AS many of us travel up to Etihad Stadium tonight to see the Geelong Cats v Carlton game, imagine for a moment our city without the Geelong Football Club.
Given the central role the club has played in the region for well over a century, its successful history and significance to the community today, that’s a notion that some might think fanciful or doesn’t really bear thinking about.
But think about it we must.
Hands up all those Cats fans who fancy a trip along the highway to see their team play all their “home” games at the MCG, Etihad or even have to travel interstate? This could be devastating, not only for football followers but the whole community.
The Cats are the only Victorian AFL team playing out of any ground other than the MCG or Etihad Stadium. All others have been forced, by economic imperative, to move their home games to these two venues or interstate. Last year Simonds Stadium hosted, for the first time, an AFL final.
If it wasn’t for the three stages of development that have already taken place, including the installation of broadcast-quality lighting, we may no longer be watching the Cats play at Simonds Stadium.
While the stadium remains incomplete, the threat to the club’s long-term future in our city persists. The AFL moves closer to owning Etihad Stadium and the unfinished Simonds Stadium does not yet meet the national standards required for a multipurpose facility.
The importance of Simonds Stadium to the region has long been recognised through major investment from all levels of government. This complements the club’s own commitment of every cent of its profits from the past eight years (over $13 million), along with $10.5 million from the City of Greater Geelong and $7.75 million from the AFL. No other club in Australia has invested more in a community sporting and events facility.
Those who are sceptical about the value of having a world-class stadium in Geelong should consider major national and international events, such as the Big Bash League cricket and the T20 World Cup. These events would be worth many millions of dollars to our region, and have real potential to be attracted to Simonds Stadium if the next stages of development go ahead.
Of course, the venue is also designed to host large-scale cultural events, including concerts. All of this could provide a huge tourism boost to the region, and it is great to see our mayor leading on much of this work.
Around the world, cities are bending over backwards to build world-class stadiums that will bring extraordinary benefits and new life to their communities.
It is clear that, through the incredible efforts of the club, governments and the community, Geelong is fortunate to already have such a multipurpose sports and cultural facility well on its way to completion.
The vision for Simonds Stadium is no field of dreams. It is an essential reality that will advance the livability of our region as Geelong transforms.
Rebecca Casson is the Committee for Geelong Chief Executive Officer. Follow the Committee for Geelong on Twitter @Comm4Geelong.
