Joel Selwood

Geelong to name new Kardinia Park stand in honour of club legend

“For me, it’s a thank you to many, many people who have helped me along the way.”

Published by
Mitch Keating

Geelong are set to honour club legend Joel Selwood ahead of the 2024 season, with their new 14,000-seat stand at Kardinia Park to be named in his honour.

Selwood, who played 111 of his club-record 355 games with Geelong at the venue, retired from the game as a premiership captain after clinching his fourth flag in the blue and white hoops a year ago.

The six-time All-Australian is set to be recognised at Kardinia Park alongside the names of Brownlow, Farmer, Ablett and Hickey with the new stand in his name, replacing the Ford Stand as one of many changes in the GMHBA Stadium redevelopment.

A Gary Ablett Terrace and Fred Flanagan Room are also set to be included in the renovations, with Selwood telling News Corp it's an honour to feature among the club's greatest servants.

"It's not something I ever dreamt of," the 35-year-old said.

"I was just a kid rocking up to do the best he possibly could day in, day out, and I probably never lost that.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 09: Joel Selwood of the Cats poses for a photo during 2022 AFL Premiership Captain's Day at Marvel Stadium on March 09, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

"For me, it's a thank you to many, many people who have helped me along the way.

"Not only the players who I played with, hopefully they see a bit of a reward in it too, but also the administrators and the day-to-day people who worked inside the footy club to make it what it was."

Following a year of delays, the new stand is set to be finalised ahead of Geelong's Round 1 meeting with St Kilda at the venue in March.

At the completion of the redevelopment, the approximated capacity will be raised to 40,000.

Published by
Mitch Keating