A A$1.5M ($1.4M) upgrade of the Whitten Oval will "transform the ground into the Victorian showcase for women's football, the fastest growing Australian Rules competition in the country," according to Caroline Wilson of THE AGE. In a redevelopment "which has been supported by the Victorian government" and the Australian Football League, the Whitten Oval investment has "also strengthened the push by the Western Bulldogs to become the first AFL club to field a women's team." The move has "reinforced the Bulldogs' vision to transform its once decrepit home ground into the centre of community and elite football in Melbourne's fast-growing western region." Women's training facilities have become a "hot political issue leading into the forthcoming Victorian election." The Whitten Oval upgrade will include two new women's change rooms and new lighting "which will allow the best female players in the state to train outside of working hours." Victorian Sports Minister Damian Drum's government has contributed A$500,000 to the project. Further funding has come from the Maribyrnong Council (A$500,000) while the AFL has matched the A$250,000 raised by the Western Bulldogs "through a members' driven campaign last season" (THE AGE, 9/14).
