Project information

Stage 1 was completed in December 2018 and included the following new facilities to complement our existing lower playing field and baseball diamond;

• FIFA-1 accredited synthetic football (soccer) pitch
• AFL oval
• Pavilion with club rooms, change rooms and a multi-purpose function room with capacity to seat 132 people

Stage 2 of the project, the La Trobe Sports Stadium, was completed in January 2020 and includes:

• A teaching and research building (6 Star Green Star Design and As Built v1.2 certified rating), including world-class sport science and analytics research laboratories
• An indoor stadium, complete with six, multi-purpose highball courts
• Office space for commercial tenants

Sustainable building design

The La Trobe Sports Stadium has been awarded Australia’s first 6 Star Green Star Design and As Built v1.2 certified rating for a sports building by the Green Building Council Australia, recognising ‘World Leadership’ in sustainable building practice.

Key environmental features of the La Trobe Sports Stadium include:

• 1,104 rooftop solar panels which generate 519 kW - enough to meet the entire stadium’s electrical demand with a surplus that will also provide renewable energy to the rest of the campus.
• Structural design that significantly reduces embodied carbon (the greenhouse gas emissions generated upfront to construct the building) with a 15% reduction demonstrated due to the structural efficiency of the court design.
• Accredited sustainable products including furniture, flooring and ceiling panels.
• Water efficient fixtures and controls with rainwater capture and reuse.
• Native landscaping, natural ventilation, water sensitive urban design, an integrated waste management plan, green groundskeeping operations and a white roof which reflects the sun.

In May 2021, Victorian Acting Premier James Merlino; Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula, and Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams announced an investment of $101.1 million into a state-of-the-art facility at La Trobe University’s Sports Park in Bundoora – a key component of the University City of the Future. This investment is in addition to the Commonwealth Government’s earlier commitment of $15 million towards the construction of the new home of the Matildas in Victoria.

Construction begins in October 2021 with the Football Victoria project to be completed in March 2023 so that it can be the training base for the Matildas ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The remainder of the development will be completed in August 2023.

About the new facilities

• Stage 3 of the development will see La Trobe University’s Sports Park facility in Bundoora become the national base for Football Australia's national women's programs, including the home of the Matildas, and the State Centres for Football Victoria and Rugby Victoria.
• Once complete, the facilities will span 15 hectares and will include separate Centres of Excellence for Football Victoria and Rugby Victoria, with shared common access, parking and public amenity facilities.
• The State Centre for Football Victoria will include a marquee pitch with seating, four other pitches, a futsal pitch and high-performance facilities including a gymnasium and wet recovery area, medical and rehabilitation centre, meeting areas and player lounge.
• The Victorian State Rugby Centre will include a show pitch with grandstand seating and two additional pitches, along with high performance facilities including a gymnasium, sport science, medical and recovery areas and a training and match day home for the Melbourne Rebels’ Super W team.
• Community and local sporting clubs will benefit from access to community sporting programs and world-class sports facilities.
• New community football and baseball facilities will also be built at Charles La Trobe College as part of the project. The $3 million all-synthetic multi-use tablet facility will include a competition standard baseball diamond for the Preston Baseball Club and the La Trobe University Baseball Club to use out of hours, overlayed with a full size soccer pitch for the students of Charles La Trobe College to use during school hours. The development - set to be complete in July 2022 - will also include a pavilion with accessible change facilities, a function space for tenant clubs, batting cages, lighting and a scoreboard.

The project is supported by the Victorian Government and the Commonwealth Government and is a partnership between La Trobe University, Football Australia, Football Victoria and Rugby Victoria.

Read more about how La Trobe archaeology student, Felicity Smolenaers, turned her passion into practice as part of site excavations for Stage 3 of the Sports Park project.

For more information on construction of Stage 3 of the Sports Park project, read our Frequently Asked Questions.

• The pitch is FIFA-1 standard and accredited
• 4,000 tonnes of recycled crushed concrete form the base
• 50,000 tonnes of recycled tyres make up the infill
• 200 tonnes of recycled running shoes were used in the underlay
• 2.5km of synthetic turf was laid for the pitch – this would take you from sea level to the top of Mt Kosciuszko

• The oval is larger than Marvel Stadium
• There is over 4km of subsurface drainage pipework beneath the oval
• The oval light level is above 350 lumens, equivalent to daylight brightness
• 13,000 cubic metres of soil was moved to make the oval
• 19km of Australian grown grass was laid – almost a half marathon’s worth of turf

• 6 Star Green Star Design and As Built v1.2 certified rating
• The high-ball indoor courts have been constructed to netball, basketball and volleyball community competition standard, with a ceiling height of 8.3 meters to the nearest ceiling obstruction and covering approximately 6,500 m2
• In future, three of the high-ball indoor courts can be reconfigured to create a show court facility with seating for 2250 spectators
• Approximately 2,700 m2 dedicated to three sport science and analytics research laboratories: Biomechanics; Strength & Conditioning; and Exercise Physiology Research.
• 1,104 rooftop solar panels which generate 519 kW and could supply energy for up to 90 domestic homes per day
• 500T of steel was installed to structurally support the building and the equivalent to two Olympic swimming pools worth of concrete were used
• End of trip facilities for 50 bikes

• The Pavilion has nine gender neutral change rooms which can accommodate 280 people – equivalent to 10 AFL teams at once
• The Pavilion balcony has 360-degree views
• The Lower Playing Fields can be configured for four soccer fields or two cricket ovals