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Ballarat is not only being considered as a co-host city for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, but there's every chance the feature event, the athletics, will be held in our very own backyard.
Should Victoria officially claim hosting rights of the Commonwealth Games for 2026, it is regional areas that will see the vast majority of the events.
It was already assumed that Ballarat would be in line to host sports like basketball, netball, Twenty20 cricket, and road cycling.
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It can also be assumed that Creswick would be one of the first in line for mountain biking, but now there is the very real possibility of our very own Mars Stadium hosting athletics as well.
Think about it, not only would we see Australia's best runners, throwers and jumpers, but the likes of the great Kenyan middle to long-distance runners, the Caribbean sprinters, the best the British can offer all going up against an Australian team keen to impress in the long lead-up to a home Olympic Games in 2032.
And what a build up we could see. Could Eliud Kipchoge break Steve Moneghetti's record around Lake Wendouree? Could the next generation of Jamaican sprinters break a world record on Mars Stadium? Could a young Australian stake his or her claim as the one to watch in six years time as Cathy Freeman did in 1994 before her 2000 heroics?
These are just some of the possibilities that now seem almost a reality and if this does happen, it will leave a legacy for generations to come, just as rowing at the Olympics did in 1956.
The focus from council, state and federal government must now be on the sporting precinct in our northern suburbs.
Firstly - and Premier Daniel Andrews has acknowledged this - Mars Stadium needs a capacity upgrade.
Fortunately there's plenty of room, particularly at the southern end of the ground and the terrace area could easily be lifted up. A combination of permanent and temporary seating to bring capacity up to at least 25,000 is needed for the games, reducing to around 17-20,000 afterwards.
Long term, a drop-in turf wicket allowing for Big Bash, Sheffield Shield and one-day matches would allow for greater usage of the venue. Western Bulldogs in the AFL and AFLW, Western United in the A-League, Melbourne Rebels, Melbourne Storm could all see value long-term from playing games at the stadium.
Secondly, the creation of a train station near Norman Street. The City of Ballarat has earmarked the north of the city as the next big growth zone, a train station servicing the area would take pressure off Ballarat station, much in the way Wendouree has.
Next, the squabbling over the John Valves site needs to be resolved. It is privately owned, but if council can't get a reasonable sale price from the owners, then the state government should step in and compulsorily acquire it.
The site looms as a great place for a public plaza or for a sporting venue like a hockey centre. It is directly across from where a new station should be, providing a beautiful entrance for all visitors and give easy of access to Mars and Selkirk stadiums.
The Showgrounds are the final piece of the puzzle. Again, council needs to find a suitable way of gaining access to the site for development. A secondary oval for the GWV Rebels base would be a good start there.
Interestingly, the City of Ballarat has a masterplan it's been working on for the precinct since 2016 and an updated version is expected to completed before the state election in November.
But now, it's time to act. If the state government confirms in the next two months the Commonwealth Games are coming to regional Victoria, there are just over 1400 days left to the start of March 2026. It's time to get moving.
