Tarneit shoots for A-League goal

Soccer is one of the world’s greatest sports, a sensational leveller and unifier of peoples and a marvellous thing to watch in its own right. And at the beginning of this month, a huge story broke that had every local fan of the beautiful game on the edge of their seat – the prospect of the A-League coming to Tarneit, and the proposed creation of a state-of-the-art new Wyndham Stadium on Sayers Road.

It’s all part of a new bid to secure one of two new Team Licences up for grabs as Football Federation Australia expands the A-League.

If successful, the bid would introduce another Melbourne team to the A-League, and lead to the construction of a major 15,000-seat stadium and precinct featuring training pitches, gymnasiums, community sporting spaces and sport medicine facilities. Residential and commercial development would accompany the project.

The Star Weekly has reported that a university offering, possibly Deakin University, might also be part of a new sport science precinct, and that Wyndham council has offered the land for the development of the project.

It also reports that the A-League and stadium bid, a joint proposition from Wyndham council and Western Melbourne Group Holdings (WMG), has received the support of neighbouring western suburbs including Brimbank, Maribyrnong and Melton.

Apparently in the making for over a year, the bid certainly reflects a boldness and confidence in the value of Tarneit and Wyndham as a site of growth and investment. If the stadium bid proved successful, the flow-on effects to the wider region could be considerable, inviting further infrastructure improvements and tourist spending.

Hundreds of jobs would be created in the construction phase alone, with more to follow once the stadium was completed according to Wyndham City Mayor, Cr Peter Maynard. According to Fairfax, WMG and backers of the bid say that the venue and related commercial activity could boost the region’s economy by $215 million each year.

We’re certainly excited by the promise of Wyndham Stadium, and will be following the development of the story closely in the lead up to the announcement by Football Federation Australia on October 31!