NEARLY 35 years after a tin-rattling campaign in the streets of Footscray ended a proposed merger with Fitzroy, the Western Bulldogs have officially reopened the Mission Whitten Oval following the completion of a state-of-the-art $78 million redevelopment.
After commencing construction in March 2022, following years of negotiations behind the scenes, the training and administration base has now been handed over in a landmark moment for a club that was once debt-riddled and set to become the Fitzroy Bulldogs in 1989.
The iconic E.J. Whitten Stand has been transformed across the past two years and now houses the administration staff, club museum, an 82-seat theatrette with a 10 square-metre video board, matchday pavilion with 920 undercover seats painted red, white and blue and a new merchandise shop.
The football department has been settled in the Barkly Street end of the of the new facility for most of the season, where an 1800 square-metre indoor training field has been built next to what is believed to be the largest gym in the AFL, as well as a heat chamber, 15-person sauna, and cold and hot pools.
Western Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains said the project started not long after the club ended its 62-year premiership drought in 2016, and is the culmination of significant contributions from many, most notably former president Peter Gordon, who helped save the club from the merger in the late 1980s and then returned in 2012 to help protect its long-term health, securing $36 million in funding from the Victorian Government for the redevelopment.
"A project of this nature doesn't materialise easily. There is a lot of groundwork that needs to be undertaken, ranging from sourcing the funding to the ideas and the design. It has been a project that has been eight years in the making. The club owes a great deal of gratitude to former president Peter Gordon, who was instrumental in pushing for government support many years ago," Bains told AFL.com.au.
Bains said the transformation of Whitten Oval will stun former players and staff members who return for the first time to discover a facility that is as well-equipped as any across the AFL and fill them with pride, which is what occurred last week during a day for father-son prospects at the club during the school holidays.
"I think for everyone that has been closely connected with the club over time there is that element of equal parts pride and equal parts disbelief," Bains said.
"Our president, Kylie Watson-Wheeler, used to come to Whitten Oval as a girl when it didn't look like it does now. Her involvement in the project in the last few years has been integral.
"We have a lot of past players into the club and it came as a bit of shock to them last week when a number of them came for a father-son day."
Across Luke Beveridge's 10 years at the Kennel, the Bulldogs have almost annually targeted the trade and free agency periods to improve the list, signing Adam Treloar, Liam Jones, Josh Bruce, Taylor Duryea, Alex Keath and Rory Lobb in that time, as well as James Harmes and Nick Coffield last October.
The new Mission Whitten Oval will challenge Sydney, Carlton, West Coast, Essendon and Collingwood for the best facilities in the competition, making the Dogs an attractive proposition for those looking for a new club.
While the environment and the calibre of people inside the building contribute to becoming a 'destination club', Beveridge believes the new facility will help attract and retain talent in future, with the premiership coach cheekily admitting it will help woo those who come for covert tours after dark.
"I've been extremely proud of how far the club's come, been really grateful for the men and women who have sat on boards, been philanthropists, rattled cans or formally been employed or contracted with our football club to get our club to this unbelievable position. It is just an incredible place to come every day," Beveridge said.
"At this time of year, if you're thinking about acquisition options as far as your list management goes, it is the time where clubs are talking to players, and if you're ever going to have a sneaky visit from an opposition player, it is now a place where it is one of the priorities to say come and have a look at where you might be doing your weights or swimming in the pool and feeling the vibe, getting a free coffee. We haven't been in that position before but now we are. It is a good place to be."
The free coffee Beveridge is referring to comes via the custom-made La Marzocco machine on level one, which has instantly become a central meeting place for every member of the organisation, connecting the administration with the football department for the first time in a long time.
The Western Bulldogs' AFLW team will host four home games at Mission Whitten Oval later this year, plus two other night fixtures between North Melbourne and Port Adelaide, and Essendon and Sydney in September and October. Pre-season AFL games will also be held at the new facility in future.
After years of construction and even longer of planning, the Western Bulldogs now have a home that is the envy of the competition.