Busselton eyes WAFL goal

A planned upgrade to Sir Stewart Bovell Park would bring as many as two WA Football League matches to Busselton each year and could pave the way for a locally based WAFL colts side.

Busselton Football Club president Kris Meares said the club was working with the Busselton Shire to make Bovell Park the local government’s sporting precinct.

The football club submitted a five year facility development plan to the shire, which includes upgrades to turf, drainage, elevated viewing areas, lighting and new club rooms with a second-storey grandstand.

The refurbished oval will accommodate two rows of cars with road access and 3m-long wooden benches around the oval, providing seats for approximately 1000 people.

Work has already started on a lighting upgrade at the Bovell 2 oval, which was expected to be completed next month.

Mr Meares said he hoped to begin hosting WAFL games next year, because of an estimated revenue of $20,000 per game, which would help fund the refurbishment.

Further support was expected to come from State and Federal grants, the shire, the football club and its affiliates.

Magpies coach Darian Cheffers said with the population of Busselton expected to overtake that of Bunbury within a few years, it made sense to have a jewel in the local sporting crown.

“The South West Regional Football Development Trust recently detailed in its five-year strategic plan they would like to have a WAFL colts team playing out of the South West,” he said.

“The Busselton Football Club is open to exploring the possibility of the team being placed at Bovell.

“It’s early days yet, but given the right amount of community support, we could make a play for that.”

Mr Cheffers said if the team was situated at Bovell Park, it would have to meet WAFL standards, which could pave the way for AFL games to be played at the ground.

Busselton Shire Council community development manager Maxine Palmer said the shire was auditing individual and collective club facility requirements to capture club needs.