Elite level football will return to Windy Hill for the first time in more than 32 years when Essendon’s AFLW team hosting matches in the 2023 NAB AFLW Season.
The 629th footy match to be played at the famous ground will be Essendon and St Kilda in Round Two of the AFLW Season on Sunday, 10 September.
Essendon has committed to redeveloping the Windy Hill precinct to improve the facilities for matches this year with a focus on the amenity of both our players and supporters.
Essendon CEO Craig Vozzo said returning to Windy Hill will create new memories for Essendon to embrace and celebrate.
“We are delighted with today’s announcement and thank the AFL for their support in this process. Windy Hill is such a huge part of our club’s history, and this is an exciting new chapter returning to our heartland to play AFLW football,” Vozzo said.
“We want Essendon to have a strong presence in the suburb of our origin and provide greater benefits and access for the community for future generations. Sport has the power to connect communities and when football is played at Windy Hill there is a buzz throughout the Essendon community. Our VFL, VFLW and community partners the EDFL will also expand their presence.
“We are aiming for the 2023 AFLW Season to be an exciting start point for a broader proposal to redevelop the Windy Hill precinct for the benefit of the wider Essendon community.”
The broader Windy Hill redevelopment proposal will involve a range of stakeholders including Moonee Valley City Council (MVCC), Essendon Cricket Club (ECC), Essendon Bowls Club (EBC), the Australian Football League (AFL) and both State and Federal Governments.
“We would like to thank the Moonee Valley City Council and Mayor Cr Pierce Tyson for their partnership and support of this outcome for the 2023 AFLW season. They have shown great commitment to the AFLW competition and we are excited to work together to bring the community back to Windy Hill and showcase women’s sport at the elite level,” Vozzo said.
“We’d also like to thank the Essendon Cricket Club and, in particular, President Simon Tobin and his committee, for supporting our vision and we look forward to working with them on an exciting future for Windy Hill.
“We acknowledge that a lot of work is still to be done to realise the broader Windy Hill redevelopment vision for the Essendon community, and we are excited and committed to working with the other stakeholders to try and achieve this vision,” Vozzo said.
Essendon has celebrated 12 Premierships at Windy Hill and heroes John Coleman, Dick Reynolds, Bill Hutchison and latter-day greats Tim Watson and Simon Madden graced the field.
Essendon AFLW Head Coach Natalie Wood expressed delight in creating a home-ground for the Bombers in our second year.
“We’re excited that all roads will lead to Windy Hill for our AFLW team this season. We have been working on developing our craft and system, and look forward to the season ahead and continuing our growth following our inaugural season,” Wood said.
“We can’t wait to welcome a sea of red and black to our heartland at Windy Hill to cheer on our AFLW players.”
“Windy Hill has always been one of Melbourne’s great footy grounds. The local community has been coming to Windy Hill since the 1920s and it’s very exciting to know once again, it’s a living, breathing part of Essendon’s great football culture,” Wood said.
2023 AFLW FIXTURE
Round 1: Saturday, 2 September – 7.15pm v Hawthorn at Kinetic Stadium
Round 2: Sunday, 10 September – 3.05pm v St Kilda at Windy Hill
Round 3: Saturday, 16 September – 2.35pm v Adelaide at Unley Oval
Round 4: Sunday, 24 September – 1.05pm v Fremantle at Windy Hill
Round 5: Saturday, 30 September – 11.05am v Collingwood at AIA Centre
Round 6: Sunday, 8 October – 1.05pm v Geelong at Reid Oval (Warrnambool)
Round 7: Saturday, 14 October – 7.20pm v Richmond at IKON Park
Round 8: Sunday, 22 October – 5.05pm v West Coast at Windy Hill
Round 9: Saturday, 28 October – 3.05pm v Carlton at Windy Hill
Round 10: Friday, 3 November – Sunday, 5 November v Gold Coast SUNS at Great Barrier Reef Arena (Mackay)
WINDY HILL
Venue: Essendon Recreation Reserve
Also known as: Windy Hill
Address: Napier St, Essendon Vic 3040
First game: May 6, 1922 (Essendon d Carlton)
Last game: August 10, 1991 (Essendon d Brisbane Bears)
Used as home ground by: Essendon
Number of games hosted: 629
Biggest crowd: 43,487 (Essendon v Collingwood, 1986)
Highest score: Essendon 29.16 (190) d North Melbourne 15.13 (103), 1934
Most games by an individual player in total at the venue: Dick Reynolds 150
Most goals by an individual player in total at the venue: John Coleman 282
Most goals by an individual player in a game at the venue: John Coleman 14 (Essendon v Fitzroy, 1954)
