LASTING tourism, jobs and sporting glory are all key to the promise of bringing the Commonwealth Games and its showpiece, athletics, to Ballarat. This is shaping up as a goldmine to put this city on the world map.
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Victorian Sport Minister Martin Pakula declared the hard work started now to make this happen for a brilliant show.
To bring Ballarat up to co-hosting a major multi-sport event will take more than some extra seats and a drop-in temporary - albeit impressive - athletics track for Mars Stadium and a few extra shuttles to bring in the fans.
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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has flagged further upgrades to the initial $31.5 million Mars Stadium vision his government put into play with Western Bulldogs and City of Ballarat in late 2015 to bring AFL premiership matches to Ballarat.
The premier has touted housing investment in what will be the 2026 Commonwealth Games' four major hubs: Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and Gippsland.
And he has not ruled out improved train services either. This includes potentially exploring a Ballarat-Geelong line.
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The Commonwealth Games will be a legacy event, the premier said, in jobs tourism and regional pride.
Committee for Ballarat chief executive Michael Poulton has worked at four Olympic Games, five world university games and was based with AFL club Gold Coast Suns when the 2018 Commonwealth Games were in town.
Mr Poulton said the major, world multi-sport event model had to evolve due to the drain on host cities. He said Victoria's regional, multi-city approach was far more sustainable and offered a tremendous opportunity to transform Ballarat.
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"Where the failing of the Games has been is in so much on the focus of one city and leaving some legacy doesn't always make sense," Mr Poulton said.
"The focus will be on Mars [in Ballarat] but this will also mean amenities such as access to park lands, integrated transport and not just a stadium with a really nice running track in it for three weeks - It's about the precinct and the great stadiums of the world have terrific places about them.
"...Think about the MCG parks and Yarra Park, the park land around bring it all together."
[It's] not just a stadium with a really nice running track in it for three weeks - It's about the precinct and the great stadiums of the world have terrific places about them.
- Michael Poulton, Committee for Ballarat
City of Ballarat chief executive Evan King said the plan was to boost Mars Stadium capacity from 12,500 people to 30,000 with permanent and temporary infrastructure.
The stadium precinct also houses the city's new indoor multi-purpose venue Selkirk Stadium, which was likely to host boxing for the Games.
Nearby another athletics track must be created as a warm-up site for Games' track and field competitors.
"It's not infrastructure for the sake of infrastructure. It just brings forward a lot of plans we have in place," Mr King said. "We have been talking about the major events precinct for some time [next to Mars Stadium]. Here's our opportunity to fast-track that through the move of the showgrounds.
"There's a range of opportunities for new infrastructure, such as an opportunity to see Ballarat Agriculture Society achieve its ultimate goal of relocating to Mount Rowan."
It's not infrastructure for the sake of infrastructure. It just brings forward a lot of plans we have in place.
- Evan King, City of Ballarat chief executive officer
Mr King also welcomed the legacy opportunity the construction of athlete accommodation offered for housing.
Premier Andrews said it was not yet settled whether such facilities would become social housing but these would, at the least, help ease housing pressure.
"What we know across regional Victoria is there is a real pressure on the number of houses available for rental. The pressure in regional market is huge, pressure in property market broadly is really significant," Premier Andrews said.
"The sooner we can get into regional Victoria the better because it is, at the moment, pretty clear that the pressure in the housing market is holding back some regional industries from growing and reaching the full potential that we want them to reach.
"Any additional hosing takes pressure off there's more options for others and that will mean more options for economic growth, for employment for business formation for all the success."
Meanwhile, Ballarat Regional Tourism chairman Paul Martino in a statement to media said he eagerly awaited an update on the Eureka sports precinct masterplan.
"The opportunity here is for legacy infrastructure," Mr Martino said.
"With the projected growth in Ballarat and surrounding areas, we have an opportunity to fast track some of the vital infrastructure that will not only support generations of Ballarat people into the future, but provide us in the shorter term with a sports hub that is truly world class.
"The opportunities for hosting further sporting events in Ballarat post 2026 will be a key flow-on benefit of this exciting announcement."
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