Bulldogs Extend Partnership With Ballarat To Play Games At Mars Stadium

The Western Bulldogs have extended their partnership with Visit Victoria and the City of Ballarat to continue playing AFL games in the regional city.

The renewal means the partnership, which began in 2017, will extend beyond a decade with the club to play two AFL and one AFLW home game per year Mars Stadium, as well as the potential for additional pre-season matches.

The 11,000-capacity stadium is set to receive further upgrades, with new grandstand seating for 5,000 spectators to boost its total seating to around 10,000 and accessibility improvements. Work is expected to get underway in early 2025.

The Bulldogs first visit to Ballarat in 2025 will be on Saturday 3 May when the club hosts Port Adelaide in a Round 8 clash, before returning in mid-July to face the Adelaide Crows in Round 18.

Last season the Bulldogs hosted the Gold Coast Suns and GWS Giants before playing St Kilda in the AFLW. Details of the AFLW match will be revealed when the fixture is revealed.

The partnership forms part of ongoing efforts to promote regional tourism and encourage both intra and interstate visitors to Victoria’s west.

The renewal will also see related branding featured on AFLW team apparel for the first time thanks to an elevation of the Visit Victoria partnership. 

There will also be continued support for the delivery of Western Bulldogs Community Foundation programs, including the Sons and Daughters of the West health initiatives and the Foundation’s youth Leadership Project. 

Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains said he was delighted to see such a key partnership for the Club extended and enhanced. 

“Ballarat remains entrenched as our home away from home and we couldn’t be happier to confirm an extension of this partnership with the City of Ballarat and Visit Victoria,” Bains said. 

“When we play at Mars Stadium the passion of the support we receive from our home crowd is evident and over the years it’s been wonderful to see the city becoming a little more red, white and blue every time we play. 

“As a Club we have built an enduring connection to this region and will continue to do everything we can to engage the community each and every day of the year and well beyond our always eagerly anticipated home fixtures in Ballarat.”

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves said the Western Bulldogs continued to invest significantly into Ballarat, far beyond the terms of the agreement.

“We have seen for many years now that the Western Bulldogs have shown genuine commitment to Ballarat and we are pleased to be able to extend that into the future,” she said.

“Hosting elite matches at Mars Stadium provides enormous benefits to Ballarat multiple times each year, but the community development from the Bulldogs goes far beyond the match day experience.”