The Western Bulldogs are excited to announce that the Club intends to work with the AFL to play two to three matches every year in Ballarat with at least two of those matches to be played as part of the AFL Premiership Season, at an upgraded Eureka Stadium.
Western Bulldogs President, Peter Gordon today welcomed Labor’s commitment to upgrade Eureka Stadium and bring AFL Premiership Season football to Ballarat.
“As the team of Melbourne’s West, the Western Bulldogs are thrilled to seize the opportunity to be a vibrant part of the Ballarat community, play Premiership Season football in Ballarat and extend the Bulldog heartland to the broader region of the west of Victoria,” Gordon said today.
VIDEO: Watch Western Bulldogs President Peter Gordon's full statement on the Club's plans to play select AFL Premiership games in Ballarat.
The Bulldogs see Western Victoria and Ballarat as a natural extension of our representation in the regions to the West of Melbourne. Ballarat, the Capital of Western Victoria, serves a regional population of 400,000 Victorians across a community that stretches from Melton to the South Australian Border.
As the geographic gateway to Western Victoria and leader in the region, a Bulldogs commitment and presence in Ballarat right across Western Victoria makes solid footy, community and commercial sense.
The Dogs will hit the ground running in Ballarat from 2015 establishing a presence in the region to immediately start engaging with our newest community and promoting the historic match commitment in the region.
“The Western Bulldogs will set up a permanent physical presence in Ballarat from 2015 with a view to building the Ballarat business and community support for a long term AFL playing commitment to Ballarat, “ Gordon said.
"We say to Dan Andrews and the people of Ballarat...If you build it, we will come.”
VIDEO: Watch Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews announce the ALP's election pledge to fund a $31.5 million upgrade Eureka Stadium in Ballarat.
“If the stadium gets built and we receive in the meantime the support of the people and the business community of Ballarat, we will not only make that long term playing commitment, we will also work to establish in Ballarat the community programs we already have in place in Melbourne’s West.
"We will run community camps and we will work as hard as we can to get events like NAB Challenge games to Ballarat; just as we lobbied hard with the AFL to get next year’s NAB Challenge fixture between the Bulldogs and Melbourne".
The Dogs will wear a Bulldogs Eureka inspired jumper when playing in the region – in recognition of the Ballarat community, its traditions and rich history. As a Club, we represent much of the fight, loyalty and battle-against-the-odds passion of the Eureka story.
The City of Ballarat has been single minded in their focus to secure AFL football for Ballarat and the regional community.
The Western Bulldogs have been co-operating closely in developing the Bulldog's vision of representing not only the Western suburbs, but also all of Western Victoria. We will continue to work closely with the City Of Ballarat to develop an ongoing partnership that will capitalise on our shared vision to increase the AFL and Bulldogs presence in the Western Victoria region.
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