Melbourne midfielder Colin Sylvia could be making a return to Casey Fields after confirmation his club is considering the venue as a temporary summer training base. Picture: Meagan Rogers.By Marc McGowan
ST Kilda Football Club may not have come marching into Casey Fields, but Melbourne is seriously considering the region’s premier sporting complex as a summer training base.
Casey Scorpions general manager Brian Woodman and City of Casey CEO Mike Tyler confirmed this week that they had been in discussions with the Demons for a month.
“They’re (Melbourne) very keen, but a lot of ground has to be covered and the time frame is short in terms of time to get things done,” Woodman said.
“As far as facilities, the ground, and approval through their board, all those things take time because they’re already trying to plan for October.”
Casey Council officially resolved at Tuesday night’s council meeting for its officers to continue talks with the Australian Football League (AFL) club.
Casey officials will look at all aspects of relocating Melbourne to Casey Fields and also investigate any community benefit that this would bring to the area.
The Demons played an AFL Challenge practice match at the ground this month.
Melbourne is the third AFL club to inquire about Casey Fields in recent times.
St Kilda considered a move to the Cranbourne East venue last year before choosing to develop multimillion-dollar state-of-the-art training facilities at Frankston Park.
North Melbourne also approached Casey Council four weeks ago before rejecting the council’s offer.
Any move by the Demons to Casey Fields would only be a temporary one as they wait for the completion of new training facilities adjacent to Olympic Park.
Melbourne has targeted the region due to its standing as one of Australia’s booming growth corridors.
“AFL clubs are aware of the need to improve their football department and resources and therefore are exploring their options,” Woodman said.
“Casey Fields is well on their radar in terms of the ground set-up and the potential growth area it’s located in.”
Melbourne Football Club was contacted for comment but did not respond before the News went to press.
