The AFL has bought back its former stadium Waverley Park in Mulgrave for an undisclosed sum, reportedly up to $20 million.
It is a windfall for the vendor Hawthorn Football Club, which had been based at the ground since 2004 after buying the site for $1 from developer Mirvac.
The deal paves the way for Hawthorn to move to its $100 million John Kennedy Community Centre in Dingley this year.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said it would “work through” future options for Waverley.
“The purchase of the ground and facilities is a rare and timely solution that will help with our talent pathways programs, community footy, and umpire development and programs, all of which will now be worked through with the relevant stakeholders.”
The AFL has set an ambitious target of adding two ovals a week for the next five years to expand to 1 million participants.
“We are always looking for greenspace so we can continue to expand the playing fields we need to accommodate the strong national growth in people playing our game.”
Waverley Park was put on the market in February, with the AFL beating several prospective buyers.
Hawthorn chief operating officer Jacob Attwood said a lot of work was done to ensure the “best possible outcome for both the club and the future of Waverley Park”.
“With the facility changing hands to the AFL, we are confident that its historical significance of Waverley Park will be preserved.
“Looking forward for our club, the sale of this facility puts us in a very strong position to make the move to the Kennedy Community Centre later this year.”
In a letter to members, Hawthorn president Andy Gowers said it was a “terrific result for the cultural preservation of the oval and facility”.
In the 1960s, the then-Victorian Football League built the stadium VFL Park off Jacksons Road, Mulgrave – with a vision for a massive 160,000-capacity venue.
The reality was slightly under half that size. With a touted rail link failing to materialise, the stadium and its car parks were also maligned due to traffic congestion.
Waverley Park hosted league matches and finals between 1970 and 1999, as well as concerts and World Series Cricket, before it was replaced by Docklands Stadium in central Melbourne.
The capacious site and car park was sold off for a housing estate, with Hawthorn relocating to the site for a peppercorn purchase price.
The state-heritage listed site still bears the towering Sir Kenneth Luke grandstand and a giant football mosaic by Harold Freedman.
