Below is a media release from Wyndham City Council.
Construction is set to begin at Wyndham’s future home of Western United Football Club.
Wyndham Council last night approved the Development Plan for the Regional Football Facility which will also be a state-of-the-art Training Precinct, which includes the construction of three soccer pitches and grandstand with a total seating capacity for 5,000 spectators.
It’s the first stage of Wyndham City’s landmark A-League Stadium Project with Western Melbourne Group. The land is owned by Wyndham City and forms part of a public-private partnership agreement with Western Melbourne Group, owners of A-League team Western United.
The land, at 1160 Sayers Road, Tarneit, will be the location of a purpose-built 15,000 seat soccer stadium and mixed-use precinct including sports training facilities, residential, commercial and community facilities.
Wyndham City Mayor and Active City portfolio holder Cr Peter Maynard said: “This is an important step forward in the process of constructing a unique, state-of-the-art sports facility in Wyndham.”
“We can now get on with the job of building the training facilities that will be adjacent to the main stadium.”
“Large projects such as this are significant for a city like Wyndham. As we continue our Covid recovery, we’re working hard to ensure our local economy bounces back and this project will provide jobs and create a fantastic new community asset.”
According to an economic impact assessment, the Wyndham Stadium development will provide 835 jobs during the construction phase and 125 ongoing permanent roles once it is fully operational.
“We also anticipate that when complete, the Wyndham Stadium development will attract about five million visitors to the Stadium over 20 years, generating non-stadium visitor spending and supporting local business, including those in Riverdale Town Centre,” Cr Maynard said.
In February 2021, the Minister for Planning approved Amendment C254 to the Wyndham Planning Scheme identifying the Wyndham Stadium Precinct as a project of state significance. The Amendment applied a Special Controls Overlay to the land with an Incorporated Document providing a framework guiding the future use and development of the land.
In January 2022, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) approved the concept Master Plan for the Wyndham Stadium Precinct.
The Regional Football Facility Development Plan approved last night is the first stage of that development.
The Regional Football Facility will comprise a two-storey building located centrally between the training pitch and stadium pitch.
The pavilion will comprise of a range of training and gym facilities, function and media spaces and will include change rooms, staff facilities, kiosks, public toilets and first aid room.
Both the main and training turf pitches will be occupied by Western United Football Club throughout the year, with a short off-season period between around May and July.
It is anticipated that up to 12 Women’s A-League games may be played during the season between October and March, with average attendance of around 1,200-1,500 spectators, peaking at 3,000-5,000 for derbies and finals.
The third pitch proposed for the site is to be a synthetic turf field located in the southern end of the site. This high-use pitch will support academy and community engagement undertaken by Western United FC.
“It is anticipated that the synthetic pitch will be used predominantly on weekends for matches and during weekday afternoons and evenings for training and clinics. It may also be used intermittently during weekdays for school matches or tournaments,” Cr Maynard said.
The main (stadium) and training turf pitches will be used throughout the week for training.
The proposed development will be completed by May 2023.
