Kardinia Park new GMHBA Stadium stand to be named after Geelong Football Club’s Joel Selwood

The new grandstand at Kardinia Park’s GMHBA Stadium in Geelong will be named after former Geelong Football Club premiership captain and games record holder Joel Selwood.

Selwood, who retired after winning his fourth flag with Geelong in 2022, will join club greats including Reg Hickey and Gary Ablett whose names adorn features of the redeveloped stadium at Kardinia Park.

Appointed captain at just age 23, Selwood played a club record 355-games for the Cats and won four AFL premierships in a glittering 15-year career between 2007 and 2022.

Selwood shared “I lived a childhood dream, playing for the Geelong Football Club for 16 years, in front of a packed Kardinia Park. Arriving to work each day at the stadium provided lifetime memories that will forever remain close to my heart.

“I’m incredibly honoured to have this stand named after me, and hope it brings our community significant joy in the coming years.”

Kardinia Park Stadium Trust worked with stakeholders from across the community and Geelong Football Club, while working closely with Geographic Names Victoria.

Work continues on the $142 million stage five redevelopment project which include a new grandstand boosting the overall stadium capacity to 40,000 fans, a new northern entry plaza, sports museum, indoor cricket hub, function rooms and technology upgrades.

These upgrades will see patrons enjoy world-class facilities all year round with the venue set to host a packed schedule of sport and entertainment events, which makes Kardinia Park so important to Geelong and the entire region.

The Kardinia Park Trust also revealed that the northern entrance outside gate one will be named the Djilang Plaza, reflecting the traditional Wadawurrung name for the region.

The two gates accessing the new stand will be named the Polly Farmer Gate – after the late Geelong Legend Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer – and the Audrey Cope Gate – after the late women’s football pioneer and Geelong’s inaugural women’s team captain in 1954.

Geelong Football Club Chief Executive Steve Hocking congratulated Selwood on the honour and added "Joel has made a significant contribution to the Club and the wider Geelong community since he walked through the doors at Kardinia Park in late 2006 and this is a fitting recognition.

"It is fantastic to see two incredibly important figures in Geelong's history recognised with Polly Farmer's and Audrey Hope's names adorning the gates of our new stand.

"Polly changed the way Australian Rules football was played for the better with his innovative style of play, while Audrey was a true pioneer in the earliest days of organised women's football in Geelong."

Image. Kardinia Park Stadium Trust Chief Executive Gerard Griffin with Joel Selwood in front of the new stand. Credit: Kardinia Park Stadium Trust.