Stage five renovation of Geelong's Kardinia Park to include indoor training facility

The final stage renovation of Geelong's GMHBA Stadium is to include a new state-of-the-art indoor training facility for the both the AFL club and athletes across the Geelong community.

As reported by the Geelong Advertiser earlier this week, the facility will be a key feature of the redevelopment, extending beyond the southern end of GMHBA Stadium.

It will feature a 60x40 metre indoor training space, with a commercial area and community hub, allowing athletes from around the Geelong region access as well as the club’s four football sides.

The addition of two women’s programs to the Geelong Football Club is one of the major drivers of the planned project, according to Cats Chief Executive Steve Hocking.

Further events at GMHBA Stadium when it becomes a 40,000 seat venue means the Cats will have to find new ways to train and Hocking said the addition of an inside training facility at the Kardinia Park precinct was crucial to allowing that to happen.

Hocking explained “one of the main reasons for it is the challenges that we are going to face, as far once it becomes a 40,000 seat stadium, there is going to be a lot of events that are going to take place at our stadium.

“When I left to go to the AFL four years ago we only had two programs, which was an AFL men’s and a VFL men’s. We are now co-ed, we have got four programs now - we have got AFLW and we have also got VFLW.

“It is really important that this precinct supports those four programs moving forward, so that is going to be a really important facility for us to deliver - collectively (as a) board and also the executive as well.

“So we are going to have a real keen focus on that as we come out of Stage 5. That is something that we are looking to do down the far end of the park.”

Hocking, speaking at the Geelong Football Club Annual General Meeting on Monday, reiterated the Cats’ desire to increase membership to 100,000, and said winning premierships, while not easy, and ensuring Geelong remained a destination club, were the key aims.

He advised “that is one of the reasons I am back here, it is a destination club.

“It is a fantastic place to work, it is a fantastic place to live. The migration that is coming into the region, we need to take the opportunity to access the people that are actually coming here and make sure that our club environment is continuing to be a leader across the competition because it is more competitive year on year.”

Early last year, the Cats purchased Geelong’s Gym, located across the road from GMHBA Stadium in Newtown, as part of a longer-term strategy to develop new income streams at the club away from gambling while still creating a positive impact on its communities.

Images: Aerial view of the concept for the completed Kardinia Park/GMHBA Stadium - the indoor training facility will be located to the far left of the venue (top, credit: Kardinia Park Trust), the Cats' current gym, partly equipped by Alphafit (middle) and concept for F&B outlets in the Stage five renovation of Kardinia Park/GMHBA Stadium (below, credit: Kardinia Park Trust),