New northern stand at Kardinia Park to be named after Cats legend Joel Selwood

Joel Selwood has added yet another string to his bow with Kardinia Park’s new stand to be named after the Cats’ games record holder.

The new northern stand at Kardinia Park will be named after Joel Selwood. Photo: Alison Wynd.

Joel Selwood will be immortalised at the ground where he thrilled fans and terrified opponents, with the new northern stand at Kardinia Park to be named in his honour.

It’s an almost unimaginable achievement for someone just 35 years old, but few, if any, would argue the decision.

The four-time Cats premiership player, long-serving club captain, three-time All-Australian captain, and club games record holder was typically humble in his response.

“It’s not something I ever dreamt of … I was just a kid rocking up to do the best he possibly could day in, day out, and I probably never lost that,” he said.

“For me, it’s a thank you to many, many people who have helped me along the way.

Kardinia Park stage 5 redevelopment. The Legends Plaza is to the left of the Brownlow Stand.

“Not only the players who I played with, hopefully they see a bit of a reward in it too, but also the administrators and the day-to-day people who worked inside the footy club to make it what it was.”

The naming of the stand comes as the state government confirmed the $142m GMHBA Stadium redevelopment would be completed in time for the Cats’ round one Saturday night clash against St Kilda on March 16.

The Joel Selwood Stand is the cornerstone of the redevelopment.

Replacing the Ford Stand, it will hold 14,000 people and include a Gary Ablett Terrace on the ground level of the two-tiered stand.

It will also contain a new Fred Flanagan Room.

The announcement comes soon after it was revealed that the new northern entry point to Kardinia Park will be known as Djilang Plaza.

The process to name the stand started last year when the state government sought ideas via its Engage Victoria website.

The Kardinia Park Stadium Trust (KPST) managed the process on the government’s behalf and chief executive Gerard Griffin said it became quickly apparent that Selwood’s name would be hard to top.

The decision was formalised by the KPST board and signed off by Sports Minister Steve Dimopoulos.

Mr Griffin said while it was unusual for such an honour to be bestowed on someone so young, the KPST wanted to “get ahead of the curve”.

“An unbelievable record on the field and an extremely fine human being off the field – it’s a pretty good package to name a stand after,” he said.

“It’s going to take a remarkable player to match his record and what he’s got on his CV, simply in playing terms – premierships, the record amount of games, finals – it’s a phenomenal record in the history of AFL/VFL football.

“The other part of the story that is so strong is the character we are talking about and the upstanding citizen he is.”

Selwood with Kardinia Park Stadium Trust chief executive Gerard Griffin. Photo: Alison Wynd.

Mr Dimopoulos said Selwood had become synonymous with Kardinia Park and someone whose contributions on and off the field had brought immense pride to the region.

Selwood kept the accolade a tight secret, only telling his family recently.

Having become a father to Joey earlier this year, he said a day-to-day return to football will not be happening anytime soon, if ever.

“It’s been a busy year, a great year, sitting back, getting away from footy a little bit, watching on from afar … just enjoying being a dad,” he said.

The stadium redevelopment was significantly delayed after defects were identified in 1200 tonnes of steel that was imported from Qatar.

Once complete, its capacity will be 40,000.

Geelong Cats chief executive Steve Hocking congratulated Selwood on the honour.

“Joel has made a significant contribution to the club and the wider Geelong community since he walked through the doors at Kardinia Park in late 2006 and this is a fitting recognition,” he said.

“It is fantastic to see two incredibly important figures in Geelong’s history recognised with Polly Farmer’s and Audrey Cope’s names adorning the gates of our new stand.”

Originally published as New northern stand at Kardinia Park to be named after Cats legend Joel Selwood