The Victorian State Government has announced a $15 million investment towards the sporting development at Dingley, which will be Hawthorn's home base for both the men's and women's team.
The $103 million project will include state of the art facilities for both teams, including a new home ground for Hawthorn's AFLW team.
The funding from the government will ensure "inclusive facilities" across both the men's and women's programs, with AFLW fans also set to benefit from the funding as a new 500-seat grandstand is constructed.
Hawthorn are expecting to be in their new home base in 2024, with Hawthorn President Andy Gowers saying the Kennedy Community Centre will be a "destination".
โThe Kennedy Community Centre will be a destination for women's football right across the eastern and south-eastern suburbs," Gowers said.
โThis funding is an important step in making our dream a reality to create a hub that has equal and inclusive facilities for both boys and girls, men and women from the community through to elite.โ
Hawthorn has received a significant funding boost in the construction of the Kennedy Community Centre, following a $15 million injection from the Victorian government.https://t.co/QmyA5Wtoxx
— Hawthorn FC (@HawthornFC) April 9, 2023
Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves echoed Gowers' words, expressing the importance of the project for the football club.
โPut simply, this project is a gamechanger for our football club,โ Reeves said.
โThis is a great result which means we have secured funding from all three levels of government.
โThe Harris Elite Training and Administration Facility will provide our players, coaches and staff with a first-class high-performance environment, giving them every opportunity to thrive.
โWe are delighted to have secured this state government funding, which will ensure the project can be delivered in its entirety, directly benefiting the Dingley Village community andย the wider south-east of Melbourne.โ
