In an exciting step forward, the Minister for Planning has approved the updated masterplan for the Hawks’ new home, the Kennedy Community Centre, to go on public exhibition.  

The plans will be on public exhibition from 30 January to 1 March 2020. The updated masterplan includes extensive community facilities, a new indoor hi-ball stadium, AFLW pavilion and community oval.

The Hawthorn Football Club Board recently approved to complete the planning and design development stage of the Kennedy Community Centre to ensure the project continues to meet the projected timelines.  It is envisaged that the club will break the construction of the facilities into stages, with our aim to relocate club headquarters by the end of 2022.

The Kennedy Community Centre will provide the Hawks and the broader community with a premier sporting destination featuring the Harris Elite Training and Administration facility which will cater for the club’s AFL men’s and women’s teams equally, alongside a range of community facilities making the centre a destination for the entire Hawthorn family.   

We are one club with several teams, and the Kennedy Community Centre will ensure a true, inclusive community sporting precinct with our netball, wheelchair and blind teams training alongside our elite men’s and women’s football teams. 

Through its facilities the Kennedy Community Centre will promote equality and social inclusion while facilitating greater active participation outcomes for the community and stronger interaction between the club and its community partners.  

The news of the public exhibition takes Hawthorn’s vision for the Kennedy Community Centre another step forward and puts the club in good stead to break ground in 2020. We look forward to sharing more exciting updates with our members on the progress of the Kennedy Community Centre in the coming months.