AFL’s Western Bulldogs officially reopen redeveloped Mission Whitten Oval

AFL’s Western Bulldogs have officially reopened Mission Whitten Oval following the completion of a $78 million redevelopment aimed at supporting elite and grassroots sporting clubs for generations to come.

Mission Foods expanded its sponsorship links with the Western Bulldogs by taking on the naming rights in February 2024 for the AFL club's headquarters at Whitten Oval.

Backed by more than $46 million investment by the Victorian Government – the new EJ Whitten Stand has been transformed across the past two years and now houses the administration staff, club museum, an 82-seat theatrette with a 10 square-metre video board, matchday pavilion with 920 undercover seats painted red, white and blue and a new merchandise shop.

The football department has been settled in the Barkly Street end of the of the new facility for most of the season, where an 1800 square-metre indoor training field has been built next to what is believed to be the largest gym in the AFL, as well as a heat chamber, 15-person sauna, and cold and hot pools.

The new Indoor Training Field provides a world-class, all-weather venue for the Western Bulldogs’ AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFLW teams to train in all conditions – delivering integrated men’s and women’s football program facilities.

The expanded Advanced Performance Centre will also support the club’s training and community programs – boosting opportunities for teams and players on and off the field. The upgraded precinct also features new broadcast quality sports lighting, a refurbished entry building and club museum.

Fans from across Victoria and interstate will also enjoy the new match day pavilion which features a new function room and extra hospitality vendors to bolster the off-field experience. 

Named in honour of club legend Ted Whitten, Whitten Oval has been an iconic landmark in Footscray and home of the Bulldogs since 1883, with this redevelopment cementing its status as a premier venue while assisting the Bulldogs with their community programs that support people across the western suburbs and beyond.

Stage One of the redevelopment was delivered in 2018 to support the club’s participation in the AFLW competition with the Western Bulldogs being one of the foundation clubs.

Western Bulldogs Chief Executive Ameet Bains told AFL. com.au “the project started not long after the club ended its 62-year premiership drought in 2016, and is the culmination of significant contributions from many, most notably former president Peter Gordon, who helped save the club from the merger in the late 1980s and then returned in 2012 to help protect its long-term health, securing $36 million in funding from the Victorian Government for the redevelopment.

"A project of this nature doesn't materialise easily. There is a lot of groundwork that needs to be undertaken, ranging from sourcing the funding to the ideas and the design. It has been a project that has been eight years in the making. The club owes a great deal of gratitude to former president Peter Gordon, who was instrumental in pushing for government support many years ago.”

Western Bulldogs Football Club President Kylie Watson-Wheeler shared “for those of us who attended the 'Save the Bulldogs' rally here all those years ago, it would have been unbelievable to imagine what Mission Whitten Oval would become. We’re proud to provide such an important point of connection for our fans and our neighbours in one of the most dynamic and diverse regions in Victoria with this state-of-the-art venue.”

The Western Bulldogs' AFLW team will host four home games at Mission Whitten Oval later this year, plus two other night fixtures between North Melbourne and Port Adelaide, and Essendon and Sydney in September and October. Pre-season AFL games will also be held at the new facility in future.

Images. Credit: AFL