussions with the state government, AFL and Western Bulldogs Football Club in relation to AFL games being played at Eureka Stadium.”
Western Bulldogs will be joined in the 2017 AFL Women’s season by the Adelaide Crows, Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle Dockers, GWS Giants and Melbourne.