The Western Bulldogs are pleased to confirm the extension of the Club’s partnership with Visit Victoria and the City of Ballarat for a further three years.

The renewal means the partnership – which began in 2017 – will extend beyond a decade and the Club will continue to play home games at Mars Stadium for seasons to come.

The red, white and blue army will descend on Ballarat on Saturday 3 May next year when the Bulldogs face Port Adelaide in a Round 8 AFL clash and will return again in mid-July to face the Adelaide Crows in Round 18.

The partnership will also include an AFLW home game at Mars Stadium each season as part of ongoing efforts to promote regional tourism and encourage both intra and interstate visitors to Victoria’s west.

The renewal will also see related branding featured on AFLW team apparel for the first time thanks to an elevation of the Visit Victoria partnership.

Focus areas for the partnership include maximising tourism to the region, growing participation and engagement in sport and realising a variety of marketing and brand opportunities.  

There will also be continued support for the delivery of Western Bulldogs Community Foundation programs, including the Sons and Daughters of the West health initiatives and the Foundation’s youth Leadership Project.

Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains said he was delighted to see such a key partnership for the Club extended and enhanced.

“Ballarat remains entrenched as our home away from home and we couldn’t be happier to confirm an extension of this partnership with the City of Ballarat and Visit Victoria,” Bains said.

“When we play at Mars Stadium the passion of the support we receive from our home crowd is evident and over the years it’s been wonderful to see the city becoming a little more red, white and blue every time we play.

“As a Club we have built an enduring connection to this region and will continue to do everything we can to engage the community each and every day of the year and well beyond our always eagerly anticipated home fixtures in Ballarat.” 

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves said the Western Bulldogs continued to invest significantly into Ballarat, far beyond the terms of the agreement.

“We have seen for many years now that the Western Bulldogs have shown genuine commitment to Ballarat and we are pleased to be able to extend that into the future,” she said.

“Hosting elite matches at Mars Stadium provides enormous benefits to Ballarat multiple times each year, but the community development from the Bulldogs goes far beyond the match day experience.”

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos also hailed the extension of the partnership as a win for the community.

“Victorians live for sport and that passion is well and truly alive in the regions," Minister Dimopoulos said.

"We are bringing elite footy to Ballarat so people can experience it in their own backyard – backing local jobs, businesses and the community at the same time.”