Future Melbourne: AFL stadium could be built at Essendon’s Tullamarine home base
ESSENDON’S Tullamarine home base could be transformed into a boutique AFL venue. A plan has been hatched to build a stadium around one of two ovals on the site.
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A NEW airport sports stadium could be built in a bid to breathe new life into Melbourne’s fast-growing northwest, with Essendon Football Club’s headquarters proposed for expansion.
Melbourne Airport chief executive Lyell Strambi has raised the prospect of a boutique stadium to bring more people to the region and suggested Essendon’s home base as a possible solution.
With a rail link likely to one day be built from the CBD, and key roads — including the Tullamarine Freeway, Ring Rd and Calder Freeway — linking the city to the airport, he said it warranted investigation.
“If you look at all the successful stadiums around the world, they are located around transport hubs,” Mr Strambi said.
He said Tullamarine would become a mobility hub in decades to come.
“That’s why the MCG is so damn good, because it’s so central and in the middle of a hub,’’ he said.
Tourism and Major Events Minister John Eren said the government was “always interested in ideas that will help Melbourne remain the sporting and events capital of the world”.
The Bombers boast MCG and Etihad Stadium-sized training ovals, high-performance facilities, gym, pool, administration base, cafe and room to expand their state-of-the-art “hangar’’.
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Essendon chief executive Xavier Campbell said the club was “very comfortable’’ playing its matches at the “iconic’’ MCG and Etihad Stadium, which is likely to be revamped, but it was open to expanding its site.
“Whether there is an opportunity to explore with the airport or other parties, greater expansion of one or both of the ovals for AFLW or VFL games, that may be something to explore in due course,’’ he said.
The Bombers’ facility, a five-minute drive from the airport, is already used as the Victorian headquarters of the Australian Paralympic Committee.
With 100,000 sqm of land and an option of a further 15,000 sqm next door, Mr Campbell said the precinct had immense scope.
“We echo the views of the airport around creating greater accessibility around the Tullamarine precinct and in particularly our site here,’’ he said
``We already have challenges around creating accessibility for our fans and being able to link that up with greater transport outcomes would be something that we would be very open to.’’
The Bombers recently revealed plans to perform an $18 million facility upgrade at the club’s Tullamarine base.
While acknowledging any move to build a new stadium at Essendon’s Melrose Drive ground could be years away, Mr Strambi said it could work in the future.
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