MELBOURNE chief executive Cameron Schwab believes it is only a matter of time before a NAB Cup match will be played at Casey Fields.

Schwab said the continued development of Melbourne's summer training base will demand an official AFL fixture in the near future.

"It's inevitable. It'll end up being – I don't like the term necessarily – a boutique stadium, which footy needs. It might be a bit more traditional, where some people stand and eat their pies," Schwab told melbournefc.com.au at a club breakfast held at Casey Fields on Friday.

"It'll be a more traditional structure, but they'll be facilities where the players don't have to be compromised. The playing surface and training facilities are fantastic and the support and amenities will be what we expect it to be.

"It's a great venue. You get to breath a bit of good air and play at a ground where it has its own water supply and the grass is lush.

"The Casey council has to be congratulated for their foresight in putting this together. I've been to sporting facilities around the world and this will become one of the leading integrated facilities, certainly in our time."

Melbourne is still negotiating the nitty-gritty aspects of a proposed 30-year-agreement to have Casey Fields as a long-term venue, which Schwab said needed careful consideration.

"You're playing Nostradamus a little bit, but we're putting in a contract that stands the test of time and at the very least doesn't become a millstone for future generation CEOs," he said.

"This is clearly not going to be a contract that I'll see through. There has been a bit of detail in it all and there has been a bit of usual contract argy-bargy, but at all times it's been positive. It has been like negotiating a delicate player contract."

Schwab said Casey Fields, set in Cranbourne around 40km from the CBD, had already proved a great training hub for the Demons this pre-season.

"It's the first time we've had a summer training ground. [When I first started with Melbourne] in 1982, we were training at the park where Rod Laver Arena now is, under the Nylex clock, where it was clicking over 40 degrees and the ground was cracking underneath it," he said.

"This now gives our players as good an opportunity as they've ever had to prepare themselves – not just for a season – but for their careers."

Meanwhile, Schwab also backed ex-Fremantle assistant Peter German to make an impact as coach of Casey Scorpions in the VFL, where the Demons overlooked for the senior team will play.

"Chris [Connolly] and I have both known Peter [German] for a long time. We worked with him, particularly when he was with Subiaco. They became a role model as a club in Perth, in regards to their own community," Schwab said.

"He understands and will represent all of that really positively. He'll back Melbourne and he'll deal personally with the city of Casey."