Hawthorn’s Dingley move is ambitious and bold but also a must, writes Jay Clark

HAWTHORN’S $50 million venture is ambitious and bold, but it must continue to grow off the field if it wants to remain a powerhouse in the long-term, writes Jay Clark.

Hawthorn players walk off the MCG. Picture: Michael Klein

FOOTBALL is growing everywhere you look.

There are new women’s teams, next generation academies, huge footy staffs and rising membership levels across the country.

Without doubt, the game is as healthy as it has been.

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But good luck getting a car park at Waverley for yourself and three kids to catch a glimpse of Cyril and Hodgey on any of Hawthorn’s main training days.

The Hawks have outgrown themselves, and with housing estates surrounding their traditional and somewhat outdated digs, footy chiefs have known for some time they were landlocked.

They thought about going underground, but the costs were ridiculous.

Ben Stratton chats to Jaeger O'Meara at Hawthorn training at Waverley Park.

And the Hawks aren’t the only club with this headache.

Fremantle is moving into a $110 million training base while West Coast, Geelong, Melbourne and Sydney Swans are also considering other sites. St Kilda is on the move back to Moorabbin.

But the exercise is easier said than done, as Melbourne’s land prices, in particular, have skyrocketed and clubs work out ways to share their facilities with their women’s and VFL teams.

The Hawks’ new set-up at Dingley will be as advanced as anything in the country and, like the top English Premier League clubs, will leave for even more space to grow over the next century.

It has to seriously appeal to potential recruits as Hawthorn works to its strategy to be “the destination club”.

But equally, this move is about accommodating its growing fan base.

Huge crowds descended on Waverley Park ahead of the 2015 Grand Final. Picture: Jason Edwards

Hawthorn has a rare opportunity to capitalise on a golden era of success with four premierships since 2008 and a bunch of flag heroes and potential Hall of Famers.

A target of 100,000 members is on the horizon.

And unlike North Melbourne, which suffered from missing the same opportunity after its successful period in the late 90s, the Hawks wants to make sure it is easy and welcoming for its supporters, sponsors and members of the community to engage with the club and each other at the new headquarters.

The club wants to create a special experience as fans walk through the forecourt and entry of its new training base and participate in the proposed interactive exhibits in the shadows of giant statues of, say, John Kennedy Sr, Leigh Matthews, Peter Hudson, Dermie, Jason Dunstall, Luke Hodge and Sam Mitchell etc.

Perhaps you could hear Kennedy thunder “Don’t think, do” as you walk by his bronzed image.

It’s a spine-tingling thought for ardent Hawthorn fans.

Yes, Hawthorn’s $50 million venture is ambitious and bold, but this is a club that wants to remain a powerhouse in the long-term. Memories of 1996 when the club almost merged are still fresh.

And as chief executive Stuart Fox said of Waverley “It is quite obvious this site will not be appropriate for a big AFL club into the future”.

Dingley will be that big home and in recent months the club has taken giant strides towards making its dream a reality.