Kennedy Community Centre

Senator for Victoria, David Van has today welcomed the Morrison Government’s announcement of $15 million towards the Hawthorn Football Club’s new state-of-the-art Kennedy Community Centre in Dingley Village.

The Kennedy Community Centre is designed to improve facilities for the local community and women’s sport in Melbourne’s south east.

“The Centre will be named after John Kennedy Sr. who played for the Hawthorn Football Club and coached the team to premierships in 1961, 1971 and 1976,” Senator Van said.

Providing a home for women’s football in the south east, the Kennedy Community Centre will include an oval and pavilion, which will not only be the headquarters for the Hawthorn’s AFLW team, but also be a space for female football in the area.

Senator Van said “The Kennedy Community Centre will be developed with a focus on community, providing a hub for the local South East community and ensuring greater opportunities for integration, inclusion and diversity.”

As a lifelong supporter of AFL, Senator Van said he is proud of the Morrison Government’s commitment to creating greater opportunities for women to develop and grow the great game.

“The introduction of the AFLW has been a fantastic addition to the Australian sporting calendar. The Morrison Government’s support for the Kennedy Community Centre will ensure that women and girls in the South East have opportunities to play footy from the grassroots level all the way to the elite program of AFLW by developing their skills in purpose-built facilities,” Senator Van said.

Preliminary construction of the Kennedy Community is expected to start in 2021. The club expects the project will contribute $28 million to the Victorian economy and create jobs during the peak of construction, which is crucial as we recover from the pandemic.

The Morrison Government’s contribution will be funded from the Community Development Grants Programme.