Aegis Park Redevelopment

Aegis Park, home of the North Melbourne Football Club on Arden Street, wasn’t kicking any goals. In fact, the ground had seen better days, the surface was uneven and drainage was poor. It didn’t represent the modern training facilities of an elite footy club.

It was time for an overhaul to bring the oval into the 21st century and create the world-class playing field and community area expected from a premier AFL club.

Melbourne Stadium, the people behind Etihad Stadium required an end-to-end solution led by the right personnel to complete this high-profile community project on time, and on budget.

Having worked with Greg Joslyn before, Melbourne Stadium stakeholders chose Greg to manage the project (at the time, Greg was a Managing Director of Turf One). 

The reason was simple: Greg has deep experience, expertise and knowledge in executing, delivering and maintaining large scale excavation works for sports fields.

Check out the time-lapse video for a quick peek into how the project unfolded over the course of the 75-day timeframe.

The new ground was designed to replicate the same exact size, dimensions and standards as Etihad stadium.

It meant the old ground had to be demolished and remodelled – and that’s when the otherwise unknown issue of contamination reared its ugly head.

A legacy of suburban North Melbourne’s industrial past, it only became apparent once we started digging. It meant a redesign to the drainage system to minimise any excavation of the contaminated ground.

We worked closely with an environmental hygienist to resolve how the treatment of those excavated materials was dealt with on site. The contaminated material was covered so it didn’t blow away. We then applied 300mm of fresh soil in order for it to certify as a ‘clean’ site, safe for the public.

Once the contamination issue was under control, we constructed the sub-surface drainage system and irrigation infrastructure.

We then imported a new sand profile drainage layer for the oval. It had to meet certain criteria for drainage, so the turf wouldn’t dry out too quickly. We advised on a drought-tolerant grass to lengthen the usage of the oval during Melbourne’s hot summer months.

We layed 20,000 square metres of turf, by precision mechanical installation.

We also constructed the new footpath and fencing around the oval, as well as those famous goalposts.

It was a project that required us to meet strict OH&S and environmental standards. Compliance and strict processes around documenting these types of jobs is critical to project success.

But we’re most proud of the fact that the ground is an optimal playing surface that meets the AFL standard. By all reports, it’s a sheer joy to train on.

The redevelopment of Aegis Oval, was a high profile project fraught with unbeknownst contamination issues.

But with Greg at the helm, delays were minimised and the project was delivered on time and on budget to high praise.

The result was a ground fit not only for the intense training schedule of our top AFL players, but also for the community at large to enjoy.