The Victoria State Government in conjunction with the Ballarat City Council embarked on an ambitious project to develop Eureka Stadium and provide 5,000 undercover seats to enable the Western Bulldogs to play AFL home games in Ballarat.
The project included demolition of the existing facilities at the oval, the construction of a new 5,000 seat stadium around the perimeter, the provision of players’ and umpires’ races onto the oval and the provision of players’ operational facilities. An upgrade of the ground’s services to accommodate the requirements of the AFL was included with an overall improvement to the amenities for the attending general public.
The structure consisted of a steel cantilevered stadium over a mix of precast concrete and in situ concrete bleachers on which the seats were fixed. Coaching and media facilities were constructed within the main western stand and separate toilets, ticketing and food vendor facilities were also provided.
Construction was completed on time, and the first AFL game in Ballarat’s history was played in August 2017 between the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide.
