123-622: Eureka Stadium , known commercially as Mars Stadium , is an oval-shaped sports stadium located in the Eureka Sports Precinct of Wendouree , 2.9 km (1.8 mi) north of the CBD of the city of Ballarat, Victoria , Australia. The first permanent oval used by the North Ballarat Football Club was established in 1963 in the centre of the defunct Ballarat Showgrounds harness racing track formerly used by
246-681: A 9-win, 13-loss record for the season. Shortly after the 2011 season was completed, long-time Geelong and Essendon assistant Brendan McCartney was appointed as the senior coach on a three-year contract. During the following months, the Bulldogs assembled a coaching panel consisting of senior coach McCartney, former Geelong and St Kilda ruckman Steven King , former Sydney Swans and North Melbourne midfielder Shannon Grant , former Bulldogs champion and 300 game player Rohan Smith, and former Bulldogs and Port Adelaide player Brett Montgomery . In October 2012, long-time president David Smorgon stepped down from
369-464: A bad way. In those days, strange to realise, we didn't hydrate. We were told not to drink too much in case we got cramps. We just ran out of legs. And Hawthorn were brutal. They made every contest a physical clash. They wore us down. In the second half, the Hawks, led by centreman Brendan Edwards , pulled away from the tiring Bulldogs, kicking ten goals to two to take out their first VFL premiership. This
492-563: A coaching capacity until the end of 1971. The club was relatively strong in the 1970s, but did not win a final; by decade's end they were back near the bottom. The main stars of the decade included Gary Dempsey , the heroic ruckman who was badly burnt in Lara bushfire of January 1969 but managed to take out the game's top individual award, the Brownlow Medal , in 1975. Promising South Australian import Neil Sachse had his neck broken in
615-449: A contender for the finals, missing only on percentage in 1931. Though they slipped to eleventh place in 1930, 1935 and 1937, in 1938 they became the first of the new clubs to reach the finals. They fell back drastically in 1939, but played better during the war-torn 1940s, winning their first nine games in 1946. Between 1938 and 1951, Footscray failed to win any finals matches, losing all six of its semi-final appearances. In 1953 , however,
738-444: A disappointing 2014 AFL season , the Bulldogs endured a tumultuous off-season. It began when Ryan Griffen , who was widely regarded as the club's best player and had only been captain for one season, shocked the football world by requesting a trade to Greater Western Sydney . He later cited the stress of captaincy as his reason for nearly giving up the game altogether. Two days later, senior coach McCartney handed in his resignation to
861-582: A freak accident while playing against Fitzroy at the Western Oval. He was left quadriplegic . In 1978, Kelvin Templeton became the first Bulldogs player to kick 100 goals in a season, including a club record of 15.9 in Round 13 against St Kilda. After muddling its way through a disappointing decade, having to sell many of its key players to survive, the Bulldogs would endure another tumultuous decade in
984-529: A host of others, rallied to raise funds to pay off the club's debts. In further developments, former club player Terry Wheeler was named as Malthouse's replacement as senior coach, while champion veteran wingman Doug Hawkins was appointed captain. While Columb was branded by some as the villain of the story, the wisdom of hindsight shows that had he not instigated the merger, the Western Bulldogs would not exist as it does today. The Bulldogs began
1107-752: A number of small office buildings. Newer industrial and commercial estates have recently commenced development on designated future growth zones to the West that will benefit from access to Ballarat's new western bypass road and planned redevelopment and expansion of the city's airport. Wendouree is home to Ballarat Grammar School in Forest Street and the Mount Rowan Secondary College. The suburb also has four primary schools (Wendouree, Forest Street, Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, and Yuille Park Community College). Ballarat Grammar
1230-829: A proposal to develop the stadium for use by AFL team North Melbourne and the North Ballarat VFL team was put forward to the Victorian State Government by the Ballarat Council and the North Ballarat Sports Club. The proposal received support from the ALP Government during the 2010 State Election with the LNP opposition only providing conditional support. After the election the new LNP Government quickly abandoned
1353-640: A range of purposes although mainly as an Australian rules football and cricket venue. It annually hosted the Ballarat Gift (Athletics Carnival) and the Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society's show-ring events during their annual Show. During the 1990s and early 2000s various proposals to play AFL football at the ground had been discussed by the Ballarat football community, media, and business groups in isolation. However, in 2008
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#17327985822531476-418: A season-ending knee injury in round 3—saying, "This is yours, mate. You deserve it more than anyone." This gesture, described as "one of the most touching" in football history, was met with a standing ovation by the crowd. Murphy, though thankful, returned the medal to Beveridge the following day, saying he could not keep it. They decided to gift the medal to the Bulldogs museum. Despite a promising start to
1599-767: A successful partnership with the North Ballarat Football Club to enable its reserve-grade players to play alongside the North Ballarat players in the Victorian Football League . North Melbourne also played pre-season games in at the ground during this time. In 2014 the Victorian Government and AFL approved the request of fellow AFL club the Western Bulldogs at least two AFL premiership matches at
1722-464: A ten-point loss in the preliminary finals against Hawthorn. The club boasted a list of top players at this time, with Beasley, Doug Hawkins , Brian Royal , Rick Kennedy , Stephen Wallis , Peter Foster , Michael McLean , Jim Edmond , Andrew Purser , Stephen MacPherson and Brad Hardie . The debt ridden club in 1986 was considered by the VFL extremely likely to fold if not for the lifeline provided by
1845-441: A third consecutive year out of the finals with a disappointing 5–8 record at the end of Round 14, the Bulldogs would go on to win seven of their last nine matches of the season, securing a spot in the finals for the first time since the 2016 premiership after defeating Adelaide by 34 points in Round 23. They would finish the home-and-away season in seventh position with a 12–10 win–loss record. Despite having strong form heading into
1968-478: A top-of-the-ladder clash at Victoria Park. Took out their first VFL premiership, beating Geelong and then Melbourne in the 1954 VFL Grand Final . Footscray failed to capitalise on their premiership success, falling off in the latter part of the decade and finishing with their first wooden spoon in 1959. The 1960s started promisingly, with the club bouncing back to reach the 1961 Grand Final , where they faced Hawthorn who were in their first Grand Final. This
2091-534: A video scoreboard, new coaches boxes and media broadcast suites commenced with construction works completed in July 2017. In May 2018 the Victorian State Government funded a $ 500,000 Ballarat Council study to identify works considered necessary to immediately address the redeveloped facility's immediate needs in addition to making recommendations for the stadiums long-term development. The report
2214-490: A way that the historical character of the area remains intact. The original Wendouree West State School buildings were demolished in early 2007, with the new replacement school opening as Yuille Park Community College, the product of amalgamation with Yuille Primary School. The renewal program has also seen a lot of civic improvements including street-scaping, an upgrade of the shopping centre, new footpaths and fences, as well as new play equipment, toilets and barbecue facilities in
2337-890: Is a publicly owned service and part of the larger Queen Elizabeth Centres of the Ballarat Health Services. In Howitt Street near Wendouree Primary School is the Kelaston aged care centre and the Vision Australia Centre. Another facility, Mulvra Aged Care, is a privately run centre in Dowling Street, opposite the Wendouree Sports Complex. Along both Howitt and Gillies Streets are many medical practices, some offering specialist services, such as podiatry, paediatrics, pathology, and medical imagery. The Ballarat Day Procedure Centre
2460-679: Is also the location of several Ballarat-based commercial and industrial firms. Landmarks of Wendouree include the Ballarat Sports and Events Centre , the home of the Ballarat Miners and Ballarat Rush ; the Ballarat Showgrounds (Venue for the annual Ballarat Show); Eureka Stadium (Home ground of the North Ballarat (Australian Football) club and Australian Football League venue), the former St Mary's Redemptorist Monastery, Stockland Wendouree Shopping Complex, and
2583-631: Is an independent Kindergarten to Year 12 school affiliated with the Anglican Church of Australia. It was opened by Bishop Green on the current site at the corner of Howitt and Forest Streets in 1911 as a school only for boys. In 1973 the school amalgamated with the Queens Grammar School for girls in Ballarat Central, with the girls making the move to the larger Wendouree campus. Mount Rowan Secondary College (located at
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#17327985822532706-817: Is in Howitt Street near the intersection with Forest Street. Wendouree Veterinary Practice is also in Howitt Street. Child care and pre-school centres in Wendouree are located in College Street; Forest Street, near the Forest Street Primary School; Dare Street, as part of Ballarat Grammar School; Howitt Street, opposite the Day Procedure Centre; Gillies Street, opposite Weeramar Park; Norman Street, next to Weeramar Park; and Hazel Road. Adjoining Yuille Park College
2829-604: Is located at the northern end of Forest Street near the secondary college. It opened in February 1966. Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Primary School is located on Gillies Street in the suburb's north-west. It was opened on 15 October 1961, with the foundation staff of Srs. Anne Gardan, Antoinette Russo, Paulinus Setford and Austin Connellan. Wendouree West Primary School (State School No 4701) opened in 1957. The Victorian Government Gazette 815 dated 26 September 1956 records
2952-559: Is serviced by several bus routes: Route 11 terminates at Wendouree Station. Ballarat Station to Wendouree Station via Drummond Street. Route 12 terminates at Wendouree Station. Ballarat Station to Wendouree Station via Midland Highway and Dowling Street. Route 31 terminates at Wendouree Station. Wendouree Station to Miners Rest via Learmonth Road. Route 10 stops at Wendouree Station. Ballarat Station to Alfredton via Wendouree and Midland Highway, Forest Street and Gillies Street. Ballarat Taxis operates in Wendouree and throughout Ballarat and offers
3075-399: Is that the suburb of Footscray has turned its back on the Western Oval and its football team. Without that support, one of the last remaining monuments to the days when Victorian football was a battle of suburban tribes has hit the dust." Faced with the prospect of running a club with declining membership and sponsorship, Columb learned that Footscray's debt situation was poor, and it reached
3198-498: Is the Wendouree West Community House, a neighbourhood centre offering social opportunities, adult education courses, and programs specifically designed for children, for youth, for men and for women. The Wendouree Community Health Centre, located near the corner of Learmonth Road and Gillies Street, provides health information and counselling, as well as space for hire for local groups and events. Wendouree
3321-581: Is the second most populated suburb in the City of Ballarat with a total of 10,376 inhabitants at the 2021 census . It is named after nearby Lake Wendouree , which derives its name from the Wathaurong word wendaaree , meaning "be off" (or "go away"). It incorporates the unofficial locality of Wendouree West. Wendouree has the second major commercial and business hub in Greater Ballarat, and
3444-473: The 1989 VFL season . Club president Barrie Beattie was replaced by former Footscray board member, businessman and prominent racing personality Nick Columb in March. Things started promisingly with a 59-point win over a dispirited Carlton at Princes Park , with Subiaco recruit John Georgiades kicking eight goals on debut. However, it proved to be a false dawn; the Bulldogs would only win five more games for
3567-440: The 2017 AFL season , which saw the reigning premiers win five of their first seven matches, the Bulldogs lost six of the next eight games. A four-game winning streak towards the end of the season proved to be a false dawn, as the Bulldogs failed to secure a spot in the top eight after losing the last three games of the season. They finished tenth with an 11–11 win–loss record, becoming the first team since Hawthorn in 2009 to miss
3690-597: The Durban Sharks during 2019 and 2020 respectively, and Melbourne Storm and Newcastle Knights of the Australian National Rugby League in February 2022 in a pre-season trial game before 5,127 fans. In 2015 the Ballarat Council prepared a development document titled the "Ballarat Major Events Precinct Master Plan" that detailed plans for a long-term multi-staged development of the Eureka Sports Precinct which encompasses Eureka Stadium,
3813-689: The GWS Giants and the Gold Coast Suns that was originally scheduled to be held in Sydney when a COVID-19 outbreak in New South Wales necessitated a last-minute change of venue. The stadium hosted association football (soccer) with A-League club Western United FC playing 3-4 of its seasonal Victorian home game fixtures in Ballarat between 2019 and 2024. The first game was played against Wellington Phoenix on 28 December 2019 with
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3936-692: The Grand Final for the first time in 55 years. In doing so, it became the first club to reach the premiership decider from such a low position on the ladder. The club ended a 62-year premiership drought with a 22-point victory over minor premiers the Sydney Swans. Jason Johannisen won the Norm Smith Medal , with Liam Picken (WB), Tom Boyd (WB) and Josh Kennedy (SYD) close behind, while coach Luke Beveridge gave his Jock McHale Medal to captain and club veteran Robert Murphy —who suffered
4059-680: The Wendouree Centre for the Performing Arts . In 1838 a squatter called William Cross Yuille camped on the shores of the Black Swamp, now known as Lake Wendouree, the first Ballarat resident. The Yuille Pastoral Run developed during the mid-1800s. Renowned fly fishing author Alfred Ronalds established Ballarat's first garden nursery in 1854 on the bank of the Swamp. He also built large tanks there and provided water for
4182-463: The Western Bulldogs to market the club more broadly (specifically the western suburbs of Melbourne). To coincide with the change, the club moved their home games from the Whitten Oval, originally to Optus Oval from 1997 to 1999, and then to the newly built Docklands Stadium for the 2000 season. During the 2000 season, the Bulldogs handed the eventual premiers, Essendon, their only loss for
4305-645: The local borough . The club won nine premierships in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) before gaining admission to the Victorian Football League (which became the AFL in 1990) in 1925 . The club has won two VFL/AFL premierships, in 1954 and 2016 and was runner-up in 1961 and 2021 . The club has developed a strong support base to the west of the city, traditionally a working-class area. Docklands Stadium , in
4428-450: The 1906 VFA Grand Final, the club won its first premiership by defeating Brunswick in 1908. Another premiership followed in 1913. The club entered two years of recess during World War I and returned in 1918. Still rebuilding, the club won the wooden spoon . From bottom to top in one year, 1919 saw the club win the premiership, and again in 1920. The club went back-to-back in 1923 and 1924. The 1924 premiership would be Footscray's last in
4551-465: The 1980s. To try and improve the club's fortunes, the committee appointed former Richmond champion Royce Hart as coach for the 1980 VFL season . Things hit an all-time low in 1982 ; the Bulldogs lost their opening round match to Essendon by 109 points and by the middle of the season, with only one win in 12 games and having lost the last eight matches, Hart was sacked and replaced with player Ian Hampshire , who promptly quit his playing duties. One of
4674-519: The 2007 season, the Bulldogs made a splash by trading for Brisbane midfielder Jason Akermanis . They were premiership favourites early on in 2007, but yet again injuries took their toll, and they faltered in the last seven rounds, losing six games and drawing one, to finish 13th. In the 2008 pre-season they traded away Jordan McMahon to Richmond and Sam Power to North Melbourne. They also recruited ruckman Ben Hudson and forward Scott Welsh from Adelaide and back Tim Callan from Geelong in what
4797-620: The 2014 season. The team played under the name of Footscray and the decision proved an instant hit on and off the field, with supporters of the AFL club taking a strong liking to the newly established VFL team. The success flowed onto the field as well, with the club securing the VFL Premiership in its first season in the competition since 1924, defeating the Box Hill Hawks by 22 points in the VFL Grand Final. Following
4920-480: The 2015 State Budget allowing the first stage of development of the stadium to commence. In order to accommodate grandstands and other facilities the oval was completely rebuilt and re-oriented to a NE-SW axis in preparation for the first stage of construction. The rebuilt oval incorporated state of the art irrigation and drainage, a 4000-capacity grassed spectator berm on its South-Eastern flank, and four 37 metres (121 ft) light towers partially rigged to illuminate
5043-514: The Ballarat Council lobbied the State and Federal Governments for replacement of the stadium's lighting with four 50 metre towers fitted with modern LED fittings for a total cost of $ 3.5 million (AUD). Similar towers recently installed at Melbourne AFLW venues meet the guidelines for digital TV broadcasts for professional sports. To date no funds to either upgrade or replace the existing lighting have been secured. Stage 3 Development. On 11 April 2024,
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5166-409: The Ballarat and District Trotting Club as its main venue between 1952 and 1966. A new all-weather oval (dimensions 170 by 140 metres (560 ft × 460 ft)) replaced the harness racing track in 1990, complemented by a new sports club and club pavilion (The North Ballarat Sports Club) which was constructed on private land to the oval's northern flank. Between 1990 and 2015 the oval was used for
5289-562: The Brownlow Medal. After a disappointing 1991, the Bulldogs bounced back in 1992, finishing second on the ladder and making their first finals appearance since 1985. Danny Del-Re was an excellent full-forward, while champion veterans Hawkins, Royal, Wallis, Foster and MacPherson helped ensure the club played its best football in many years. Scott Wynd capped a magnificent year with the Brownlow Medal, while Chris Grant and Simon Atkins also had outstanding seasons. In 1994 and 1995,
5412-406: The Bulldogs again made the finals, only to be eliminated by Melbourne and Geelong, respectively. Leon Cameron and Daniel Southern were stars. In August, Ted Whitten died from prostate cancer; such was his status in the game that he was given a state funeral . In his honour, the club renamed the Western Oval the Whitten Oval, and a memorial statue of Whitten was erected outside the stadium. Under
5535-461: The Bulldogs failed to make their first grand final in 49 years after being demolished by Collingwood in the first round of the finals, coming back against the Sydney Swans and losing again to St Kilda in the preliminary final, captain Brad Johnson's last game. The pain of three consecutive Preliminary final exits took its toll in 2011 . After a 55-point thrashing at the hands of Essendon in
5658-682: The Bulldogs finished the home-and-away season with 13 wins (see 2006 AFL season ), making it to the finals for the first time since 2000, with Scott West and Brad Johnson continuing their excellent play. They won the Elimination Final against Collingwood in front of 84,000 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and reached the semi-finals before being defeated by eventual Premiers the West Coast Eagles at Subiaco Oval . On 5 August 2006, Chris Grant broke
5781-422: The Bulldogs rebounded with an 18-point win against Brisbane at The Gabba . That was followed up by a 14-point win over Geelong. In the final round of the home-and-away season, the Bulldogs needed to defeat Collingwood by more than 22 points to reclaim third place on the ladder. The Bulldogs managed win by 24 points, earning the right to play Geelong in the first week of the finals. There was media expectation that
5904-432: The Bulldogs to victory. In Round 7 against Hawthorn at Glenferrie Oval , Footscray, led by Don Ross after Whitten injured his shoulder, came from 23 points down at the last break to kick seven goals and win by nine points. With Richmond upsetting Collingwood at Victoria Park that same day, the Bulldogs went to the top of the ladder, where they would stay until Round 11, when they lost to Collingwood by ten points in
6027-453: The Bulldogs' new senior coach. Beveridge had recently served as an assistant coach at Collingwood and Hawthorn, and was due to take up a position at St Kilda as director of coaching before applying for the job as Bulldogs coach. In a series of important first steps, he decided to keep the existing coaches and appointed veteran Robert Murphy as captain. In January 2015, Simon Garlick announced his resignation as club CEO, having first taken on
6150-536: The Frank Bourke Oval (Also referred to as the Number 2 Oval) adjacent to the stadium, while First Class cricket matches in Ballarat are generally hosted at the city's historic Eastern Oval which has recently undergone a series of Cricket Australia First Grade endorsed upgrades. The stadium successfully hosted Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby AU pre-seasonal and seasonal games against Queensland Reds and
6273-527: The North of Wendouree. The Eureka sports precinct in the south-east comprises the Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society Showgrounds, Eureka Stadium , North Ballarat No 2 oval, the Wendouree Football Oval (C. E. Brown Reserve), outdoor netball courts and the Ballarat Sports and Events Centre . The latter is the home of Basketball and Netball in Ballarat. Other sports facilities include
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#17327985822536396-644: The Phoenix winning the match 3–1 in front of 5,084 fans. This arrangement ceased when a new dedicated home soccer stadium opened in Tarneit in Western Melbourne. Of note, in October 2020 A-League Players voted the stadium as having equal to or the best surface of all A-League venues. From 1990 to 2015 the main oval hosted Ballarat Cricket Association matches with the individual highest batting score on
6519-569: The State Tourism Minister Steve Dimopoulos announced the construction of an additional 5000 permanent undercover seats on the Eastern side of the stadium arena on the area currently occupied by the main standing berm. This announcement was accompanied with architect's renders confirming the proposed design of the stands as well as a new level 1 standard competition athletics field and club pavilion to be sited on
6642-588: The VFA. After the 1924 season, the club challenged the premiers of the VFL, Essendon , to a charity match, otherwise known as the Championship of Victoria , for the benefit of opera singer Dame Nellie Melba 's Limbless Soldiers' Appeal. Footscray recorded an upset victory, winning by 28 points. The win was a significant factor in Footscray gaining admission to the VFL. In 1919, there were nine clubs competing in
6765-416: The VFL granting licenses to Brisbane and Perth. Things didn't bode well for the Bulldogs early in the 1987 VFL season . Hardie and Edmond had moved to the newly formed Brisbane Bears , while Hawkins' return from his knee injury was still some time away. By Round 3 they were sitting on the bottom of the ladder after heavy losses to Essendon, Sydney and Carlton . Footscray's revival started when, in one of
6888-418: The VFL, due to the return of all the foundation teams plus Richmond after World War I, as well as University Football Club deciding not to rejoin the VFL. This caused one team to be idle every Saturday and the VFL was keen to do away with this bye each week. On the night of 9 January 1925, a committee meeting of the VFL, chaired by Reg Hunt of Carlton , decided to expand the league from nine clubs to twelve. It
7011-572: The Wendouree West Recreation Reserve off Holly Grove, which has two competition grade soccer fields and a BMX track; the large Ring Road reserve; and a number of small reserves within residential areas. The Ballarat West Estate, later renamed as Wendouree West, was first planned in 1949 as a large public housing scheme of the Housing Commission of Victoria , to deal with the post-war housing shortage. Demand
7134-610: The Western Bulldogs record for the most senior AFL/VFL games at the club. On this day he played his 330th game, breaking Doug Hawkins ' previous record of 329 games. Looking for new markets, the club had played one game every year at the Sydney Cricket Ground and one "home" game each year at Marrara Oval in Darwin . On 16 August 2006, the league announced that the Bulldogs' Sydney "home" game would be played at Manuka Oval , Canberra in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Prior to
7257-556: The Western Bulldogs would again feature in the top four in 2010 after doing so in 2008 and 2009. The pre-season delivered the Western Bulldogs their first competition victory since 1970 as they defeated St Kilda by 40 points in the NAB Cup Grand Final, with new recruit Barry Hall starring with seven goals and winning the Michael Tuck Medal for being the best player. However, after a promising pre-season,
7380-425: The area during the late 1870s. However there are few historical records and no records of its formation. No definitive documented connection has been established between the early clubs and the modern club. As such some club historians believe this club was established in 1876 though the official date is cited as 1877. Both dates of formation have been challenged by historians. Early matches weren't played against any of
7503-614: The board. President Gordon agreed that the decision was in the best interests of the club and also stressed to the press that the club was not in crisis. Adam Cooney requested a trade out of the club, and Shaun Higgins joined North Melbourne via free agency. On November 14, the club's coach selection panel, headed by club champion and football director Chris Grant and including CEO Simon Garlick , football manager Graham Lowe, former captain Luke Darcy and former West Coast coach John Worsfold , appointed former player Luke Beveridge as
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#17327985822537626-410: The city's inner-west, has served as the club's home ground since 2000 , while its headquarters and training facilities are at its traditional home ground, the Whitten Oval . The club also plays home games at Mars Stadium in the city of Ballarat west of Melbourne. The Western Bulldogs guernsey features two thick horizontal hoops—one red and one white—on a royal blue background. Fourteen players from
7749-402: The club are members of the Australian Football Hall of Fame , including inaugural inductee and Legend Ted Whitten . Marcus Bontempelli and Luke Beveridge serve as the club's current captain and head coach respectively. At the end of 1996, as part of a broader rebranding scheme, the club changed its name from Footscray to Western Bulldogs. The club has fielded a side in AFL Women's since
7872-401: The club set a record by conceding only 959 points in the home-and-away season due to a powerful defence featuring Dave Bryden , Wally Donald , Herb Henderson and Jim Gallagher . Footscray finally won its first semi-final, against Essendon, but lost the preliminary final to Geelong , a key factor being the absence of star full-forward Jack Collins , who had been suspended for four matches at
7995-399: The club with one match left in 2002 and assistant coach Peter Rohde took charge. Philanthropist and long-time Bulldogs supporter Susan Alberti was elected to the club board in December 2004. After two miserable seasons, the Bulldogs appointed Rodney Eade as coach in 2005. Improvement was immediate, with the Bulldogs winning 11 games and finishing ninth on the ladder in 2005, missing out on
8118-482: The competition's 2017 inception, winning a premiership in 2018 , and also has a reserves side in the Victorian Football League and VFL Women's League. Newspapers record Australian rules football being played in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray in the mid-1870s, with several teams playing in and being called Footscray. The area's main football ground was located between Napier, Bunbury and Hyde Streets in Lower Footscray. A stronger club named Footscray emerged in
8241-438: The corner of Forest Street and Giot Drive) is located at the northern end of the suburb opened in 1978 as the Wendouree High Technical School. Its name changed to Wendouree Secondary College in 1990. In 1993 the school was amalgamated with Ballarat East Secondary College (originally High School) and Midlands Secondary College (originally Ballarat North Technical School) to form Ballarat Secondary College. The new campus, like that of
8364-488: The early 2000s, during a process to make official the boundaries of all cities, towns and suburbs in Victoria, it was determined that Wendouree West would exist only as an unofficial neighbourhood name. The name Wendouree West (or "Westie") was often used to stigmatise and as a term of derision, often placing its residents at a disadvantage when applying for employment and other positions in the wider Ballarat community. In large part, this historic stigmatisation has contributed to
8487-424: The end of the home-and-away season. The Bulldogs went into the 1954 VFL season as premiership contenders. However, the season did not start well with losses St Kilda and Richmond , both of which finished in the bottom four the previous season. In the following two matches, against South Melbourne and Carlton , the club returned to form with Jack Collins booting eight and nine goals respectively to help propel
8610-407: The estate has a resident population representing a mixture of cultures and age groups. The estate is noted as having low socio-economic resources due to higher-than-average unemployment, a high population of aged residents, and inter-generational social welfare dependency. Attempts over the years to change the name of Wendouree West were met with mixed responses from residents throughout Ballarat. In
8733-409: The few bright spots in an otherwise dreary season was the performance of Western Australian recruit Simon Beasley , who kicked 82 goals for the season and proved himself one of the best full-forwards in the competition. He would go on to become the Bulldogs' record goalkicker. Mick Malthouse was appointed senior coach in 1984, and a dramatic improvement saw them rise to second position in 1985 before
8856-406: The finals by just half a game. Missing the finals dealt a blow to both players and supporters of the team, as late season success led to the team being considered real premiership contenders. In 2006, the Bulldogs continued to play well despite a disastrous run of injuries throughout the year; with five players having to have knee reconstructions, including captain Luke Darcy . Despite this setback,
8979-574: The finals the year after winning the premiership. The club would farewell two long-serving veterans: the retiring captain Murphy and ex-captain Matthew Boyd . 2018 proved to be an even more difficult year for the club. Tom Liberatore suffered a second season-ending knee injury in the opening round 82-point loss to Greater Western Sydney; he would be the first of eight Bulldogs to have their season ended by injury. They suffered six heavy losses in
9102-465: The finals, the Bulldogs were one of the surprise packets of the 2019 season . The season started well enough with victories in the first two games, defeating Sydney by 17 points in Round 1 and then kicking nine goals in the last quarter against Hawthorn to win by 19 points in Round 2. However, they then lost their next four matches. The Dogs would continue to have up-and-down form, winning their next two before losing four of five afterwards. Staring at
9225-506: The first Primary School originally being constructed as a six classroom, concrete veneer, timber-framed building that cost 21,300 pounds to construct. The builder was the local Ballarat building firm A. V. Jennings Constructions. In 1972 the school was given a State award for having the best maintained school grounds in Victoria, with extensive plantings of flower beds and native trees. In 1975 a library, art room and multi-function hall complex
9348-408: The first half of the season and would win only once between Round 9 and Round 19, with the sole win in that period a thrilling two-point upset win over finalists Geelong in Round 15. Injuries aside, there were also issues with inconsistent form – players such as premiership heroes Jordan Roughead , Caleb Daniel , Shane Biggs and Fletcher Roberts spending time in the VFL – and a forward set-up that
9471-620: The first stage of development of the Eureka Stadium. Planning for construction was significantly fast-tracked, occurring whilst the reconstruction of the oval was underway during 2015. Initial design concepts for the grandstands were released for public feedback in late 2015 resulting in significant changes to the final design before approval in May 2016. Almost immediately, tenders for construction were announced and construction works for new grandstand and terraced seating for 5000, player races,
9594-547: The former Ballarat Showgrounds, neighbouring sports ovals, netball courts and club pavilions as well as the re-development and expansion of the former Wendouree Netball Centre to become the Ballarat Sports Events Centre . Stage 1 Development. In June 2015 the Victorian government committed $ 38.5 million to the initial development of the precinct, with approximately half of the funding allocated to
9717-545: The former Ballarat Showgrounds. Construction of the Athletics Centre and Eureka Stadium upgrades are due to commence from January 2025 and be completed by April and September 2026 respectively. Top 5 Attendance Records Wendouree, Victoria Wendouree ( / ˌ w ɛ n d ə ˈ r iː / ) is a large suburb on the north western rural-urban fringe of the city of Ballarat , in Victoria , Australia . It
9840-610: The ground (226 runs) being accredited to Mr Tom MacDonald (of the Wendouree Cricket Club) on the 18th February 2006 against the North Ballarat Cricket Club. The main oval has not been used for cricket since redevelopment in 2016, however provision was included with its reconstruction to permit the use of drop in wickets to be installed if the venue hosts future large scale cricket games. The Ballarat North Cricket Club currently play home matches at
9963-465: The ground from 2017, though without an affiliation with North Ballarat as North Melbourne had. In 2015 North Melbourne was forced to cease its association with Ballarat and were subsequently contracted to playing three of their seasonal AFL premiership matches in Hobart , Tasmania . In August 2017, the Bulldogs hosted the first AFL match for premiership points at Mars Stadium against Port Adelaide , with
10086-642: The large Melbourne clubs and Footscray was thus classified as a "junior" club, playing mostly against teams from nearby Williamstown . Initially the club played at the Northern Reserve, also known as the Market Reserve located between Barkly Street and Geelong Road. In 1880, the club changed its name to the Prince Imperials in honour of Napoléon, Prince Imperial , the heir to French throne , who had recently died in battle. The club
10209-499: The largest crowd at any Bulldogs game since the 2010 finals. The Bulldogs fought through numerous injuries in 2016 to finish 7th in the home and away season. In a series of against-the-odds finals victories, the club eliminated the previous year's runners-up, the West Coast Eagles , in Perth; thwarted Hawthorn 's bid for a fourth successive premiership; and, away from home, scraped through against Greater Western Sydney to qualify for
10332-420: The latter winning the match by 17 points. The Bulldogs have also played pre-season and regular-season AFL men's and AFL Women's games at the ground. In November 2021, the Western Bulldogs and the Ballarat Council announced that the club would continue playing two AFL and one AFLW home games per season. This arrangement to be reviewed in late 2024. In July 2021, the stadium hosted the Round 17 AFL match between
10455-412: The losing preliminary final. The Bulldogs eventfully lost by 68 points against the reigning premiers who went on to claim their second consecutive premiership in the grand final that following week. The Bulldogs would make their third consecutive top 4 finish in 1999 but they suffered consecutive finals losses to West Coast and Brisbane. In late 1996, the club changed its playing name from Footscray to
10578-457: The lower rungs of the VFA ladder. The club began to improve after the VFL breakaway of 1896 , finishing on top of the VFA ladder in 1898, 1899 and 1900. As no finals were played, Footscray were declared premiers. The club played in and won its first finals match in 1903, against Richmond , the minor premiers, but lost the follow-up finals match to North Melbourne . After losing to West Melbourne in
10701-531: The name of the local borough during the annual general meeting. The club began using the Western Oval and in 1886 was granted permanent use of the Western Oval by the City of Footscray. Footscray gained admission to the Victorian Football Association (VFA) after amalgamating with the Footscray Cricket Club to form a senior football club. The club tended to struggle over the next decade, occupying
10824-404: The new decade in promising fashion, finishing in seventh place with twelve wins in 1990, including one against eventual premiers Collingwood, when rover Steven Kolyniuk ran around the man on the mark and kicked a goal to put his team in front. Although they just missed out on the finals, there was much to look forward to, and the year was capped off with diminutive rover Tony Liberatore winning
10947-442: The ongoing disadvantage of its youths. The estate today is now included as part of Wendouree. In recent years attempts have been made to rejuvenate the estate including the removal of many of the early prefabricated cottages and the construction of retirement units and modern private and public housing. Some 300 of the original houses are to be retained and many have already undergone extensive renovation and modernisation, but in such
11070-467: The only night transport in Wendouree excluding Night Trains and Coaches. Wendouree railway station , opened in 2009, is located on the south-western edge of the suburb, just off Learmonth Road. The station runs V/Line trains along the Ballarat line. Wendouree has a significant range of premier sporting facilities catering to seasonal and year-round competitions. Indoor and outdoor basketball, badminton, tennis and lawn bowls facilities at Hollioake Park in
11193-418: The opening round, the season never looked on track. The Bulldogs lost 9 of their first 12 games, including 7 from 8 games between Rounds 5 and 12. Following a 49-point loss to Essendon in Round 21, coach Rodney Eade was sacked by the Western Bulldogs after seven years at the helm. The club finished the year with wins against Port Adelaide and Fremantle and a loss against Hawthorn. The Bulldogs finished 2011 with
11316-574: The others, catered for years 7 to 10. Years 11 and 12 were accommodated at the Barkly Street, Ballarat Central, campus opened in 2000. It replaced the Midlands campus, which was subsequently closed and demolished. In 2017, the college was re-instated as a separate college again catering for years P7-12. Wendouree Primary School (PS 1813) is located on Howitt Street opposite the Howitt Street shopping centre. Forest Street Primary School (PS 4936)
11439-621: The parks. Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in West Footscray , a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia . The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray Football Club the club cites a foundation year of 1877, and it adopted the name of
11562-417: The playing arena to 300 lux (sufficient for non-televised State level Australian Football night competition). From April 2017 to June 2018 the City of Ballarat and North Ballarat Sports Club negotiated for Council to purchase the club's freehold land title to ensure that the newly built stadium and existing sports club would be co-developed and future-managed as a singular entity. In June 2017 naming rights for
11685-495: The point when the VFL looked likely to appoint an administrator to wind up the club's affairs at the end of the year. He decided the best way forward was a merger with Fitzroy , which was also in a weak financial position, although was not facing immediate bankruptcy. The two clubs announced a merger to form the Fitzroy Bulldogs , but the merger was derailed when the people of Footscray, led by lawyer Peter Gordon and
11808-573: The position in December 2010. Having been at the Bulldogs for more than 13 years as a player and administrator, Garlick felt the time was right to "start a new chapter in his life". President Gordon paid tribute to Garlick for his work in keeping the Bulldogs competitive during what had been a difficult period for the club. After losing over 700 games of experience during the off-season, the Bulldogs were expected to again struggle in 2015 , and those feelings were further strengthened when Tom Liberatore ,
11931-401: The preliminary final by two points after leading for much of the game and appearing to be headed for their first grand final since 1961. Rohan Smith , Brad Johnson , Chris Grant, Jose Romero , Paul Hudson and company were catalysts in a fine season. The Bulldogs would again feature in the finals in 1998, after heavily defeating West Coast in the qualifying finals, they met Adelaide again in
12054-510: The proposal. The Ballarat Council, media, sports groups, tourism and business groups continued a united lobby under a promotional campaign titled "Think Big Ballarat" until the 2014 State election when the ALP State Opposition announced that they would fund the development as an AFL Level 3 stadium with the first AFL seasonal game to be played from 2017 if elected. Once elected, the new ALP government immediately committed funding in
12177-512: The reigning Charles Sutton Medallist, went down with a rupture to his anterior cruciate ligament in the NAB Challenge match against Richmond. However, the Bulldogs exceeded expectations to finish the home-and-away season in sixth position to feature in the finals for the first time since 2010. In the elimination final, they lost to Adelaide by 7 points in front of over 60,000 fans at the MCG,
12300-400: The role to be replaced by former president Peter Gordon. Smorgon served as president from 1996 to 2012, overseeing two rebuilding phases, the erasure of much debt and a period of stability after decades of uncertainty surrounding the club's future. In 2013, the Bulldogs ended their affiliation with Williamstown Football Club , establishing a reserves team in the Victorian Football League for
12423-464: The season, with one draw, to finish 13th. The prevailing mood was best captured in Footscray's last win of the season in Round 20 against eventual wooden-spooners Richmond ; although the Bulldogs won by 78 points, a meagre crowd of 8,673 turned up to what many believed at the time would be Footscray's last home game at the Western Oval . Age journalist Garry Linnell wrote: "But saddest of all
12546-422: The southern boundary of the stadium, and partial concreting of the south-east viewing berm. These works being completed in March 2022 some $ 265,000 under the allocated budget for $ 6.35 million. Since 2018 various sports users and television sports broadcasters have criticized the stadium's present sports field lighting citing its ineffectiveness during inclement weather and for television broadcasts. In January 2022
12669-604: The subsequent semi-final against Sydney by 37 points. The Bulldogs lost their preliminary final match against reigning premiers Geelong. Much was expected of the Bulldogs following their 3rd-place finish in 2008. They began the 2009 season with a 63-point thrashing of Fremantle in Perth, and then recorded solid wins over North Melbourne and Richmond before losing their next three games to West Coast (in Perth), Carlton and St Kilda. The Bulldogs then notched up their first away win against Adelaide since 2001, kicking eight goals to one in
12792-509: The third quarter to win by 32 points. The following week, they survived a determined effort from Melbourne, winning by 7 points, before succumbing to Geelong in one of the best and closest games of the season. They proceeded to win their next five games, including a 93-point drubbing of Port Adelaide in Darwin and an 88-point win over the reigning premiers Hawthorn. After a bit of a dip in form including losses to Collingwood, St Kilda and West Coast,
12915-421: The tightly focused management of club president David Smorgon , driven coaching by Terry Wallace , and the on-field leadership of Chris Grant (who narrowly missed a Brownlow Medal in 1996 and 1997) and Tony Liberatore , the club had a successful period through the mid- to late 1990s, making the finals from 1997 to 2000. The 1997 season is remembered for the club's cruellest loss, to eventual premiers Adelaide in
13038-530: The town. Wendouree Post Office opened on 17 February 1871. Significant urban growth in Wendouree began shortly after the Second World War, encouraged by the development of industrial areas to the west. The Howitt Street shopping centre opened in 1962, and Wendouree Village shopping centre (now Stockland) opened in 1978. The landmark St Mary's Redemptorist Monastery in Gillies Street
13161-487: The upsets of the season, they defeated the reigning premiers Hawthorn by 41 points in a display characterised by teamwork and desperation. A seven-match winning streak mid-season saw them back in the Top Five. However, they just missed out on the finals when Melbourne defeated them in the last round in front of a record crowd at their home ground. Discontent between players, officials and fans reached an all-time low during
13284-932: The venue were granted to Mars Confectionery Australian division . The facility today remains the home of the North Ballarat Sports Club including the Greater Western Victoria Rebels of the NAB League and the North Ballarat City FC of the Ballarat Football League . It is also used as a venue for Central Highlands Football League and Ballarat Football League for both seasonal games and finals in addition to hosting two AFL seasonal games per-year since 2017. In 2006 Australian Football League (AFL) club North Melbourne established
13407-600: The west of the suburb, opened in brand new buildings in 2007 as the merger of Yuille Primary School and Grevillea Park Primary School. The Yuille Primary School buildings in McKenzie Drive are now used for running alternative education programs for disinterested students. Within Wendouree are a number of significant healthcare facilities. These include the Queen Elizabeth Village, an aged care complex next to Stockland Wendouree, in Gillies Street. It
13530-645: The year. That victory secured the Bulldogs a place in the finals for the fourth consecutive year. They would bow out in the first week of finals after being defeated by the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba. The Bulldogs missed out on the finals over the next two seasons; in 2001, six players were in New York City during the September 11 attacks while they were attending the 2001 US Open . Terry Wallace left
13653-413: Was a very successful trade week. In 2008 , the Bulldogs were widely predicted for the bottom four after the pre-season , but had a successful home-and-away season, finishing in third place with fifteen wins, one draw and six losses (five of which occurred in the season's last seven games). The team's finals campaign began with a loss to Hawthorn by 51 points at the MCG in the first qualifying final, but won
13776-402: Was also anticipated with the increasing 'baby boom' and intake of post-war immigrants. The estate originally consisted of 750 prefabricated timber bungalows that were mostly built between 1952 and 1962. Initially many of its residents worked in nearby manufacturing plants producing building laminate, caravans and roller bearings. Wendouree West Post Office opened in February 1955. The post office
13899-411: Was built at the expense of the removal of many of the best native flower and rose beds. In 1977 the primary school population peaked at 437 children. This number decreased significantly with the establishment of the temporary Yuille Primary School to the north in 1981. Wendouree West Primary was renamed Grevillea Park in the early 1990s. Yuille Park Community College (PS 5520), located on Violet Grove in
14022-597: Was converted into apartments beginning in 2000. Wendouree's main commercial area is along the western section of Howitt Street between Forest and Gillies Streets, and along Gillies Street between Howitt and Norman Streets. Located in this area are the Howitt Street Shopping Centre, the Wendouree Homemaker Centre and Stockland Wendouree, as well as fast-food restaurants, car dealerships, community and health-care facilities and
14145-570: Was decided in the meeting to admit Footscray, along with two other VFA clubs, Hawthorn and North Melbourne . Footscray played their first VFL match against Fitzroy on Saturday 2 May at the Brunswick Street Oval in front of 28,000 spectators. Former Richmond star George Bayliss had the honour of kicking Footscray's first VFL goal, and although they ended up losing by nine points against an experienced league side, they earned great respect. Future Brownlow medallist Allan Hopkins
14268-426: Was established, and elements of this committee still remain today, promoting the ongoing development of the neighbourhood. In the mid-1950s a small shopping centre, playgrounds, a kindergarten and other amenities were built. During the 1970s a further 500, more substantial modern brick veneer homes were built to the north of the estate. By the late 1970s the population of the suburb peaked at approximately 5,000. Today,
14391-410: Was followed by winning the 1963 and 1964 night premierships, although this success was not transferred into the season proper. The rest of the decade was a bleak era for the club, particularly between 1965 and 1969, when they finished in the bottom three every year. Ted Whitten Snr. retired as a player in 1970 and held the record for the most VFL games played at the time (321 games); he would continue in
14514-645: Was initially based in a park in Lower Footscray. The name change coincided with a lack of support and players, with a meeting to discuss the future of the club held in June 1881. The members present voted to continue the club, although player availability continued to be an issue, with club chairman Charlie Lovett claiming in his memoirs that the name had left many not knowing that they were a club from Footscray. The club would revert to Footscray in April 1882, adopting
14637-481: Was regarded as Footscray's best player that day. The following week, playing their first VFL home game at the Western Oval against a strong South Melbourne team, the Tricolours recorded their first VFL victory by 10 points in front of 25,000 spectators with a strong team effort. Footscray adapted relatively quickly to the standard of VFL football despite losing some of their VFA stars, and by 1928 were already
14760-408: Was relocated to Wendouree Village Shopping Centre (now Stockland) in 1992. Early plans envisaged the estate to be an urban planning model, however development of infrastructure was considerably slower than the construction of housing, with many homes not being connected to sewerage or served by sealed roads until the late 1950s. During the 1950s an aggressive and active community development committee
14883-402: Was struggling to function effectively. Improved form in the final four rounds of the season saw the Bulldogs win three consecutive games and lose gallantly to reigning premiers Richmond, to finish 13th with an 8–14 win–loss record, becoming the first team since Adelaide in 2000 to miss the finals in successive years after a premiership triumph. Defying expectations that they would again miss
15006-503: Was submitted to the State Government and informed parts of the Victorian State Government's " Home Ground Advantage - Victoria's Major Stadia Strategy " document. Stage 2 Development. From September 2020, $ 6.6 million was allocated to provide upgraded player and umpire/referee change-rooms as uni-sex facilities, two new covered entrances with ticketing facilities, a new food and beverage outlet, permanent public conveniences at
15129-411: Was the first VFL Grand Final not to feature any of the foundation teams. In front of over 107,000 spectators, the Bulldogs worked their way to an eight-point lead at half-time, but were clearly struggling with the physicality of their hardened opponents. Rover Merv Hobbs recalled eight players needing first aid, while ruckman John Schultz remembered: The selectors looked around and could see we were in
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