Melbourne Victory announce next stage of infrastructure strategy at Arden Central

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In a statement on their website last Thursday, Melbourne Victory revealed the Arden Campus, situated within Melbourne’s new Arden Central parkland precinct, as the latest stage of its ongoing infrastructure strategy.

The news follows Victory’s February 2025 announcement of it’s first campus in Beveridge, with each seeking to cater to growing demographics within the city’s CBD and inner north-west suburbs.

The latest campus sits within the new cultural precinct centred around Arden Station, as part of a $7 billion redevelopment project helmed by Hamton and HostPlus on behalf of the Victorian Government.

Developers Hamton and HostPlus share a 17-year history of joint venture partnerships, which include a portfolio of large-scale, complex urban projects.

Victory is joined by other major precinct partners Live Nation, North Melbourne (Australian Rules) Football Club and the University of Melbourne’s School of Design, to deliver a new campus whose goals are aligned to the club’s strategic infrastructure plan, with the aim of supporting and nurturing the growth of it’s women’s and youth programs.

Arden Campus’ proposed slate of programs will include a hub for women’s and youth female pathway programs, (for both elite and community football) plus a Community Field and Community Hub, whose shared assets will provide space for future community soccer teams, the university and future local schools, with the capacity to host more than 300 on-site activations annually.

Melbourne Victory has lauded the investment – to be administered by Development Victoria, in collaboration with local Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elders and communities – as a ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity‘, allowing the state to build on its network of cultural and parkland zones linked by, and built around, Melbourne’s expanding rail system.

Once complete, the $7 billion transformation of Arden Central is predicted to create a new school, as well as more than 5,400 new homes to cater to more than 10,000 people, located just 1.5kms from the CBD.

John Dovaston, Chairman of Melbourne Victory, is confident Arden Central will ‘cement itself‘ as a critical up-and-coming destination for sport, education and entertainment. Campuses such as this, he said, ‘guarantee a synergy between elite focus and community development,’ which he believes only football – ‘the world game’, can achieve.

Speaking on Victory’s female and youth infrastructure strategy, club Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, described the plan as a ‘multi-faceted‘ reflection of their vision to lead, unite, connect and inspire.

This update to the club’s infrastructure is an overdue one, but is nonetheless a strategy which she hopes will form part of the ‘micro and macro touch points of Melbournians’ lives at Arden Central’, strengthening Melbourne Victory’s commitment to being ‘a club for all Victorians.’

Carnegie highlighted football’s impact on social cohesion in early 2025, when Victory’s infrastructure strategy was first unveiled. She emphasised the club’s responsibility to establish programs that can positively impact communities, regardless of their members’ gender, background or location.

Benefits of the ‘Campus Model’

In an official Melbourne Victory report on their long-term infrastructure strategy, published early 2025, the club laid out the following goals for the future of the state’s fastest-growing participatory sport: to unlock common opportunities for the game, create greater accessibility for talent and their families across the State (including cutting out travel time for both training and matches) to enhance Victory’s ability to grow soccer’s footprint, and to expand community connection.

The report compares Melbourne’s extensive geographical sprawl to cities such as London, Rome and Madrid – stating their campus model helps break down geographical barriers to success, with the long-term aim of establishing campuses across Melbourne’s North, South, East and West, each within a 1-hour’s drive from their AAMI Park HQ, as well as ttheir existing men’s traning facilities at Gosch’s Paddock.

Melbourne Victory’s long-term plans for their Campus development

As per the project’s FAQs, Victory will run women’s, pre-academy and academy programs from each campus once fully completed, with the club maintaining transparent communications in the meantime with fans, players and key stakeholders as to the full schedule and details of its interim offerings.

The club aims to maintain a cohesive, uniform ‘look and feel’ across each campus, so that people can know what to expect when training, playing or otherwise connecting with the Melbourne Victory brand and broader community.

This approach allows the club a wider reach in terms of attracting, developing and retaining new talent, as well as creating more familiar places for players and their supporters to call home.

Arden Station, Melbourne (Arden Precinct Development)
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Australian Government opens opportunity for local club funding with Stronger Communities grant

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Image Credit: National Indigenous Times

The Australian Government’s Stronger Communities Program offers an opportunity to strengthen the infrastructure of local community football clubs through its newest grant.

The program supports projects that deliver social benefits and help communities become more connected.

For eligible football organisations, the funding could help improve facilities, remove barriers to participation and create better experiences for players, volunteers and families.

What Funding Is Available?

The program offers grants between $2,500 and $20,000 for eligible infrastructure projects. Each of the 150 federal electorates has $150,000 available to support local projects. The program focuses on small capital projects rather than general operating expenses.

If they’re to apply, football clubs should identify a specific infrastructure need and explain how addressing it will benefit their wider community.

Project applications should include how funding will improve accessible club facilities, upgrade community infrastructure or purchase eligible equipment and assets that support participation.

Clubs must check the official guidelines to confirm that their proposed activities and costs qualify. A strong proposal should explain what the project will deliver, who will benefit and how it will encourage greater community involvement.

How Can Football Clubs Benefit?

Infrastructure can make a real difference to a club’s ability to welcome new participants. Better facilities can improve the experience for junior players, families, volunteers and spectators. Accessible amenities can help people with disability participate more comfortably. Upgraded shared spaces can also create better opportunities for community activities.

Clubs should consider the barriers that prevent people from getting involved. These might include inaccessible facilities, limited community infrastructure or equipment shortages that restrict participation.

A successful project should address a clear local need. It should also demonstrate benefits beyond a single team or a small group of players.

Football clubs can strengthen their proposals by gathering feedback from players, parents, coaches, volunteers and other community members. This evidence helps show why the project matters and how it will improve participation.

Who Can Apply?

Applicants must have an Australian Business Number and be invited to apply from their local Federal Member of Parliament. Federal MPs must identify potential projects in their electorates and nominate suitable proposals for consideration. Clubs should therefore contact their local MP to discuss their infrastructure needs and express their interest in the program.

Grants can cover up to 100 per cent of eligible project costs for most eligible applicants; however, local governing bodies face a different requirement. They must contribute at least 50 per cent of eligible project costs through matched funding.

Clubs should prepare a realistic project budget and identify eligible expenses before submitting a proposal. Supplier quotes, project plans and supporting evidence can help demonstrate that the project is achievable and offers value for money. Applicants must also meet the program’s project requirements and completion deadline of 31 March 2028.

Know the Key Dates

‘Round 10’ opened on 21 September 2026. Federal MP nominations close at 5pm AEDT on 30 November 2026. Invited applicants must submit their applications by 5pm AEDT on 19 January 2027.

Clubs should act early by contacting their local MP and preparing its application. The Stronger Communities Program gives eligible football organisations a potential pathway to improve local infrastructure and strengthen community participation. Clubs should start by identifying a project with clear benefits, consulting their community and reviewing the official guidelines.

For grassroots football, better infrastructure can mean more inclusive facilities, stronger community connections and more opportunities for people to get involved. Read the official program details here.

What is an A-League licence actually worth?

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South Melbourne’s push to enter the A-League has reopened an old debate about who gets to play at the top level of Australian football. Beneath the arguments about history, identity and sporting merit sits a more consequential business question: what should a place in the competition actually cost?

Following its Australia Cup triumph, the debate and discussion around South Melbourne’s bid to enter the A-League has reignited. Co-president Bill Papastergiadis has indicated the club is open to discussing a licence fee, while arguing it does not need an equity stake in the Australian Professional Leagues (APL).

The question is whether entry to the A-League should be treated purely as a commercial asset to be purchased, or whether it should also provide a pathway for clubs capable of bringing genuine value to the competition.

The Price of Admission

A licence offers access to a national platform, broadcast exposure, sponsorship opportunities and the country’s highest domestic competition. The APL is entitled to protect that value and ensure any new entrant has the financial resources, infrastructure and governance to sustain a professional operation.

South Melbourne should not receive a free pass because of its history, supporter base or Australia Cup success. Winning a knockout competition is not the same as demonstrating the capacity to operate a professional club across an entire season.

But a licence fee should not become a barrier that protects the competition’s existing membership at the expense of its future.

There is also a risk that licence fees become little more than short-term sugar hits for the competition, delivering an immediate injection of cash without addressing the longer-term challenge of building sustainable clubs, growing audiences and increasing recurring commercial revenue.

Assessing the Value of Established Clubs

South Melbourne is not starting from scratch. It has an established supporter base, a home at Lakeside Stadium and a storied history in Australian football. Its profile and recent success give the APL a tangible proposition to assess, rather than a business plan built entirely around projected growth.

Nor is South Melbourne necessarily alone. Other established Australian clubs may have the supporters, facilities, community connections and ambition to make a credible case for joining the professional ranks. Not all would be ready, and maybe not all would strengthen the A-League. But that is precisely why the league needs clear, consistent criteria to assess potential entrants on their financial capacity, infrastructure and commercial potential as well as what they could contribute to the competition.

That contribution should count. New audiences, local rivalries, sponsor appeal and stronger connections between community and professional football all have value. An established club may offer a different proposition from launching a new team and trying to build a supporter base from the ground up.

There are, of course, significant costs involved. South Melbourne would need to demonstrate how it could fund professional men’s and women’s programs, generate sustainable revenue and protect its existing operations. A licence fee must be considered alongside the rights, obligations, access to central revenue and commercial opportunities that come with entry. The price cannot sensibly be separated from what a club receives in return.

The Promotion and Relegation Question

This is also where the debate connects to the lack of promotion and relegation. If the system is considered financially unviable under the A-League’s current structure, clubs and supporters deserve a clear explanation. What are the specific financial, stadium, broadcast or governance barriers? What would need to change to make it possible? It is simply down to the licence fees that have already been paid by the existing A-League clubs?

Promotion and relegation is clearly not an immediate or realistic solution, and introducing it would not automatically create a healthier competition and ecosystem. But if it remains off the table, Australian football needs to offer ambitious clubs something more tangible than an uncertain promise of expansion.

Providing a Clear Pathway

A transparent licensing process, published entry criteria and a clear explanation of what clubs must demonstrate would at least provide a pathway to work towards. Clubs investing in players, facilities and academies need to understand what it takes to reach the top. Supporters deserve to know how their clubs can progress, too.

The A-League needs entrants capable of surviving and investing for the long term. It also needs to recognise the value that established clubs can bring. If the price of entry is focused primarily on extracting the largest possible payment, the league risks overlooking opportunities to grow its audiences, strengthen rivalries and deepen its connection with Australian football.

South Melbourne’s bid is an opportunity to test that balance. The question is not whether the club should simply be handed a place in the A-League, but whether Australian football can develop a licensing model that rewards financial responsibility while recognising the value of clubs that have already built something worth bringing to the national stage.

It seems a licence must have a price. But if the A-League wants to grow sustainably, it must also explain what that price is designed to achieve and provide a clearer answer to clubs and supporters asking how the pathway to the top is meant to work.

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