VFL/Waverly Park

Discuss stadium news, redevelopment, construction & future stadiums.
Buzz12
Bronze
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 7:47 am

VFL/Waverly Park

Post by Buzz12 »

Greetings all- I am looking for High Quality pics of VFL/Waverly Park back in its prime- want to make a poster of it- I now live in Mirvac (waverly)park- and a few original posters around would look good. Can anyone help here - or advise where to get a few from?
Cheers[/b]

User avatar
hot_dogma
Platinum
Posts: 3317
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2004 11:25 pm
Location: Ivan Milat's cell

Post by hot_dogma »

:cry:

User avatar
cam
Gold
Posts: 2671
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2002 1:05 am
Location: Melbourne
Contact:

Post by cam »

Maybe take a short walk to the Hawthorn FC offices and ask them.

User avatar
sandyhill
Gold
Posts: 2366
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 2:01 pm
Location: Just across the road from Australia's largest stadium

Post by sandyhill »

I know this wasn't the original purpose of this thread (which appeared and then quickly died whilst I was away in the Flinders Ranges), but it was the the most recent thread with the right title -

As featured on ch10 news yesterday, an extra reason to visit Waverley -
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/ ... 22,00.html

Hawthorn club museum launched
13 December 2007 Herald Sun
Daryl Timms
Image
Allan Jeans reminisces about one of three flags he won as Hawthorn coach at the opening of the club's museum at Waverley Park yesterday.

Many of the men who have contributed so significantly to Hawthorn's rich history returned to the club yesterday to see another historic event. Coaching greats John Kennedy, Allan Jeans and David Parkin were among the luminaries at the launch of the club's museum at Waverley Park. Established by the club's historical committee, Hawks Forever, the museum first operated at Glenferrie Oval but now enjoys a bigger and better home.

The jumper that defender Chris Langford symbolically waved to the crowd at the end of Hawthorn's game against Melbourne in 1996 is regarded as one of the museum's most significant exhibits. Langford, now an AFL commissioner, walked from the MCG bare-chested, holding aloft his No. 24 guernsey to the Hawthorn fans in the Great Southern Stand. It was the last round of the season and just days before members of both clubs were to vote on a merger.

And one of football's most famous items -- the trenchcoat Kennedy so proudly wore in the 1970s -- is now preserved behind glass. Fans can also hear one of Kennedy's stirring speeches, when the Hawks took on but lost to North Melbourne in the 1975 Grand Final. Kennedy said the museum was a tribute to the people who had worked so hard to establish it.

As for that coat, he said: "Nostalgia takes over and as the years go by it becomes more of a famous coat. I was just saying about the speech that sometimes the things we say are a product of the situation we are in, the situation the team is in and the desperation, which is usually most of the time. It's total war."

The trophies and jumpers of some of the club's biggest names are also on display, along with old boots, lockers, rub-down tables and gear used by trainers. The museum will be open to the public at Sunday's family day and weekdays from 10am-5pm.

As part of the induction of Hawthorn's new players, former club champion Peter Knights will take them on a tour of the museum as he explains the club's culture. They are expected to know prominent former players and officials by both name and sight.

Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett said the memorabilia had been collected over many years.

Rob
Gold
Posts: 2681
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2004 5:13 pm
Location: Perth

Post by Rob »

If it wasn't such a pain in the arse to get out to i'd visit it. I went out to the Essendon equivalent and it was pretty good.

User avatar
hot_dogma
Platinum
Posts: 3317
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2004 11:25 pm
Location: Ivan Milat's cell

Post by hot_dogma »

I'm sort of saddened that Hawthorn has 'hijacked' the venue to become their own.

But when you think of it, they're the only ones that loved it. :?

User avatar
sandyhill
Gold
Posts: 2366
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 2:01 pm
Location: Just across the road from Australia's largest stadium

Post by sandyhill »

As I've oft previously said, I was never a friend of Wawerley - but this was no doubt influenced my location in Western or Northern Victoria, thus the wrong side of the state (or city) for travelling out to Waverley. But just two weeks back, I twice drove past Waverley Park on the Monash Fwy on the way to and from Mallacoota, and I must admit, its location makes much more sense now, with the suburban sprawl now galloping way out past Pakenham (the Packenham bypass opened the day I drove out). And I've been told that since Waverleys demise, local rainfall in the locality has dropped by over 50%, and it isn't so cold anymore.

By coincidence (I think), an 'Waverley Park RIP' thread has started on Bigfooty by a Richmond supporter, who's follow-up pst #5 - "should knock down that damned telstra dome and build the original stadium" sounds eerily familiar here! As always, opinion on that thread is sharply divided.
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=402943

And getting back to the original reason for this thread (though probably too late for it author) here's a previous Waverley Park thread with lots of photos, both new and old (the old mainly from Stadiumking with a scanner) -
viewtopic.php?t=2244

A very small sample -
The original plan (either for 166,000 or 157,000 capacity, depending on what source you read - 166,000 was the earlier figure), that the State Gov't, under fierce MCC pressure, eventually scuttled in the 1980's -
Image

And at its prime -
Image

User avatar
stadiumking
Gold
Posts: 1769
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 5:31 pm
Location: Melbourne

Post by stadiumking »

Speaking of Waverly, I'm going out there for a tour of Hawthorn's facilities next week. I'll see if I can take my camera along.

User avatar
redback_original
Silver
Posts: 546
Joined: Sat May 10, 2003 10:03 am

Post by redback_original »

hey sandyhill.. good post..

the two pics are good..

i have a VFL yearbook whisch quotes the 157K figure..

the whole growth coridoor was one of the main reasons for the location of VFL Park..

there was a real decline in all Austrailian cities CBDs in the late 80s and early 90s..

the Broncos moving out to ANZ in 1992 in Brisbane is a good example of that..

but that soon changed..

people realised the inner city is where it's at..

go ANZ dome..

User avatar
hot_dogma
Platinum
Posts: 3317
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2004 11:25 pm
Location: Ivan Milat's cell

Post by hot_dogma »

sandyhill wrote:And at its prime -
Image
You could say this photo was at its death as to me it looks like an aerial image from the last game.

In the State Library Victoria is the original document detailing the proposals for the ground.

I have to admit the first time I looked through it I shed a tear or three. To see what they had proposed, the reasons behind it from an Australian football and planning sense as well as the outlandish plan of an underground bus/light rail interchange made it all the sadder for what it became.

User avatar
stadiumking
Gold
Posts: 1769
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 5:31 pm
Location: Melbourne

Post by stadiumking »

Well I did see Waverly today. I forgot to take my camera, so these photos are just taken with my phone (hence the bad quality).

Image
Part of the new memorabilia museum, opened last Wednesday.

Image
Hallway in the players' area

Image
Players' gym (not the one for public use)

Image

Image
An area next to the gym used for simulation of any ground's goal posts

Image

Image
Locker room

Image
Players' lounge

Image
Swimming pool in the bottom level

Image
One of the two old superboxes, this one being converted into the match committee meeting room. That's Neale Daniher sitting at the table; he was presumably giving some sort of presentation.

Image
A chess board in the shape of a field; this is used to simulate match-ups when the match committee meets.

Image

Image
View of the gym and oval from the administration area

Image
Admin

Image

Image
The board room

Image
Trophy cabinet

Image

Image

Image

Image
View from the other superbox, above the boardroom.

Image

Image

User avatar
hot_dogma
Platinum
Posts: 3317
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2004 11:25 pm
Location: Ivan Milat's cell

Post by hot_dogma »

:cry:

User avatar
Parra_Power
Bronze
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2007 4:36 pm
Location: Parramatta

Post by Parra_Power »

To be honest, I was happy when I saw Waverly being pulled apart. It was not only Useless but also making Sydney Stadiums at the Time look like S%@!. If anything good came from the Stadium is that it had a Tremendous Atmosphere for any game, whether it was an AFL Match-Up or just simply a VFL Game with only 4,000 Spectators, the Atmosphere was always there. If the Stadium did ever hit the 165,000+ Mark for seats, the Stadium would of eaten up most of the lime light from the MCG so in a way, it not being completed was more of a blessing for keeping AFL Tradition.

User avatar
Anthony G
Silver
Posts: 513
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 10:07 pm
Location: Brisbane

Post by Anthony G »

Parra_Power wrote:To be honest, I was happy when I saw Waverly being pulled apart. It was not only Useless but also making Sydney Stadiums at the Time look like S%@!. If anything good came from the Stadium is that it had a Tremendous Atmosphere for any game, whether it was an AFL Match-Up or just simply a VFL Game with only 4,000 Spectators, the Atmosphere was always there. If the Stadium did ever hit the 165,000+ Mark for seats, the Stadium would of eaten up most of the lime light from the MCG so in a way, it not being completed was more of a blessing for keeping AFL Tradition.
I thought they looked sh*t cause they are never full :lol:

User avatar
sandyhill
Gold
Posts: 2366
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 2:01 pm
Location: Just across the road from Australia's largest stadium

Post by sandyhill »

Parra_Power wrote:... If anything good came from the Stadium is that it had a Tremendous Atmosphere for any game, whether it was an AFL Match-Up or just simply a VFL Game with only 4,000 Spectators, the Atmosphere was always there. If the Stadium did ever hit the 165,000+ Mark for seats, the Stadium would of eaten up most of the lime light from the MCG so in a way, it not being completed was more of a blessing for keeping AFL Tradition.
VFL? :confused: It was then (and still should be) called the VFA - and they never played VFA games at Waverley (unless HD corrects me on this), as the AFL/VFL and VFA were enemies back then.

As for Waverleys atmosphere, it wasn't that good unless the crowd was really big (60,000 +) and/or the game a really good one. Apart from the frequent cold and wet, the nearest fence was way too far from the boundary line, and the swept back stands further diluted the crowd involvement and noise. The MCG - and for that matter, even Docklands - had/has a much better atmosphere than Waverley ever did IMO.

BTW - Thanks for those pics, SK - the outdoors ones turned out OK, showing the new homes surrounding and overlooking the oval. How can the Hawks now hava an "off-limits" training session? I liked the one of the old wooden bench seats on the Sir Kennth Luke Stand through the raindrops. Very Waverley, that shot.

Post Reply