Essendon turf war: Ugly Windy Hill stoush escalates amid court threat
Essendon’s football and cricket clubs are at loggerheads over use of the iconic Windy Hill, with allegations of threats which could cause the conflict to end up in court.
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Essendon Cricket Club has accused the football club of playing hardball and breaking long-held agreements as the war over Windy Hill continues.
Cricket club president Simon Tobin said the AFL Bombers were refusing to negotiate as the clubs battled for use of the iconic suburban ground.
“They’ve effectively raised two fingers in the air to us and said take us to court if you feel like it,’’ he said.
The football club has scheduled six AFLW games at Windy Hill, two of them in October – the first month of the cricket season.
The Bombers are adamant the women’s team’s standing in a national competition overrides the “division of seasons’’ agreement struck between football and cricket.
Essendon Football Club holds the lease for the ground.
The cricket club maintains it is a subtenant and has been for many years.
But the football Bombers insist there is no “formal’’ sublease and that they’re trying work in with the cricketers, as they did previously.
Essendon played AFLW matches at Windy Hill in October, 2023 and 2024, financially compensating the cricket club for making way.
Tobin said the time needed for wicket curation meant cricket didn’t get back on the ground until late November, denying the club home games and taking a big bite out of its season.
This year it wants to be on Windy Hill from October 1 for the 2025-26 Victorian Premier Cricket season.
Tobin said the football club was now keen to play women’s matches into November and potentially host AFLW finals, keeping cricket off the ground for longer.
He said he had also become aware the AFL had offered other venues for the two October games.
“For whatever reason they’ve decided not to take up those options and insist on playing at Windy Hill and impacting on our cricket season,’’ Tobin said.
He said the football club was trying to walk away from long-term occupancy agreements and had refused to enter mediation.
“We’ve dealt with numerous football club administrations over decades and although there have been occasional disagreements over housekeeping issues, there’s always been a high regard and mutual respect between the clubs,’’ he said.
“We don’t think those standards are being maintained.’’
The football Bombers deny they have discussed playing games in November and say the AFL has not proposed other grounds.
Their position is that they must play their AFLW matches at their home ground, in line with an elite competition and reflecting a “core responsibility’’ to players, supporters and sponsors.
They say they are having ongoing discussion with all parties about “mixed use’’ of the venue.
Essendon maintains that in any discussions over the long-term future of the ground, the cricket ground wants guarantees it will be at Windy Hill in perpetuity.
The AFL club pays for all curation costs for the Premier Cricket club.
Essendon says it does not want to kick the cricketers off Windy Hill and can share the ground across winter and summer, but it does not believe cricket is negotiating in good faith.
Under an expanded AFLW season, the women’s competition could grow to 18 games, taking up more of the calendar year.
Like Cricket Victoria, Cricket Australia has gone into bat for the club.
CA chair Mike Baird said cricket worked in with venue operators and other sports, including giving the AFL access to major grounds during cricket season.
“In return, we expect seasonal boundaries to be respected and community clubs including Essendon CC to be given fair access to their grounds,’’ he told this masthead.
“The Essendon Cricket Club has played at Windy Hill for more than 150 years.
“We fully support Cricket Victoria’s efforts to ensure this historic club can continue to play a full season at its home ground.’’
Tobin said he was bemused to hear Essendon talk up its “level of investment and support’’ for Windy Hill.
“We question some of that. If you look at the history of the football club in the past 30 years at Windy Hill, they’ve come and gone several times.
“AFL matches ceased to be played at Windy Hill in 1991. The football club relocated their reserves team to Bendigo and became the Bendigo Bombers in 2003. The football club announced a $30 million redevelopment of the ground in 2009 only to withdraw from that and announced a move to Tullamarine.
“They moved in 2013. And really their only interest in Windy Hill beyond 2015 until recent times has been with the gaming venue. There’s been no significant capital improvement for over 40 years.’’
Tobin said the club had been overwhelmed by the support it had received from the Essendon and sporting communities, including Bombers AFL supporters.
Originally published as Essendon turf war: Ugly Windy Hill stoush escalates amid court threat
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