Hamilton searching for potential football venue with Melville Oval upgrades to begin shortly

The upgrades, announced under the 'Melville Oval Project' in 2020 with a budget of $8 million, include two new netball courts, a refurbished grandstand, an extension for football clubrooms and changerooms and a new function centre annexe with netball clubrooms and change rooms.

The Kangaroos' netballers are already based at Pedrina Park after Netball Victoria ruled the Melville Oval courts unsafe to train and play on.

Southern Grampians mayor David Robertson said Melville Oval works were still "on schedule".

"There's just a few details with the contractor we need to make sure that are finalised before we start work there," he said.

"We're still hoping that there'll be construction going on or there'll be something happening there on the first of July. Or pretty soon after.

"Everything's not going to be perfect for the next 12 months but we're hoping to get stuck into it and demolish what needs to be demolished and start building."

Cr Robertson said the council was hopeful the works would be completed by June 30, 2024.

He said some changes had been made to previous details of the upgrades.

"The only thing that probably changes is the car parking area outside, in Market Place, just to try and meet the budget there we probably let that one go," he said.

"As far as the sporting complexes - the netball courts, lighting, the new clubrooms and new changing rooms and most of the landscaping, seating and stuff around the oval - is all as (planned).

"The kids' playground was removed. We can do that down the track."

Hamilton Kangaroos chairperson Lachy Patterson said the club was "still negotiating" a venue for its footballers once construction starts. "We've got a meeting tonight (Wednesday)," he said.

"Still negotiating a venue for the second half of the year and then most likely for the beginning of next season.

"In saying that, difficult to negotiate because we haven't been given anything in concrete I suppose. We've got an idea. We're sort of working on somewhere around there, just trying to find an alternate venue which is not easy in Hamilton because there's no other senior venues within Hamilton itself."

The club is scheduled to host three regular season Hampden league rounds after July 1.

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