Hawthorn has confirmed that the AFL has purchased its headquarters at Waverley Park in anticipation of its move to Dingley.
Waverley Park, which hosted 732 V/AFL matches, including the 1991 Grand Final, has been up for sale as the Hawks prepare to move to its new home base later this year.
The venue, which will be snapped by the league, has a long-standing history with the game, and will continue its storied connection by switching hands to the AFL.
"A lot of work has been done to ensure the best possible outcome for both the club and the future of Waverley Park," Hawthorn COO Jacob Attwood said.
"On behalf of the club, I'd like to thank Colliers for their work throughout the campaign and also the AFL for their engagement to achieve this outcome.
"With the facility changing hands to the AFL, we are confident that its historical significance of Waverley Park will be preserved.
"Looking forward for our club, the sale of this facility puts us in a very strong position to make the move to the Kennedy Community Centre later this year."
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon acknowledged the significance of the ground to the history of the game, and explained the reasoning behind the purchase.
"Waverley Park has had a long history in footy, being the first venue to be designed and built specifically for Australian Rules Football," Dillon said.
"The purchase of the ground and facilities is a rare and timely solution that will help with our talent pathways programs, community footy, and umpire development and programs, all of which will now be worked through with the relevant stakeholders.
"The AFL has targeted having 10 million attendees at AFL/AFLW games, events, and festivals, two million AFL club members and one million participants, and in order to achieve the target for participation, we need two ovals a week every week for the next five years.
"We are always looking for green space so we can continue to expand the playing fields we need to accommodate the strong national growth in people playing our game."
The venue first hosted a VFL match in 1972, with St Kilda prevailing over Essendon in front of 52,499 fans.
Almost a decade later, the stadium welcomed 92,935 supporters through its doors to witness Hawthorn and Collingwood battle on Queen's Birthday in 1981.
The ground was originally owned by the AFL in the early 1990s, and changed hands to St Kilda (1992-1999) before the turn of the century.
Hawthorn purchased the facility in 2006 after moving from Glenferrie Oval.
