Inside Hawthorn’s new home at Dingley and what it means for their premiership aspirations

Hawthorn’s new home at Dingley is almost ready, and Andy Gowers believes it can help fast-track the club’s 14th VFL-AFL premiership and an inaugural AFLW title. See the pictures here.

Hawthorn president Andy Gowers believes the Kennedy Community Centre can help fast-track the club’s 14th VFL-AFL premiership and an inaugural AFLW title as he called on Hawks fans to join a fundraising campaign to fund the final fit-out of the players’ facilities.

Gowers told this masthead the Hawks expect to receive the keys to the new $100m, 28 hectare training and administration base in Dingley by September or October.

He insisted it would be a game-changer in terms of its state-of-the-art facilities for high performance rewards on and off the field, as well as becoming a leading community hub.

Hawthorn’s new home is almost ready. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“We expect it will be (a game-changer) for all kinds of reasons,” Gowers said.

Gowers recently joined Will Day, the player considered the Hawks’ future captain, and AFLW star Jasmine Fleming through the facilities, which are now more than 85 per cent completed.

It comes as the Hawks prepare to stage a 24-hour fundraiser from Tuesday at 8pm which the club hopes can raise the last $2m required to fund the cutting-edge technology, resources and recovery tools to be used by the players and coaches inside the centre.

“We are looking to raise $2m in the next 24 hours to close off stage one of the development, which would give our players access to the best possible facilities,” Gowers said.

“This is an opportunity for Hawthorn members and supporters to help make that happen, and whatever they contribute will be matched by a four-times multiple.

“So if someone donates $50, then $200 will be matched by other donors.

“One of the great lines from (Hawthorn legend) Peter Hudson was that ‘If you could (donate), you would’, given how good this football club has been for so many people over the years.

“I have certainly been the beneficiary of that. So we are now calling on all Hawthorn supporters and members who feel as if the club has been good to them to donate.

“As a club, we’ve given great value for money over the years. That’s been one of the recurring themes from our major donors who have said ‘this club has been good to me’.”

Hawthorn president Andy Gowers with Will Day and Jas Fleming at the new Kennedy Community Centre. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Hawthorn supporters can donate at hawks.team/fundraising_day, with Gowers saying it would be an investment in the club’s future at Dingley.

Day said the Hawks players were excited to be moving from their Waverley base to their new Dingley digs – likely to be on day one of pre-season training – as he searched for and located his No. 12 locker in the almost completed AFL change-rooms.

“We (the men’s and women’s teams) are both really young groups, so it is exciting for everyone to see these plans come alive now and to physically see the progress,” Day said.

“With the new facilities, and having a bit more room out here, it means the two groups will work a lot closer. This sort of environment will demand a high performance mindset.”

Fleming said she was excited by the prospect of potentially playing future AFLW home fixtures at the Marvel Stadium-sized ground in Dingley.

The Kennedy Community Centre also has an MCG-sized oval as its centrepiece.

“The exciting thing is that it is a home base for the whole of Hawthorn, for both the men’s and women’s teams,” Fleming said. “Hopefully we can play games out here in the future.”

STAGE TWO POSSIBILITIES

Gowers said the connection between the club and the community was a key component of the new facility, with the possibility of future stages of development already being planned.

“Performance-wise, you will see the pools and the recovery areas, the two ovals, and the high-performance nature of it all,” he said as he toured the site.

The statue of the legendary John Kennedy will move to their new home.

“We think the Kennedy Community Centre will be important in attracting – and retaining – staff and players. But it is also about the local community, and it is called the Kennedy Community Centre for a reason.

“What you are seeing here is stage one. We are not committed to anything yet, but the things we are investigating include basketball, netball and medical centres … hopefully they can form an important part of what could be stage two and beyond.

“The community aspect is important to us. This is designed to allow Hawthorn people the chance to be the best they can be, but also the local community to be a part of this. When we investigate further stages, this will be a critical part of the planning process.

“This is not a lock-up and leave and only Hawthorn gets access to it. This is designed for the local community as well.”

Gowers said the three-metre statue of John Kennedy Sr – which has stood at Waverley since 2008 when it was unveiled as part of the legendary coach’s 80th birthday – will be moved as a centrepiece to the club’s new Dingley base.

He has not ruled out possible future statues of Hawks greats, saying: “we have so many great icons, I am sure we could look at that.”

RE-ENGAGING WITH CYRIL

Gower was so pleased to see estranged four-time premiership hero Cyril Rioli attend the Hawks’ clash with Gold Coast in Darwin recently.

He said the club would continue to work behind the scenes on repairing its relationship with Rioli in the wake of last November’s confidential resolution settlement with Indigenous former players and their families, which included an apology for their experiences.

“It was good to see him there,” Gowers said of Rioli. “We will work on that (relationship) absolutely.

“When we resolved the matter last year we were very clear about it and the term was ‘walking together’. The other term I have used is building bridges and that is an ongoing process. I am not going to go into individual conversations, but we are working on it.”

CO-EXISTING WITH THE DEVILS

As Tasmania Devils work on future plans to be the AFL’s 19th franchise in 2028, Gowers insisted the Hawks have no desire to turn their back on their home-away-from-home for the past 25 years.

In fact, he wants to see Hawthorn continue to play matches in Launceston beyond the end of 2027, when their current deal with the Tasmanian Government expires.

“We are fully supportive of the Devils but surely we could start an instant rivalry between the Devils and the Hawks,” he said.

The Hawks will remain a force in Tasmania. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images

“We will be in open dialogue with the Tasmanian Government and the AFL (about a future beyond 2027).

“We’ve got between eight and ten thousand members in Tasmania, we have full-time staff who work out of Tasmania, and we have a strong history there.

“This is the 25th year of us playing in Tasmania. We have a footprint there. We have been very good for Tasmania, but Tasmania has been very good for us.”

2025 EXPECTATIONS

The Hawks may have dropped their past two games to Gold Coast and Brisbane, but Gowers remains confident in the team’s prospects heading into the second half of the season off the back of a 7-4 ledger.

A tough block of matches to come includes a blockbuster game with flag favourites Collingwood at the MCG on Friday night.

“There is a really big block of games heading into the bye … Collingwood, the Bulldogs and Adelaide, so we will then have a fair idea of where we sit,” Gowers said.

“Then we can reset after the bye and work on the second half of the season.

“We’ve shown some real glimpses of form, but we haven’t put together too many four quarter performances.”