Feasibility Studies investigate possible home of the V-League

The Darebin City Council has commenced a feasibility project that would discuss whether it was viable to commence a project of redevelopment at the Darebin International Sports Centre in Thornbury.
 
As part of the feasibility study teams such as Northcote City and Preston have been contacted and both seem keen to utilise the facility if it became a reality. While Football Federation Victoria confirmed that they were interested in using the venue as home for finals of the V-League and Pre-Season tournaments, while also remaining tenants at the facility.

General Manager of Culture and Leisure at the City of Darebin, Stuart Burdak, revealed information on the venue to Austadiums.com and stated that the venue was likely to be in the vicinity of 5000 people.

 "What the feasibility study looks at, one of the clear things is the capacity of the site...I know we won't get a 10,000 facility".

"What I think we would be looking at would be a 5,000 seat capacity".

As like many area's in the country, Darebin has a significant demand to increase facilities for the sport, which has grown exponentially, especially amongst females in the region and the state.

"It certainly is growing and is one of the biggest sport...we want to be able to accommodate the growth of the sport. That's why shared use of facilities are so important, council is not in the position to upgrade a number of facilities".

However the V-League has apparently not played a part in the reasons why the facility is being redeveloped. "No not at all, we had planned this long before the V-League was announced".

The venue's feasibility study would go to Council in May and would involve quite a number of discussions with many interested parties in terms of funding of the venue.

"We will have a report going to council in May".

"From concept to construction, a lot of work to be done...essentially a funding strategy would need to be done...a project like this would require a number of funding bodies...a bit of work to do before the agreement goes from feasibility to reality".

However they remain confident that if the feasibility study says it's was a good idea, the state government would look to support it.

"Well we would hope if the feasibility study indicates it's a good idea, the state government would be interested in a joint project...they are joint funding the feasibility study".

If the feasibility study says a venue of the status of a multi-million dollar project is not justified, there would be a number of other area's that the council would look to improve the facilities in place at the venue.

 "We would still look at doing some further work to complete the state sports centre...one element of the state sports centre is 30 years old...it's a bit too early to say what we would do".

However they have no doubt that if a local club like Preston was not interested in moving to the facility, they would have no trouble getting another tenant to share with Northcote City Football Club. However Preston has made it clear that they would like to move to a more modern facility.

"I guess in the feasibility study, the project has not been funded past the feasibility study, we would have no trouble getting local clubs using the facility. If Preston wasn't there we would have no trouble getting another club".

"Preston have made it clear that they are interested in going to a ground with better facilities".

Communications Manager of Football Federation Victoria Mark Van Aitken also expressed the desire of the FFV to manage the venue and use it as a home for finals and pre-season matches in the V-League.

"A venue that is controlled by the FFV and looking at perhaps holding finals at the ground."

"The venue would be jointly shared by Preston and Northcote City as a shared home ground and act as a pre-season and final's venue by the FFV."