A-League club Melbourne Victory is looking to partner with Maribyrnong Council and create a training base at upgraded Robert Barrett Reserve
MELBOURNE Victory has plans to strengthen its links with the western suburbs by establishing a training base in Maribyrnong.
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MELBOURNE Victory says establishing a training base in Maribyrnong would be a dream come true.
The A-League club has partnered with Maribyrnong Council with plans for a $750,000 upgrade of the oval at Robert Barrett Reserve.
Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro said the proposal to upgrade the oval to fit two turf soccer pitches would not only give the club a new training base for its women’s team, but would strengthen partnerships with the council, Victoria University and the neighbouring Maribyrnong Sports Academy school.
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“This gives us an opportunity to partner with VU for sports science and strength and conditioning and it gives VU internship opportunities,” Mr Di Pietro said. “The school could also have student and course involvement with what we’re doing, particularly with our junior academy program.
“If you think about how close this site is to the CBD and AAMI Park and how central it is for all of the players to get to, this is nirvana. This is something we’ve dreamt about for some time.”
Victory is also investigating with the council the possibility of starting up a world-class youth academy at Footscray Park.
Mr Di Pietro said the greater presence in the west would help the club have a bigger impact with its community engagement programs.
He said the upcoming community consultation process over the project was “critical”.
“We’re here to contribute to the community and not take away,” he said.
River Ward councillor Sarah Carter said it would be a great result to have a Victory presence in Maribyrnong and she anticipated the community would get behind the move.
If the project gets community backing, Victory will use the grounds for training about 15 hours a week and Barkly St United Cricket Club can continue to use it for matches and training.
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