Ballarat’s sport stadia prove their value

September 24, 2022

Sport / Venues /

With Ballarat’s season of winter sport having come to a close, the City of Ballarat has looked back on the dozens of AFL and football matches played in front of tens of thousands of spectators at the Mars Stadium and the Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility (BRSF) over recent months.

A busy period for the city’s premier sporting facilities, a total of 30 AFL matches were played at Mars Stadium since the start of August, while 27 matches were played using the three pitches at BRSF.

There were also 187 training sessions held at the Pleasant Street football facility in that same period.

As of last weekend, Mars Stadium saw almost 20,000 people through the gates over four different days of Ballarat Football Netball League and Central Highlands Football Netball League deciders.

Heavy rain and constant foot traffic on Saturday resulted in some deterioration of the surface, although crews had already been busy working to restore the turf.

The grounds team are confident the surface will return to near-perfect condition for the upcoming AFLW clash between Western Bulldogs and Geelong on Saturday 1st October 2022.

The Morshead Park playing surface also promises to be in excellent condition for an upcoming female football carnival.

Welcoming the city’s elite facilities being used to such an extent, City of Ballarat Mayor, Daniel Moloney stated “these venues play host to Australia’s premier competitions in both the AFL and A-League, it is fantastic to also see an extraordinary amount of use from people in the Ballarat region.

“To have tens of thousands of people attending the facilities and thousands playing on them shows just how valuable they are as an asset.

“Ballarat’s weather hasn’t been particularly kind this winter, but for the playing surfaces to hold up in the way they did under an extraordinary amount of foot traffic, is a testament to the hard work of our grounds team.”

Both venues are set for further action in the near future, with the three-day Western United Cup women’s and girls’ football carnival to be held at BRSF from 29th September to 1st October and Mars Stadium to host two AFLW matches in October.

Western United Football Club will also be returning to the city for two 2022/23 season A-League Women matches at the BRSF.

Image: Mars Stadium.

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15th August 2022 - Ikon Park transformed into Victoria’s new home of AFLW

28th July 2022 - Ballarat focuses on ensuring 2026 Commonwealth Games deliver benefits to the city

13th July 2022 - Ballarat launches bid to stage Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games marathon

29th June 2022 - A-League Women announces extended season and expansion to 12 teams

1st June 2022 - A-League champions Western United to deliver on promised stadium?

5th April 2022 - 89% rise in AFLW club membership numbers

15th February 2022 - Mars to continue naming rights for Ballarat stadium

21st January 2022 - Stage two works completed at Ballarat’s Selkirk Stadium

12th November 2021 - Western United Football Club launches campaign celebrating its values

4th October 2021 - Victoria University partner with AFL’s Western Bulldogs to present VU Data Lab

15th February 2021 - NRL’s Bulldogs name fan engagement expert as new Chief Executive

15th November 2020 - Victorian Government funding secures redevelopment of Bulldogs’ Whitten Oval

18th September 2020 - Improvement work at Ballarat’s Mars Stadium underway

26th January 2019 - Mars Stadium Ballarat prepares for first Super Rugby clash

31st July 2017 - Mars Stadium Ballarat gets official opening

12th September 2015 - Western Bulldogs to play three home games a year in Ballarat

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