Nearly three decades after last AFL game played at Waverley the venue is back in league hands

Hawthorn bought Waverley Park for $1 but has sold it to the AFL for plenty more, with the league set to use the iconic venue again.

Waverley Park, the site of one of only three AFL grand finals not played at the MCG, will remain a football venue after the league purchased it back from Hawthorn in a sale worth up to $20m.

Hawthorn won the 1991 grand final at what was then VFL Park and then made it the club’s training base following the last match played at the venue in 1999.

The AFL sold the surrounding land to a developer for $110m, used the proceeds to fund Marvel Stadium, which it also now owns, before the Hawks purchased the freehold to the oval and administration building for just $1.

But ahead of a move to a $100m new training facility in Melbourne’s southeast, Hawthorn put Waverley up for sale and the AFL snatched it up with plans to use it for “talent pathways programs, community footy, and umpire development and programs”.

Games could also return to the venue in some form, possibly AFLW or even under-18 games.

“Waverley Park has had a long history in footy, being the first venue to be designed and built specifically for Australian rules football,” AFL boss Andrew Dillon said.

Waverley Park is back in AFL hands. Picture: Mark Stewart

“The purchase of the ground and facilities is a rare and timely solution that will help with our talent pathways programs, community footy, and umpire development programs, all of which will now be worked through with the relevant stakeholders.

“The AFL has targeted having 10 million attendees at AFL/AFLW games, events, and festivals, two million AFL club members and one million participants, and in order to achieve the target for participation we need two ovals a week every week for the next five years.

“We are always looking for green space so we can continue to expand the playing fields we need to accommodate the strong national growth in people playing our game.”

Hawthorn defeated West Coast in the 1991 grand final, played away from the MCG that was being redeveloped.

The only other two grand finals not at the MCG were at the Gabba in Brisbane in 2020 and Optus Stadium in Perth in 2021, both due to Covid restrictions.