The collaboration means the new oval will serve St Joseph’s College students and be the new home of the Echuca Junior Football Club.
The tender for construction of the oval is expected to be released by the end of the month, with a contractor to be appointed by the end of July.
The oval is expected to be fully operational by the Easter school holidays, 2025.
St Joseph’s College principal Anne Marie Cairns described the collaboration between the school and junior football club as an exciting development for the college and the broader Echuca-Moama community.
She said the MCG-sized football oval, with a premium turf surface, drainage and professional maintenance team, would be among the best junior sports facilities in the region.
“At St Joseph’s College, we are committed to not only educating our students in the best possible way but also to enriching the whole person through activities supporting their interests and passions,” Ms Cairns said.
“During the planning phase for our second campus, our focus was more than just increasing access to state-of-the-art education facilities for our students.
“Our big picture vision was also about maximising our 80-acre greenfield site to provide greater opportunities for the broader Echuca-Moama community, and this announcement is the first step towards bringing that vision to reality.”
Ms Cairns said the college and EJFC were also working with stakeholders from Echuca Football Netball Club, Goulburn Murray Football League and AFL Victoria Future Funds to secure funding for the installation of AFL-specified game day-approved lighting at the oval.
Echuca Junior Football Club president Stuart Addicott said the club was thrilled to join forces with the college in a mutually beneficial partnership to ensure no child missed out on playing the sport they loved.
He said that for season 2025 and beyond, training, matches and development activities for the club would all take place at the Kildare Campus oval, providing a ‘one club, one home’ venue for their junior teams.
Mr Addicott said the club had been discussing the requirements for a second or alternative oval/sports precinct for many years to accommodate the growing requirements of its current 300-plus Auskick, under-10, under-12, under-14 and under-16 participants.
He said the limited availability of active space areas in the community restricted the club’s ability to provide development programs, youth girls’ programs and football inclusion programs.
“The limited venue opportunities for training with our current 12 teams have required us to separate age groups across different venues each week to accommodate training,” he said.
“This continuous logistical burden on the club has impacted our ‘one club’ philosophy.
“We are blessed to have been provided this opportunity by St Joseph’s College and look forward to utilising the new space to further engage the community through our football programs.
“The SJC values of courage, hospitality, compassion, justice, wonder and hope all align strongly with our EJFC values of development, inclusion, encouragement and integrity, and together, we will provide young people with leadership and confidence through education and sport.”
