Demons announce ‘crucial milestone’ in bid for Caulfield Racecourse move

A Glen Eira councillor who raised concerns about Melbourne’s move to build a high-performance centre at Caulfield Racecourse when the plan was floated last year has backed their move following a feasibility study showing community support.

Jim Magee, who once sat on the Caulfield Racecourse board of trustees, told The Age the Demons had told council during the consultation process they would need the ovals about 17 hours per week, with the community able to make use of them outside those times.

He praised the Demons for their approach and said their enthusiasm could actually create something at the racecourse which had remained underutilised for too long.

“I really welcome the Melbourne Football Club’s involvement here. I am sick to death waiting for state and federal governments to get involved to put money into the centre of the racecourse. Nothing is going to happen unless someone does something,” Magee said.

“Melbourne is going to build two big footy ovals and put that infrastructure in there, but their only committing to using it for about 17 hours a week and that leaves the rest of the time to the general public, and I think that is a really, really good outcome.

“I got a lot of respect for what the Melbourne football club is trying to do and I think it is a really welcome move by them, and it will benefit many people in Glen Eira, where we still have about 400 children each winter who can’t play sport because we don’t have enough grounds.”

The councillor’s backing came after Melbourne moved a step closer to convincing authorities to build their long-anticipated high performance and administration base at Caulfield Racecourse, with the Demons announcing on Wednesday that they have support from local community groups.

The Demons have completed a feasibility study, which was launched in December last year to engage with the community, which claimed “positive” community support, and they will now prepare a business case to convince the state government and the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust to approve the project. The club hopes to know by mid-2025 whether the business case is successful.

Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert sent a letter to members on Wednesday which claimed the feasibility study had established that “the positive sentiment from so many local community organisations and groups has been widespread, and the feasibility study has definitely highlighted the community’s desire to see this project come to life”.

“While the success of the feasibility study does not ensure the future of the project, it is a crucial milestone in the process and marks a significant step forward in our journey towards realising our vision of a high-performance facility that makes us all feel proud to belong,” Pert wrote.

The club’s statement about positive community feedback comes six months after this masthead reported widespread concern from locals, including the Glen Eira council and local MP David Southwick.

The club has tried to find a single base for the club’s football program and administration for more than a decade but have failed at every turn, with players and football staff mixing their time between AAMI Park and Casey Fields while the administration works out of the MCG.

Pert was brought on board as CEO to deliver a high-performance facility, with early attempts for a location near the MCG failing before they turned to Caulfield Racecourse, which has been remodelled recently. The redevelopment led by the Melbourne Racing Club has been widely criticised by racing industry officials.

Under the proposal, the Demons would have an indoor training and administration facility as well as two ovals within the inner part of the racetrack. The feasibility study found overwhelming community support for additional floodlit sporting fields in the local area and community use of the sporting facilities.

“Within the business case phase, we will need to present the proposed funding model for the project, details of key users of the facility and the specifics of their access, an ongoing operating model for the facility, as well as further exploration of potential designs and layouts to ensure any facility would meet both the needs of the club and the community,” Pert said.

“One of the most pleasing aspects of the successful feasibility study was the overwhelming support we received from the Glen Eira community including local sporting clubs and schools, and various other community organisations.”

In their 2023 annual report, Melbourne said they were well-placed to invest in the project with $7.7 million in cash reserves set aside for the project, and they hoped to generate $15 million through operating activities to commit to the build. Other money would be raised through fundraising activities.

Melbourne have been embroiled in off-field controversy for over a year now, with the club exiting the 2022 and 2023 finals series in straight sets before tumbling down the ladder this season. They have had to continually defend their culture.

Brad Green was installed as president at the start of September after former president Kate Roffey stood down following a widely condemned radio interview on SEN where she failed to adequately address the concerns star midfielder Christian Petracca had raised about the club’s direction and the way he was treated after being seriously injured on King’s Birthday.

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