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The AFL and the slimey Saints about to trample Frankston!
Same as they did to Morrabbin in 1963 Tell me this as Frankston FC has the licence for pokies at Frankston Oval how come the Saints can just walk in and take over?
[b]St Kilda boots Moorabbin over poker machine fight[/b] Michael Warner
November 21, 2007 12:00am
ST KILDA Football Club is quitting its traditional home for a new multi-million-dollar super stadium at Frankston.
The decision to abandon its Moorabbin base of 42 years follows a battle between the Saints and the City of Kingston over poker machines.
The Herald Sun has learned the club will set up its new headquarters and elite training base at Frankston Oval.
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Vote now: Should St Kilda relocate to Frankston?
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St Kilda's new home will be jointly funded by the AFL, St Kilda, State Government and Frankston City Council in a massive boost for the bayside suburb.
An official announcement will be made by club and league chiefs as early as today.
It is expected the Saints will stay at their Linton St home for one more season before shifting to Frankston in 2009.
Frankston Oval, the home of the Dolphins VFL club, will undergo an immediate revamp.
The move follows a long fight with council over the club's use of its 83 poker machines.
The council, which backs a cutback in local pokies, did not want St Kilda to move its machines 200m from its social club to a proposed new venue on South Rd.
A breakdown in talks prompted the Saints to announce a search for new facilities, as reported by the Herald Sun in May.
The Frankston move, which has not gone to a vote of St Kilda club members, was chosen over a lucrative offer by the City of Casey to set up at Casey Fields in Cranbourne North.
St Kilda's current VFL affiliate is the Casey Scorpions.
The Saints also have shelved plans for a $10.5 million upgrade of Moorabbin, which was to have been footed by the AFL ($2.55 million), the State Government ($3.45 million), Kingston Council ($2.5 million) and the Saints ($2 million).
However, the AFL and State Government are expected to approve that their contributions be transported to Frankston.
The Frankston City Council will make up the difference on facilities including offices, lap pools, a gymnasium, cafe and community centre.
A final decision on the shift was made by St Kilda's new-look board, headed by president-elect Greg Westaway, after initial investigations by the ousted Rob Butterss led-team. The club playing group has previously expressed a preference for staying at Moorabbin.
The ground has been home to St Kilda since 1965 and was used as an VFL-AFL venue in 254 matches until 1992.
