Kennedy Community Centre

Kennedy Community Centre
Interactive map of Kennedy Community Centre
Address94 Tootal Rd
Dingley Village, Victoria
Coordinates37°57′55″S 145°07′34″E / 37.965379783534935°S 145.12608344597305°E / -37.965379783534935; 145.12608344597305
OwnerHawthorn Football Club
OperatorHawthorn Football Club
CapacityAFLW Oval: 500 (seated)
Construction
Broke ground9 February 2024
Opened17 November 2025
ArchitectPeddle Thorp Architects[1]
Tenants
Hawthorn Football Club (2025–present)

The Kennedy Community Centre (KCC) is the training facility and headquarters of the Hawthorn Football Club, located in the south-east Melbourne suburb of Dingley Village. The complex includes two Australian rules football ovals (with plans for an additional two), elite aquatic and gym facilities for Hawthorn's men's and women's teams, an indoor training facility, and recovery facilities.

Construction began in February 2024 and was completed in September 2025, with the facility officially opened two months later.[2][3][4]

The main oval (known as the AFLW Community Oval) will host Hawthorn's home matches in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, as well as Victorian Football League (VFL) and community-level matches, and includes a pavilion with a 500-seat grandstand.[5] The facility will be made available for public use for at least 20 hours per week.[6]

History

Planning

In 2015, Hawthorn revealed well-advanced plans to move its headquarters from Waverley Park in Mulgrave to a large new facility where it signed a contract of purchase for a 28-hectare (69-acre) site in Dingley Village, with the club intending to build a lavish new headquarters for players, administration and supporters modelled on English Premier League clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.[7][8] This came after a three-year study into the Waverley Park site concluded it was rapidly falling below the AFL benchmark.[9] Hawthorn president Andrew Newbold said "We want an elite training facility and administration facility, to align with our values of being a destination club. That's one bucket. The next is if you've got 80,000 members, how do you engage with them? We think this facility can tick that box."[10] A former landfill site, the land was purchased by the Hawthorn Football Club in 2016 for $7.75 million, with the facility estimate to cost $100 million.[11][12] In May 2016, the Kingston City Council approved a Notice of Decision for a planning permit and a planning scheme amendment for the Kennedy Community Centre's site, which allows for the subdivision of land and creation of a 27.9 hectare lot to be developed and used by the Hawks.[13]

Construction

Hawthorn received approval to commence construction on the facility in November 2022, with the club signing a construction contract with ADCO Constructions the same month.[14] The first sod was turned in February 2024, with Hawthorn President Andy Gowers, CEO Ash Klein, Senior Coach Sam Mitchell, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with state and local representatives present on the occasion.[15][16] The construction of the Kennedy Community Centre will be undertaken in stages, with Stage 1 to consist of the construction of a community pavilion and AFLW oval featuring full broadcast capabilities and grandstand seating, and the Harris Elite Training and Administration Facility, comprising an indoor training field, high-performance gym and aquatic facilities and an MCG-sized oval. When completed, Hawthorn will be the only team to own its own facility and the land on which it is situated.[17][18]

The construction of the Kennedy Community Centre is funded through a combination of $73 million from the Hawthorn Football Club, $15 million from the Australian federal government, $15 million from the Victorian state government, $5 million from the Kingston City Council and $5 million from the Australian Football League.[19]

Opening

Hawthorn commenced moving from Waverley Park to the Kennedy Community Centre in October 2025.[20][21]

On 16 February 2026, Hawthorn defeated Geelong in an AFL pre-season match simulation on the AFLW Community Oval, marking the first match of any kind played at KCC. The Box Hill Hawks, Hawthorn's reserves affiliate in the Victorian Football League (VFL), will play a practice match at KCC against Port Melbourne on 13 March 2026.[22]

The first match played for premiership points at KCC was between Box Hill and Sydney in round 1 of the 2026 VFL season, with the AFLW Community Oval being used while Box Hill City Oval underwent redevelopment.[23][24]

Facilities

The Kennedy Community Centre will feature the following facilities:[25][26][27]

  • A community pavilion and oval built to ensure gender equal facilities and public amenities, specifically for community use and engagement
  • An indoor stadium for community basketball, netball, volleyball, and wheelchair AFL
  • A main oval and the Harris Elite Training and Administration Facility which will cater for all Hawthorn teams equally
  • Administrative spaces for community and not-for-profit organisations to share the club's resources
  • Flexible education and learning spaces enabling delivery of community programs

Naming

The site is named after former Hawthorn player and head coach John Kennedy Sr.[28][29] The statute of Kennedy at Waverley Park was moved to the entry of the Kennedy Community Centre.[30]

See also

References

  1. ^ Chanthadavong, Aimee (20 February 2024). "Work begins on Hawthorn Football Club's new home". Club Management. Archived from the original on 9 November 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  2. ^ "New Hawthorn Footy Facility On Track For Next Year". Victoria State Government. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  3. ^ "KCC | July/August 2025 Update". Hawthorn Football Club. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  4. ^ "Hawks open Kennedy Community Centre". Hawthorn Football Club. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  5. ^ "Construction begins on Hawthorn Football Club's new home base". ArchitectureAu. 12 February 2024. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  6. ^ Cowburn, Brodie (14 July 2023). "Cash for AFL base 'great value' – mayor". Bayside News. Archived from the original on 10 November 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  7. ^ Niall, Jake. "Hawks reveal plan to leave nest for huge Dingley headquarters". The Age. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  8. ^ "Hawthorn's new training base to cost $130 million". 8 March 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Hawks eye new AFL nest at Dingley". SBS News. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Hawks reveal plan to leave nest for huge Dingley headquarters". 2 June 2015.
  11. ^ Niall, Jake. "Hawthorn's $10 million Dingley boost". The Age. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  12. ^ "Work begins on Hawthorn's new $100 million home". Australian Football League. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  13. ^ "Kingston green light to Hawks Dingley Village HQ". The News Bayside. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  14. ^ Gabelich, Josh. "'Gamechanger': Hawks to begin construction of $100m facility". Australian Football League. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  15. ^ "Historic milestone: First sod turned at KCC". Hawthorn Football Club. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  16. ^ "Development begins on Hawthorn's new multimillion-dollar facility". news.com.au. News Corp. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  17. ^ "Development begins on Hawthorn's new multimillion-dollar facility". News.com.au. News Corp. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  18. ^ "First sod turned at the future home of the Hawks". Austadiums. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Kennedy Community Centre set to soar". Prime Minister of Australia. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  20. ^ Gabelich, Josh. "End of an era for Hawks as John Kennedy snr statue moved to Dingley". Hawthorn Football Club. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  21. ^ "Hawthorn officially opens game-changing Kennedy Community Centre in Dingley". Austadiums. 19 November 2025.
  22. ^ "2026 Smithy's VFL practice match schedule". AFL.com.au. 16 February 2026. Archived from the original on 16 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  23. ^ "2026 Smithy's VFL Round 1 fixture". AFL.com.au. 30 January 2026. Archived from the original on 3 February 2026. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  24. ^ "2026 Smithy's VFL and VFLW fixtures confirmed". AFL.com.au. 11 February 2026. Archived from the original on 15 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  25. ^ "Kennedy Community Centre". ADCO. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  26. ^ "Federal Government on board to bring Kennedy Community Centre to life". Hawthorn Football Club. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  27. ^ "Kennedy Community Centre". Austadiums. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  28. ^ Ryan, Peter. "Hawks to honour club legend Kennedy at new base". The Age. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  29. ^ "New Dingley Home for Hawks". Peddle Thorp Architects. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  30. ^ Barnes, Josh. "Hawthorn's Dingley project pushes past construction hold-ups, on target potential 2025 opening". Herald Sun. News Corp. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
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