Essendon football and cricket clubs at war over the use of iconic Windy Hill

An incensed Essendon Cricket Club is considering legal action amid a growing stoush with Essendon Football Club over the use of the iconic Windy Hill.

Football and cricket are at war over Essendon’s iconic Windy Hill.

An incensed Essendon Cricket Club is considering legal action after the football club scheduled two AFLW games at the suburban ground in October – the first month of the cricket season.

Essendon’s AFLW team will play six Windy Hill games this season, with the Bombers making clear the team’s status in a national elite-level competition gives it carte blanche to trump cricket.

Cricket Victoria has gone into bat for the Victorian Premier Cricket club, accusing the AFL Bombers of trying to “bulldoze’’ it off Windy Hill.

In the past two years, the football club gave the cricketers financial compensation to make way for AFLW games.

But the cricket club has resisted giving up the ground for 2025 AFLW matches.

It says the curation of the turf wicket keeps it off its home ground until mid to late-November, taking too big a chunk out its season.

Despite the absence of another agreement, the football club has scheduled games against Brisbane on October 19 and Hawthorn on October 25 at Windy Hill.

Essendon’s AFLW side in action at Windy Hill last year. Picture: Michael Klein.

Footy is at war with the Essendon Cricket Club over the iconic venue. Picture: Andrew Batsch

Essendon Cricket Club has played at Windy Hill continuously for more than 150 years and its sub-lease with the football club expires in 2031.

Relations between the clubs have been testy for years and flared again in 2021 when the AFL Bombers announced plans for a $50 million redevelopment at the ground.

There were suggestions the cricket club would be relocated, prompting president Simon Tobin to declare the cricketing Dons weren’t going anywhere unless there were compelling alternatives.

Essendon Football Club declined to comment publicly on the latest stoush but as the manager of Windy Hill it believes the scheduling is a jigsaw puzzle that can still cater for both cricket and football.

It denies it is trying to kick the cricket club off the ground and is adamant both codes have to make sacrifices with fixtures.

The “division of seasons’’ document that sets out usage across a calendar year does not apply to Essendon’s AFLW side because it plays in a national, elite-level competition, trumping Victorian Premier Cricket.

Essendon believes it’s entitled to fixture football outside of the boundaries of the usual sporting calendar.

Two AFLW games are scheduled for the suburban ground in October. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

The Bombers also maintain the final AFLW game at Windy Hill on October 25 still gives cricket enough time to play its first home game in late November, similar to last year.

Premier Cricket also played finals in March at Windy Hill, keeping VFL and VFLW teams off the ground until Anzac Day.

Essendon chief executive Craig Vozzo trumpeted the six games at Windy Hill last week – up from four last year – given the popularity of games at the venue.

“We’re thrilled to be part of this landmark AFLW season as the league celebrates its 10th season. Playing more games, especially in front of our passionate supporters at Windy Hill, it is a huge moment for our club and the AFLW competition,” Vozzo said.

Essendon believes the strong crowd support with over 25,000 fans at AFLW games at Windy Hill in the past two seasons shows the community support for elite AFL at the venue.

As the ground manager, Essendon had the ground in use for 44 weekends last year, including the Coates Talent League and the Essendon District and Victorian amateur competitions.

CEO of Cricket Victoria Nick Cummins Picture: Richard Jupe

CEO of Cricket Victoria Nick Cummins said Essendon Cricket Club – which has been at Windy Hill home since 1872 – tried to accommodate women’s football in the past two years but it had been too difficult and had told the football club it wasn’t prepared to vacate the ground this year.

“Critically, Essendon Cricket Club doesn’t have anywhere to go,’’ Cummins said.

“Essendon Football Club can play AFLW at Whitten Oval, Arden Street or Princes Park.

“The cricket club has nowhere else to play and they are being bulldozed by the football club.’’

Cummins said the “divisions of season’’ agreement – which was renewed in May – was still in play because the cricket club was a community sporting organisation.

The agreement confirmed that cricket clubs get “priority use rights’’ of shared facilities during the traditional cricket window of October to March and the same applied for football clubs for April to September.

Originally published as Essendon football and cricket clubs at war over the use of iconic Windy Hill