Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium rebuild complete
GMHBA Stadium is gearing up to host its first AFL game on Saturday as a 40,000-capacity venue, following the completion of the new Joel Selwood Stand.
Geelong hosts St Kilda on Saturday night to mark the official opening of the 14,000-capacity northern grandstand, which features two tiers of seating, 2,300 safe-standing spaces and a 200-seat Chin Chin restaurant.
While the finishing touches are still being applied to the $142 million stand, Saturday effectively marks the completion of the five-stage redevelopment of the ground known non-commercially as Kardinia Park, which has taken two decades to complete and transformed the venue into Australia’s largest and best regional stadium.
Other features of the stand named in honour of the champion Geelong player Joel Selwood include a function room and bar, media centre, AFL-standard change rooms, new indoor cricket hub, sports museum and entry plaza.
GMHBA Stadium is the first AFL venue to introduce safe-standing in a new build – an area known as the Ablett Terrace, a nod to the demolished Gary Ablett Terrace it replaced, which also incorporated standing room. The concept is popular at rectangular football stadiums, with the new Allianz Stadium and Commbank Stadium incorporating safe-standing areas.
Over 20 years, the stadium upgrade has received $340 million in funding, including $90 million for the Brownlow Stand, new football department and stadium entry, opened in 2017, and $142 million for the final stage, with the Victorian government contributing to the full amount of the project.
The regional stadium was due to host the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Commonwealth Games before the Victorian Labour Government sensationally scrapped the event.
In all, the State government has contributed about $260 million to the five-stage redevelopment, with the federal government, local council, AFL and the Cats chipping in the rest.
The final stage of the stadium revamp was initially due for completion mid-way through the 2023 AFL season, but was delayed by almost a year due to steel defects.
Over the years, Kardinia Park has grown to host multiple events at what is now a truly multi-sport facility. As well as hosting home AFL, AFLW and VFL home games for the Geelong Cats, the stadium has also hosted cricket, football and concerts.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos joined Kardinia Park Stadium Trust chief executive officer Gerard Griffin and Geelong Cats premiership legend Joel Selwood on Tuesday this week to announce the completion of the Joel Selwood Stand
“Kardinia Park Stadium Trust is looking forward to welcoming the public to experience the Joel Selwood stand for Round 1,” Mr Griffin said.
“With the completion of this Stand, along with the Geelong Sports Museum and Barwon Regional Cricket Centre, the venue is now truly multi-purpose.
“Our region will only continue to benefit due to this redevelopment and the enhanced opportunity of diverse content for the stadium into the future.”
We've saved the best for last! Our highly anticipated drone fly-through footage of the new Joel Selwood Stand at Kardinia Park is here! pic.twitter.com/LhDIJ7AnzZ
— Kardinia Park (@kardinia_park) March 13, 2024
The Geelong Cats also announced on Friday it has extended its partnership with Carlton & United Breweries, meaning fans will continue to enjoy CUB's range of beverages at GMHBA Stadium for the next five years.
GMHBA Stadium will host its first event as a 40,000-capacity venue on Saturday night, with the AFL round one clash between Geelong and St Kilda commencing at 7:30pm.
