Ballarat faces a waiting game on whether it will be the venue for an AFL fixture planned for Sunday July 25.
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The Western Bulldogs are drawn to meet Adelaide Crows at Mars Stadium, but this fixturing is now in serious doubt as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria, with the AFL moving teams and matches out of the state.
Ballarat became a major sporting victim of the latest spread of the pandemic in Victoria when the AFL abandoned plans to play the "Battle of the Bridge" between the Sydney Swans and Greater Western Sydney Giants in Ballarat on Saturday.
This was to have been the second AFL encounter at Mars Stadium in as many weeks after the Gold Coast Suns defeated the Giants on Sunday.
The AFL made a call late on Wednesday to immediately relocate the Swans and Giants to Queensland.
The Marcus Bontempelli-led Bulldogs have also gone to the Sunshine State for a scheduled match against the Suns on the Gold Coast.
North Melbourne and Essendon have since followed, with their clash also being transferred from Victoria to Queensland.
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AFL executive general manager clubs and broadcasting Travis Auld relayed his disappointment to Ballarat.
"To fans in Ballarat, we are disappointed to be moving the game from regional Victoria and thank the people of Ballarat and the local council, the Victoria Government and Mars Stadium for their understanding," he said.
If the Western Bulldogs are unable to play Adelaide in Ballarat, it will be the second consecutive year that COVID-19 has detrimentally impacted on their presence in the city.
Western Bulldogs and AFL have entered an agreement with the City of Ballarat which has the club playing two home and away matches at Mars Stadium each season. The Bulldogs did not play in Ballarat at all last year after the AFL moved clubs to Queensland.
