Council pursues AFL partnership

Wagga Wagga City Council pursues community partnership with AFL

AFL elite men’s and women’s matches may be coming to the city early next year after Wagga Wagga City Council tonight endorsed a proposal to host a gala weekend double-header event.

Council agreed at its 23 September Ordinary Meeting to negotiate with AFL NSW/ACT regarding a potential two-year community partnership which also includes the NSW AFL Hall of Fame dinner being hosted in the city in 2021, facility development, multicultural programs and talent carnivals.

An AFL JLT Community Series pre-season match and an AFLW competition match could take place at Robertson Oval next year under the proposal.

Whilst details are still to be determined, it is possible GWS Giants may be one of the clubs represented in both the men’s and women’s fixtures.

“Potentially, this is another fantastic announcement for sports fans across Wagga Wagga and the Riverina,” Wagga Wagga Deputy Mayor Councillor Dallas Tout said.

“We are excited to partner with AFL NSW/ACT to jointly implement important community initiatives and hopefully bring elite AFL content and the NSW Australian Football Hall of Fame event to Wagga, which has the potential to attract some of the biggest names in the AFL to the city.

“There is also a real connection with the Giants and the Riverina. Many of their players learnt their football in the region so it will be great if the Giants ultimately play here.”

The inaugural NSW Australian Football Hall of Fame event will be held in Sydney in 2020. As part of this community partnership agreement, it is proposed the dinner will be hosted in Wagga in 2021.

The last AFL match played in Wagga was a pre-season fixture between Collingwood and North Melbourne at Robertson Oval in March 2016.