AusLeisure

Despite the 2026 Commonwealth Games not going ahead, the Victorian Government is reported to be going ahead with upgrades at Ballarat.

The Ballarat venue had been proposed as the site for track and field athletic events for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which were sensationally dumped by then-Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in July last year.

Renders of the stadium during the event appeared to show three new temporary grandstands for the major event, with no detailed information on where the new 5,000 permanent seats would be situated.

As part of the redevelopment, it is believed the existing main grandstand will be extended to the south, boosting the capacity from 11,000 to 16,000, while an athletics track will be built on the Ballarat Showgrounds site.

Mars Stadium (traditionally known as Eureka Stadium) hosted nine national-level sports events in 2023, attracting close to 36,000 spectators at an average of almost 4,000 per event. These included two Western Bulldogs AFL home games which attracted a crowd average of 9,597.

When the Commonwealth Games were axed, the Victorian Government promised all the proposed new builds and redevelopments would proceed as planned, with the facilities to be completed sooner and made available to locals earlier than initially planned.

Other facilities included a new Aquatic Centre at Armstrong Creek, a six-court indoor stadium at Waurn Ponds, a new community sporting facility at Miners Rest, upgrades to Bendigo Stadium, BMX trails in Shepparton, upgraded Gippsland Sports and Entertainment Park, Selkirk Stadium and Ted Summerton Reserve.

City of Ballarat Mayor Des Hudson told News Corp all local projects were on track to be finished by 2026, stating “my expectation is that it will be delivered by 2026 as planned.

“Our commitment with the state government and their commitment to us is the infrastructure will be built within exactly the same timeline (as the Commonwealth Games).”

Events will not be impacted during the redevelopment, with only a minimal reduction in capacity.

Mars Stadium is scheduled to host two Bulldogs home games during the 2024 AFL season - in rounds 2 and 24.

Images: The concept for Mars/Eureka Stadium in Commonwealth Games mode (top) and the venue from the air (below).

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