Eureka Stadium

History

The first oval was originally built between 1990-91 on a site formerly occupied by the Ballarat Showgrounds Harness Racing arena (1952-1966) when the North Ballarat Football Club and North Ballarat Cricket Club relocated from their original club facilities located adjacent to Creswick Road. The rebuilt 1990 oval replicated the dimensions of the Melbourne Cricket Ground and was orientated on an East to West axis. The oval was rebuilt in 2015/16 in preparation for major redevelopment into a regional stadium. Until this time the spectator conditions and capacity had been limited due to the flat topography and lack of elevated vantage points around the main playing arena.

Since 1990 the playing arena has been used for many events whilst primarily being used as an Australian rules football and cricket venue. It hosts the Ballarat Gift (Athletics Carnival) and has been used by the Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society during the annual Ballarat Agricultural Show.

It is the home ground for the North Ballarat Football Club of the Victorian Football League and North Ballarat Rebels of the TAC Cup.

AFL venue

Australian Football League club North Melbourne established a partnership with the North Ballarat Football Club in 2008 and played AFL pre-season matches at the ground between 2010 and 2012 with strong attendances.

In June 2015 the North Melbourne Football Club withdrew from the Ballarat region committing to play a percentage of their AFL 'home and away games' in Hobart (Tasmania) until 2021. Immediately the Western Bulldogs AFL club announced their commitment to playing at least two AFL 'home games' in Ballarat from 2017 with the option to extend the contract from 2022. In late October 2016 the AFL announced their 2017 playing fixture confirming that the Bulldogs would host Port Adelaide in Round 22 in the first AFL game for premiership points at Eureka Stadium.

Redevelopment

Provisional funding for stadium redevelopment was obtained during the 2014 State Election Campaign. In June 2015 the newly elected Victorian government reaffirmed their election commitment to fund a $31.5 million upgrade to the stadium and the wider Ballarat Major Events Precinct (with approximately half of this funding to be directed to the first stage of redevelopment).

The Ballarat Major Events Precinct Master Plan (Released in June 2015), provides a strategic overview for the development of the stadium as a unique boutique stadium as well as the wider precincts other sports fields and adjacent Basketball Stadium over three stages.

Concept designs for the first-stage of the Eureka Stadium were announced on 18th November 2015. This included a new grandstand and covered terraced seating for over 5000 spectators that would flank approximately half the oval and the temporary creation of a 4000 capacity spectator earth terrace to increase first-stage capacity of the ground to over 11,000. Other first stage development works were to include re-alignment of the main oval and reducing its dimensions to replicate Melbourne's Etihad Stadium, installation of four 300 lux (over playing field) light towers, and installation of a large video scoreboard. In addition, the North Ballarat Number Two Oval was to be rebuilt to the same playing standard and conditions as the main oval with the stadium's original (200 lux) light towers relocated to the Number Two Oval.

Construction of the new playing surface and installation of light towers on both fields was completed in late-March 2016. Confirmation of final designs and selection of a preferred building contractor/builder had occurred by mid-July 2016. Major stage-one construction works were commenced in late July 2016 with a scheduled completion for early June 2017.

The Ballarat City Council is currently considering options and planning toward stages two and three of the stadium precinct in accordance with the Ballarat Major Events Precinct Master Plan, although these stages are not yet funded. Stages two and three propose the construction of additional grandstand seating and ongoing development of other supporting infrastructure. Fully completed, the stadium will seat between 13000-15000.