The Geelong Football Club congratulates Joel Selwood on the announcement that GMHBA Stadium’s redeveloped Northern Stand will be named in his honour.
The Victorian Government and Kardinia Park Stadium Trust today revealed the name of the newest stand would be the Joel Selwood Stand, in honour of the Club’s record-breaking former captain.
Selwood played a Club-record 355 games across his 16 years in the Hoops, including a league-record 239 as captain. His playing career encompassed four AFL Premierships, six All-Australian selections (including three as captain), four AFLPA Robert Rose Most Courageous Player Awards, three Carji Greeves medals and the AFL Rising Star award in his first season, among many other on-field accolades.
His work in the community was also recognised more broadly when the three-time Cats Community Champion was awarded the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award at the 2022 Brownlow Medal Night.
The naming process for the new grandstand was led by the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust who worked closely with Geographic Names Victoria. Other key stakeholders included the Geelong community, public and the Club were also consulted.
The finished Stage 5 redevelopment will also feature the Djilang Plaza (the Wadawurrung word for Geelong), while the two gates accessing the 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. The Ablett Terrace name will remain for the standing area of the new stand, which has capacity for 2,500 patrons, while the Fred Flanagan Dining Room – like the Ablett Terrace, remains and will be a feature dining area in the new stand.
The Joel Selwood Stand will increase GMHBA Stadium’s capacity to 40,000, making it the third-largest stadium in Victoria, behind the MCG and Marvel Stadium. The Cats' opening match of the 2024 Premiership season is at GMHBA Stadium against St Kilda on Saturday 16 March.
Geelong Cats Chief Executive Steve Hocking congratulated Selwood on the honour.
“We congratulate Joel on the honour of having the new grandstand bear his name. 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,” Hocking said.
"It is fantastic to see two incredibly important figures in Geelong's history recognised with Polly Farmer's and Audrey Cope'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.
“As a Club, we are excited to see the Stage 5 redevelopment nearing completion. The increased capacity at our home ground has opened the door for many exciting opportunities, including fixtures against big Victorian clubs and more fans being able to watch the Cats at home.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming our members to open days in the new year so they can experience and explore the new and many features of the grandstand for the first time.”
To see the locations of the new grandstand assets Click here
