Gosch’s Paddock Oval to be upgraded for Melbourne Football Club
Melbourne FC’s training oval at Gosch’s Paddock will be upgraded to bring it up to AFL standard as part of the club’s plans to develop a new home base in the city.
The oval, on the eastern side of Gosch’s Paddock, is smaller than the Demons home ground, the MCG, with the club often instead training at Casey Fields where they enjoy better facilities, albeit located one hour from the city.
The $3 million project will be funded by the Victorian Government, AFL and Melbourne Football Club, and will see the ground increased in size and resurfaced to meet AFL/AFLW standards, improved lighting, netting behind the goals and camera posts installed.
The upgraded ground will be the length of the MCG and the width of Marvel Stadium, allowing the Demons to appropriately replicate match-day situations during training with the oval gaining a near 20 per cent upgrade in size.
Extensive pre-planning has ensured the reconfiguration can be completed with no loss of trees. Work is due to start this month and be completed before the start of the 2022 AFL premiership season.
The training oval upgrade is a step towards the AFL club developing new headquarters next to AAMI Park on top of the current carpark to bring football and administration staff under one roof – they are currently split between AAMI Park and the MCG.
However, more planning and funding is required, with a new facility likely to incorporate the Melbourne Storm, Victory and Rebels.
The Melbourne Football Club has previously looked at several options to create a new base including next to the MCG in Yarra Park, near the Bolte Bridge at Docklands and Casey Fields. The club has trained at Gosch’s Paddock since 2010 and was previously based at the Junction Oval.
The training oval at Gosch’s Paddock was previously utilised by the Collingwood Football Club before they relocated to their new headquarters on the site of the former Olympic Park, while rectangular pitches on the western side are utilised by the Melbourne Storm and Victory. The facility is managed by the Melbourne & Olympic Parks Trust.
Minister Pakula said “The remade oval will be a win for the many members of the community who use the area year-round to run, walk, throw a frisbee and have a kick.
“It means Melbourne’s women’s and men’s teams will have an oval on par with other Victorian AFLW/AFL teams – and that’s good for football.”
The Victorian Government has funded a series of facility upgrades at AFL training bases, with many providing improved facilities for elite female players and all carrying significant community benefits.
