I note with interest that Nth Ballarat FC the very successful local team actually playing at Eureka Stadium DOSENT even rate a mention in this AFL/Cricket Victoria puff piece!
If Cricket Victoria get in on the act there is a fair chance your club will get the arse off the ground.
Digs you should be very carefull for what you wish for concering anything to do with the AFL or any of its clubs!
Being the areas most successful club.I suggest you start making some noises about this proposal otherwise you will be trampled under in the rush by the local councilors to suck up to the AFL!
Dream alive for AFL and cricket matches in Ballarat
by: Glenn McFarlane
From: Sunday Herald Sun
February 05, 2012 12:00AM
EXCLUSIVE: CRICKET and AFL officials could join forces in an effort to revive the dream of creating a boutique sporting stadium in Ballarat.
A year after the Baillieu Government abandoned previous Brumby government plans to create a $30 million venue capable of hosting AFL football, the plan could be back on the agenda - and possibly expanded - with the involvement of cricket.
It is understood there have been high-powered meetings between football and cricket officials as well as discussions with potential funding targets, including the Federal and State governments.
It is believed one model has forecast a $70 million revamp of Ballarat's Eureka Stadium that could see the venue seat 7000-10,000 fans and host up to four AFL games a year featuring North Melbourne as well as first-class cricket matches.
The stadium could also cater for up to 10,000 standing room patrons, and would become the home of a new state cricket centre for Cricket Victoria, which lost the proposed Shane Warne Centre of Excellence at the Junction Oval when Ted Baillieu came to office in late 2010.
While all parties were reluctant to discuss the plans, a State Government source yesterday confirmed preliminary talks were under way.
"There's no definite decision been made and it's only in the early stages, but there are discussions happening," the source said.
It is believed that funding could be shared between the Federal and Victorian governments, as well as support from the Ballarat City Council, the AFL and various cricket bodies.
The AFL would not comment on the discussions, but it is known that the addition of cricket has made the plan more palatable.
Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide admitted that a number of different proposals were being explored.
"I'm not prepared to talk about specifics, but we are certainly interested in looking at a number of different concepts," Dodemaide said.
"We are probably the biggest state, if not one of the top two, and we are the only one in Australia that doesn't have its own designated facility.
"Besides the MCG, we don't have a compliant ground in Victoria that we can readily snap our fingers and play a first-class game at."
North Melbourne chief executive Eugene Arocca said Ballarat loomed as a crucial factor in the club's future success.
The Kangaroos have led the way in trying to secure a closer relationship with Ballarat and the western Victoria region.
"I can't comment on these plans. However, I can say the North Melbourne Football Club believes a regional engagement to this club is critical to our long-term strategies," Arocca said.
"We continue to be active in discussions on how this club can play three or four games in regional Victoria, and Ballarat remains very much on the radar."
Ballarat councillor Craig Fletcher said the local council was committed to providing a range of sporting opportunities in the region.
"Ballarat is a sports-mad city," he said.
