In a significant move for the expansion side, Western United today have announced that they will be relocating their training base from George Cross FC to “The Hangar” in Tullamarine.
It has been described as a ‘landmark deal for the two elite sporting codes’ of both AFL and football which will see the Western United administrative staff and A-League side to move to the Essendon Hangar.
CEO of Western United, Chris Pehlivanis said:
“Our core values at Western United are togetherness, effort and growth and this partnership speaks to those values in every way,” Pehlivanis said.
“Our club has grown enormously over a short period of time and as a result, we needed to explore all options to accommodate both our staff and our players and their increasing high-performance needs.
“To be able to utilise the world class facilities at The Hangar and bring our team together was a really attractive solution for us while we build our permanent home in Tarneit.
“Importantly we are still very committed to our existing partnership with the George Cross Football Club in Fraser Rise. Whilst we’ve had a need to expand, we have also been able to strengthen our partnership with George Cross.
“We’ve been with George Cross from the beginning – many fans will fondly remember being at this venue for our first practice match – and we will continue to have a presence there long into the future.
“Our academy program will continue to operate out of the facility as well as our future women’s football program.”
Western United’s NPL sides will play out of George Cross FC for the Victorian NPL campaigns with the future A-League Women’s side to also train out of the ground.
Essendon CEO Xavier Campbell expressed his excitement at the new partnership.
“We welcome Western United as partners at the NEC Hangar, and look forward to a strong partnership between the cross-code organisations over the years to come,” Campbell said.
“The partnership will see Western United primarily utilise the community oval on our training fields, with their players and staff also accessing some of the new performance and expanded office areas. While this partnership will deliver important outcomes for the Essendon Football Club, providing an important step forward in our aspirations for developing a truly world class, multi-faceted sports and community precinct, it’s also important to note that the partnership and particularly the use of training facilities will have no direct impact on the operations of our football programs. That said, we expect the partnership over time to provide a range of opportunities for growth as our staff and players develop relationships and identify and leverage opportunities for mutual benefit.”
Western United’s A-League Men’s side will train out of the facility from today and are due to take on the Melbourne Victory at home on the 20th of November to kick off the new season.
Image Supplied: Western United
