GMHBA Stadium (Kardinia Park) — The Cats’ Fortress

Geelong fans will tell you GMHBA Stadium is the most intimidating fortress in Australian sport — and they’ll be right. The wind comes off Corio Bay in the third quarter, the Cats’ midfield runs you off the ground, the away team’s defenders forget which goal they’re kicking towards, and by three-quarter-time the scoreline reads 78-22 and someone’s already kicked the dog. Call it Kardinia Park if you’ve earned the right; call it GMHBA if you’ve signed a sponsorship deal. Either way, it’s the most parochial home ground in the AFL, and the Cats have built a dynasty on the back of it.

The History: 1854 and Counting

Kardinia Park was first used as a sporting ground in 1854. Yes, before the Eureka Stockade. Cricket was first; football followed once Tom Wills’s mob standardised the rules in 1859. Geelong Football Club, founded 1859 (and one of the original VFL clubs in 1897), made Corio Oval (closer to the bay) their first home, then moved to Kardinia Park in 1941. Since then it has been a Cats fortress.

The ground sits in South Geelong, walking distance from the city centre, surrounded by suburban streets and a railway line. The original capacity (40,000+ in the 1950s with standing room) has been progressively upgraded across multiple stand replacements. Capacity now: 40,000+ across the redeveloped stands.

The naming-rights changes have been comparatively gentle:

• Kardinia Park — the original and traditional name, still used by Cats fans regardless of sponsor.
• Skilled Stadium (2006–2013).
• Simonds Stadium (2013–2018).
• GMHBA Stadium (2018–present).

The Footy: Cats’ Den

The Cats win roughly 80% of home games at GMHBA Stadium. That’s not random; the ground genuinely advantages them. The pitch is tight (149m × 116m — among the smaller in the AFL), which suits Geelong’s quick-handball, run-and-carry game style. The wind off Corio Bay creates unpredictable goal-kicking conditions; visiting forwards routinely shank set shots that would convert at the MCG.

The crowd is the loudest per-capita in the AFL. 36,000 Cats fans on a Saturday afternoon at GMHBA make more noise than 50,000 mixed-allegiance MCG-goers. The Brownlow Stand, the Players’ Stand, the Premiership Stand — every named stand commemorates Cats history, and the crowd lets the away team know about it from first bounce to last siren.

The AFL allocates Geelong roughly 11 home games per season at GMHBA (occasional MCG fixtures excluded). The remaining home games (typically 1–2) shift to Marvel Stadium or the MCG to fulfil broadcasting and corporate-hospitality requirements. Cats fans don’t love this; the AFL doesn’t care.

The Redevelopment

GMHBA Stadium has been progressively redeveloped over the last 20 years:

• 2006–2010: Premiership Stand, replacing the old Geelong/Reg Hickey Stand. Capacity boost to 30,000+.
• 2013: Players’ Stand, a dual-tier stand with corporate facilities. AFL premiership funding contributed.
• 2017–2018: Brownlow Stand, the eastern grandstand redeveloped to enclose the ground.
• 2024–2025: Joel Selwood Stand, opening 2026, taking capacity to ~46,000.

The Joel Selwood Stand will be the largest single grandstand at GMHBA, with corporate boxes, expanded media facilities, and a Cats Hall of Fame area. Capacity boost: ~6,000. Funded by: Victorian state government plus AFL plus Cats club. Cost: $142 million.

Famous Moments

2007 — The Cats’ season of dominance: Geelong won 16 of 17 home games at Kardinia Park on the way to ending a 44-year premiership drought. The 2007 Grand Final was at the MCG (Geelong 24.19 (163) defeated Port Adelaide 6.8 (44) — the largest Grand Final winning margin in history) but the kingdom was built at Kardinia.

2008–2011 — The Cats’ triple flag era: 2007, 2009, 2011 premierships, with home form at Kardinia Park essentially unbeatable. Visiting teams averaged a 30-point loss across this period.

Round 9, 2013 — Cats vs Hawks: Geelong defeated Hawthorn by 4 points after eight straight losses in the rivalry. The crowd’s cheer at the final siren was reportedly heard in Werribee.

Round 13, 2008 — Buddy Franklin’s hangtime: Buddy kicked 8.4 against the Cats at Kardinia, in a Hawks loss, but produced one of the speccies of the decade.

Round 22, 2017 — Cats vs Adelaide: Geelong holding off the Crows by 2 points in a top-of-the-ladder showdown that decided the McClelland Trophy.

Joel Selwood’s 250th game — fittingly at Kardinia Park, with the entire Cats squad lining up to cheer him onto the ground.

Trivia for the Pub

• Geelong’s longest home winning streak at GMHBA: 22 consecutive games (2007–2008).
• The pitch is the shortest in the AFL at 149m goal-to-goal — narrower than most.
• The wind off Corio Bay is consistently rated by ex-players as the toughest goal-kicking conditions in Australian footy.
• The Charles Brown Stand was the original 1940s grandstand; replaced in stages over the redevelopment era.
• GMHBA Stadium is the second-oldest VFL/AFL home ground still in use (after the MCG).
• Cats home record at Kardinia Park since 2007: over 80% wins.
• The ground is part of the Kardinia Park Trust, a state government entity that operates the venue.

The Rumours

The persistent rumour: Geelong scheduled to play more games at the MCG. AFL broadcasting deals favour MCG fixtures (bigger crowds = more revenue) but Cats fans actively resist this. Expect the AFL to push, expect Geelong fans to push back, expect the status quo to roughly hold.

The bigger rumour: full Joel Selwood Stand capacity to take GMHBA to 46,000+. This is essentially confirmed for 2026; some commentary suggests further expansion beyond that, potentially to 55,000 by 2035. The AFL is keen on Geelong having a finals-grade home ground.

The wildcard: finals at Kardinia Park. The AFL has historically refused to allocate finals to Geelong, preferring the MCG and Marvel. With the 46,000-seat upgrade, the Cats are pushing for a qualifying final allocation. If they finish top-four in 2026 or 2027, expect this debate to get loud.

The Verdict

GMHBA Stadium is the AFL’s most successful boutique venue. It punches above its capacity, advantages its home team like nowhere else, and gets crowds that put bigger venues to shame. The Cats have built a dynasty on this ground, and the upcoming Joel Selwood Stand expansion will keep it relevant for another generation.

If you want to feel real footy — the kind where the crowd knows every player’s nickname, the pies are still cooked in the same kitchen they were in 1985, and the wind tells you what direction is best to kick — get the train down to South Geelong. Kardinia Park doesn’t care about your sponsor’s logo. It cares about footy. That’s why the Cats keep winning here.