Charles Brownlow roof in place in SIMONDS Stadium’s $90 million redevelopment
Waypoint are proud to announce another significant milestone in the Simonds Stadium $91 million redevelopment with the installation of the first roof bay on the new Charles Brownlow Stand. The roof bay, which is one of 13, was lifted by a 450 tonne crane. The occasion was captured by fans and passers by on smartphone, quickly becoming a hit on social media.
Demolition works began after the 2015 football season and the new stand will increase the stadium’s capacity to approximately 36,500.
Waypoint Managing Director, Chris Dare commented, “It’s very exciting to see the new Brownlow Stand finally starting to take shape. It’s a significant milestone for all involved, with our team having now spent over three years working on the project after developing the initial business case and now representing the Cats in the role of project director.”
Waypoint negotiated the $91 million funding partnership for the stage-four works with contributions from the State Labor Government, City of Greater Geelong, AFL and the Cats themselves. The new grandstand features arguably one of the best training facilities within the AFL, a 600 seat function room, cafe, rehabilitation centre and impressive facilities for supporters, media, corporates and social club members.
The Cats are confident the upgrade means they will be entitled to host home finals in Geelong, instead of being forced to play at a neutral Melbourne venue. When asked what impact the redevelopment will have on the fans and broader community, Chris answered, “The stadium has become an iconic venue over its four stages of redevelopment, and will mean the local community will no longer have to travel to Melbourne to see major sporting and cultural events.”
Waypoint’s involvement in the redevelopment spans all four stages since 2000, and will continue for the foreseeable future with the company being appointed to develop the business case and funding strategy for the final stage of the stadium’s transformation, which is hoped to be completed by 2020.
Waypoint is privileged to be part of delivering the Simonds Stadium redevelopment and are working fervently towards its completion.