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As part of AFL’s ‘Breaking New Ground’ national program, AFL Victoria has unveiled two football facility projects in Shepparton and Echuca to develop ovals on school sites or other innovative locations - enhancing grassroots facilities and ensuring the growth of local sport.

The new locations at Wanganui Oval in Shepparton and St Joseph’s College in Echuca are the first projects in Victoria to be announced through the AFL’s ‘Breaking New Ground’ program, which provides funding for the planning, design and development of Australian Rules Football facilities, in partnership with a range of government and non-government bodies.

Breaking New Ground aligns with the ‘Australian Football Infrastructure Plan: Towards 2030’, in which the AFL has committed to building or developing an oval a week every week to keep up with the growth of community football and the need to increase facility capacity.

The projects in Shepparton and Echuca will provide communities and local clubs in those areas with access to enhanced facilities that provide more welcoming and inclusive environments for all involved in the game.

AFL Victoria Venue and Government Partnerships Manager, Jessie Doull notes “community football is the foundation of the game and the heartbeat of so many towns and communities across Victoria, so it’s important that participants have access to welcoming, inclusive and modern facilities.

“The AFL’s aim is to develop, upgrade or build an oval a week to cater for the growth in community football, but suitable space is hard to come by. The Breaking New Ground program, which sets out to work with schools and other innovative locations, will help us achieve this as we need to look at different ways to provide great facilities for grassroots footy.

“On behalf of the AFL, I would like to thank the various stakeholder groups who have come together to commit to these projects. It’s extremely exciting for the local clubs and communities in Shepparton and Echuca who will benefit from having much improved footy facilities that bring people together.”

Greater Shepparton Mayor, Shane Sali added “Council is grateful for the support of the AFL in helping bring to life these exciting upgrades to Wanganui Oval. The new lighting and irrigation system will bring significant benefits to our region and its passionate sporting community.

“Council and the AFL have a shared commitment to enhancing grassroots facilities and ensuring the growth of local sport, including football, at all levels. Upgrading our facilities is an important step in ensuring Greater Shepparton remains a place where sport and recreation can thrive.”

Echuca Football Netball Club junior section representative, Stuart Addicott advised “Echuca Junior Football has been a growing presence in the AFL Goulburn Murray landscape for a few years now, and with the increasing participation numbers, venues became a juggling act. The partnership with St Joseph’s College Echuca, the AFL and our club through the conception and completion of the new playing surface and lighting allows our junior program to expand further providing participation experiences, pathways and inclusion for all players, coaches and families as well as being a great asset to our community.”

The announcement of the projects in Shepparton and Echuca come towards the end of a calendar year in which the AFL and AFL Victoria have partnered with stakeholders from state government through to local councils, local football clubs and community groups across the state in 2024 to deliver access to 23 new ovals, 66 more grounds with at least 100 lux lighting while 58 per cent of local football venues now have gender neutral player change facilities, up from 54 per cent in 2023.

St Joseph’s College Echuca Principal, Anne Marie Cairns shared "our partnership with the AFL – Breaking New Ground Project and Echuca Junior Football Club (EJFC), has enabled us to provide lighting for our new AFL size oval and accelerate the development of our master plan, which will ultimately benefit the entire community. A central focus of this plan is to promote a healthy and active environment for both our students and local community. Football, with its unique ability to unite people, will play a key role in fostering community connections. By providing a high-quality oval, we aim to strengthen these bonds.

"We are dedicated to nurturing these partnerships, ensuring they support not only our students but also the youth of Echuca Moama. The school community takes great pride in the accomplishments of our AFL players, both past and present, as well as the rising stars of the AFL and AFLW. We are excited about the future of this project and the opportunities it will bring, ensuring the continued growth and success of the game in Echuca Moama and surrounding district, for generations to come."

About the project at Wanganui Oval, Shepparton

• The site once belonged to the former Wanganui Park Secondary College, where Collingwood champion Steele Sidebottom was once a student
• It has been redeveloped into a new site for the Banmira Specialist School
• With Deakin Reserve at capacity, use of this oval as a community facility will alleviate pressure off Deakin, but also cater for the growth in junior and in particular girls’ football
• The AFL will contribute $200,000 from the Breaking New Ground program towards 100 lux lighting, while GSCC will contribute $232,000 towards the remainder of lighting cost and irrigation improvements
• Shepparton United and Shepparton Bears will be the two local clubs to use the facility
• Works are anticipated to be completed by commencement of 2025 football season

About the project at St Joseph's College, Echuca (Kildare Campus)

• The Kildare Campus is a new school site that will have year 7-9 students, about 5km west of Echuca township where the school has its main Brigidine Campus
• As part of the new campus, a sporting precinct will be constructed, including an MCG-sized oval, to be predominantly used for Australian Rules Football
• Echuca Junior Football Club are a big junior club (around 250 registered junior participants) and had been working with St Joseph's College in which to form a partnership, where they use the newly created field for training and eventually some competition from 2025 onwards
• Ground capacity is already stretched at Victoria Park, the home of both Echuca Senior and Junior Football Clubs. Victoria Park is about to undergo a major redevelopment, which will displace both programs while those works are undertaken
• The AFL has approved a contribution of $200,000 towards 100 lux lighting. The Echuca JFC will also contribute towards the remainder of lighting costs and potentially other infrastructure around the oval
• Works are already underway, with the oval to be ready for use in early 2025

Further information on the ‘Breaking New Ground’ program and other facility management and funding programs can be found at play.afl/facility-management/funding

Image. Credit: AFL Victoria

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