Construction begins on Hawthorn Football Club's new home base

The Hawthorn Hawks Australian Football League (AFL) team will soon flock to a new home ground, with construction now underway at Kennedy Community Centre in south-east Melbourne's Dingley Village.

Named in honour of Hawthorn icon, John Kennedy, the centre, designed by Peddle Thorp Architects, will house facilities for both the mens and womens teams. The new facility will serve as a permanent home base for Hawthorn, who have played majority of their home matches in Frankston with additional games in Box Hill and Cairns.

The 28-hectare site will comprise a AFLW home ground oval with a dedicated match day pavilion with a 500-seat grandstand, team change rooms, umpire change rooms, media facilities, coaches' boxes and a function space. The centre will also include the Harris Elite Training and Administration Facility for all Hawthorn players, as well as an additional MCG-sized oval, a gymnasium, an indoor training facility and wet and dry recovery facilities.

The Kennedy Community Centre will not just be for present players, but for past players, members, fans and local community members. Hawthorn Football Club president, Andy Gowers, said the new sporting facility would "not only safeguard our football club's future, but also create a long-term home for the entire Hawthorn family and local community."

Hawthorn will be the only club in the league to own its own facility and the land on which it is situated.

The project was allocated $30 million by the Victorian and federal governments, with additional funding received by Hawthorn Football Club, Kingston City Council and the Australian Football League.

With construction now in progress, the project is expected to be completed in 2025.