“Positive short-term solution”: Richmond win race for Waverley Park

Richmond has won the race to call Waverley Park home.

It's understood the Tigers will move to the AFL-owned venue in the coming months, and be there until the Punt Road development is complete.

The Demons are still trying to navigate their Caulfield project, and there is scope for them to follow the Tigers to Waverley from midway through 2027 until a permanent home base is confirmed.

The two clubs had been battling over the venue for vastly different reasons.

Richmond needed a ground for its men's and women's programs to train on between September this year up to April or May next year.

Melbourne has been eager to bring its club under one roof for more than a decade, but the delay in navigating the club's long-term wishes to move to Caulfield has been difficult.

It's believed Melbourne players are set to be told as early as Tuesday, while Tigers players are expected to be informed on Wednesday.

Former Melbourne CEO Paul Guerra had been supremely confident in the pre-season that the Dees would be at Waverley by Round 3, but his board didn't share the same conviction.

The AFL imposed a June 30 deadline on the club to formalise its arrangement with Caulfield. It's unclear why a decision has been made a fortnight before the cut off date.

“Moving to Waverley is a positive short-term solution for our Club,” Richmond CEO Shane Dunne said.

“Our elite football teams can continue to train in a facility that we can manage and is up to AFL and AFLW standards.

“More importantly, this move will unlock the next phase of the Punt Road Oval redevelopment, allowing us to complete the works that are already happening and refurbish the existing David Mandie Building.

“The redevelopment remains on time and on budget, and we can’t wait to have our entire Club back home at the Swinburne Centre next year, which will be a world-class, industry-leading facility in the heart of Melbourne’s sporting precinct. It also keeps Richmond in Richmond, which has been an essential part of the redevelopment.

“I want to thank Matthew Chun, Geoff Miller and the team at the AFL for their ongoing support of our redevelopment and our short-term move to Waverley.”