The NBL flags redevelopment of Geelong Arena with ‘apartment style’ housing component
The NBL met with the City of Greater Geelong to discuss its redevelopment plans for the ageing Geelong Arena and to bring a big league team back to the region, new documents reveal.
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The NBL flagged a plan to redevelop the Geelong Arena with a potential housing component amid a desire to bring a big league team back to the region, new documents reveal.
An unnamed league owner and four NBL delegates met with the City of Greater Geelong on June 26 last year, with the owner showing interest in the council’s “RFP process” relating to the arena, documents produced under FOI show.
The council will later this year call for ideas for the future use of the ageing arena.
This publication revealed last year NBL boss Larry Kestelman had met and discussed the arena with council staff in Geelong but the league was tight-lipped about its plans.
It comes as the council initiated roundtable discussions earlier this week with the NBL, Basketball Australia, Basketball Victoria, Geelong United Basketball, Netball Victoria and key City of Greater Geelong staff.
Kestelman’s visit came after the league reached out to the council via Facebook on February 23 last year, flagging its “interest in returning the NBL to Geelong”.
The Geelong Supercats exited the big league in 1996, joining the then SEABL competition.
In the message to the council, the league said it had met with a previous Geelong mayor and chief executive about the future use of the stadium.
“I have been working with our team internally and believe we could offer the city a solution for the venue that includes a full redevelopment of the stadium, additional courts on the site for community use and retained ownership,” the league said in its initial message.
However, the league said it would be contingent on the city having a suitable stadium for the elite level.
The arena was described as being in “poor” condition in a recent council report.
“Part of the major sell for me … is the potential for redevelopment of the site, potentially including some apartment style living, along with a basketball facility redevelopment,” the league said in an email to the council before the June 26 meeting.
The email was written by somebody who previously was connected to the Geelong Supercats.
It’s understood the league had two site inspections of the arena.
It comes as Geelong United is set to announce its inaugural WNBL coach for the 2024-25 season.
In a further email, the league said it was also keen to explore the management rights of the planned Waurn Ponds sports stadium and the option of retractable seating, creating a capacity for 3000 people.
It also flagged discussions about extra courts at Leisuretime Sports Precinct in Norlane.
“I hope you came away from the meeting with the sense that Geelong is an important market for the NBL and basketball in general,” the league said after the June 26 meeting.
“We are keen to explore the ways that we that we may be able to assist with the growth of facilities in the region, with an eye on the future that we see Geelong as a possible region for NBL expansion and that requires a thriving basketball population to support it.”
In a statement, Mayor Trent Sullivan said it was exciting for the league to show interest in Geelong.
“There’s no doubt we have the population and sporting passion to justify these leagues’ presence in our city, we just need the right facility,” Sullivan said.
“Development of a new Regional Sports and Events Centre in Geelong, capable of hosting elite level basketball and netball as well as other major events, was identified as a need and included on our council’s list of priorities some years ago.
“This could be in the form of a redeveloped arena, or a completely new facility. We’ve carried out feasibility studies that examine both options.”
Sullivan said the roundtable dicussions allowed the council to understand what each sport and league would need from a new or redeveloped centre, particularly in terms of crowd capacity.
“It was a positive discussion overall and our challenge now is to secure the funding and arrive at an agreed location and design,” he said.
“There’s no doubt this centre is needed in Geelong given it would bring such enormous social and economic benefit.
“We’ll be looking to work positively with other levels of government, the sports involved and the private sector to drive this forward.
“There is some clear momentum already given Geelong United has just secured a WNBL license, and we want to see that continue.”
Originally published as The NBL flags redevelopment of Geelong Arena with ‘apartment style’ housing component
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