The school is offering a one-off chance to be a part of history by buying a white picket to form a new boundary fence.

The fence will permanently carry the engraved names of those who buy them.

St Patrick's director of development, Paul Nolan, said the picket offer was a unique opportunity to have a special piece of St Patrick's College history.

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"I can't think of any ovals in Ballarat with a white picket fence. It will be amazing for both football and cricket."

Mr Nolan said the sliding scale of prices depended on where the pickets were placed and offered a spot for a range of budgets.

"$200 will gain a picket on the outer wing, $500 a picket in a higher-traffic area, and $1000 a picket squarely in front of the grandstand."

The school said the aim is to raise $500,000 from the project. Long-time teacher and coach Howard Clark was thrilled with the plans for the oval.

"To own a picket, and to have your name as part of the oval, is really exciting," he said.

Mr Clark hoped that the parade of names on the fence will be a source of pride for many families and generations of students.

"Children and grandchildren will be taken back to the ground and share memories and links to the past." The school said the funds raised will go to an overhaul of the ground and its facilities, but the field's dimensions will remain the same.

Boggy mud heaps would be a thing of the past, with drainage a priority and the oval will be reconfigured to bring crowds closer to the action. The school expected the work on the ground will create one of the best playing surfaces in Ballarat.

Mr Clark said the development will help a new generation create their own history.

"The oval has been a source of great joy for so many boys over a multitude of years and a vehicle for the development of young men."

Picket sales www.trybooking.com/BSAAP

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