Hawthorn CEO Stuart Fox tonight issued the below letter to members regarding the club's decision to proceed with the purchase of a 28-hectare site in Dingley.
Dear members and supporters,
Tonight at the club’s Annual General Meeting we announced our intention to purchase a 28-hectare site in Dingley which we hope to be our home for the next 100+ years.
This significant announcement is a key step forward in our vision to be the ultimate destination club.
In May last year we placed a conditional offer to purchase the land.
Since then we have had 18-months to conduct due diligence of the sites’ suitability as a long-term base, before making a final decision to proceed with the purchase.
The due diligence process was extremely comprehensive and included seven different stages encompassing thorough environmental and planning assessments and community consultation.
Only 23km from the city, we believe the Dingley site will be the ultimate destination for players, coaches, staff, members, fans and the community.
Our vision is to create a world-class training and administration centre that is ours to own.
It will provide cutting edge training, sports science and football facilities and will cement Hawthorn Football Club at the forefront of elite sporting innovation.
Our facility will open its doors and offer a unique, diverse hub for all members of the Hawthorn family and wider community.
It is a grand plan that will bring the club and the community even closer together and empower us to develop greater opportunities that embrace integration, inclusion, diversity and expansion.
It’s about creating a place where our members and supporters can live and breathe our values, celebrate our successes and ultimately, are proud to call home.
The 7.75 million dollar cost to purchase the land will be majority funded by the Hawthorn Football Club Foundation and we are grateful to those donors who have given so generously to ensure the club is future proofed for the next 100+ years.
The next 18 to 24 months will be crucial in terms of securing funding to support this project.
As a club we are particularly mindful of the position our club faced 20 years ago, and we are determined to never face this situation again.
The Board and club are realistic about the financial challenges we will need to overcome before our vision of a world-class facility becomes a reality, and as such we have taken a long-term view.
This is the largest project of its kind in the club’s history and we envisage it will take five to ten years to deliver.
We understand that this is a significant decision for the future of our club and rest assured, we will keep you informed along the way.
Hawthorn Football Club is determined to be a true destination club for players, staff, members, supporters and the community and we look forward to sharing this journey with you.
Strong as one. Always.
Warm regards,
Stuart Fox
Read: Hawthorn announce intention to purchase land in Dingley
