Kardinia Park Stadium Trust appoints new chair

THE board of the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust has a new chair, with Joe Calafiore beginning his tenure in the position last week.

Mr Calafiore was appointed a a member of the trust in 2018 and brings considerable experience to the role, including his most recent position as chief executive officer of the Geelong-headquartered Transport Accident Commission (TAC) until June 2023.

Born and raised in Geelong, Mr Calafiore previously worked as a senior advisor for the Minister for Police before becoming head of community relations at the TAC and eventually its CEO in 2015.

He has strong experience in communications and community relations and is a member of the Committee for Geelong’s Policy and Strategy Committee.

Mr Calafiore is also presently chair of the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust’s finance, audit and risk committee, and officially took over as chair on October 1.

He replaced Stephen Gough, who had been chair of the Trust since 2020.

Mr Gough was instrumental in the trust’s formation as he was appointed to the Victorian government’s steering committee to develop the existing model, which led to the trust’s establishment in 2016.

Mr Gough helped oversee the ongoing transformation of Kardinia Park into one of regional Australia’s leading drawcards, including hosting matches during the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and the Foo Fighters selling out the stadium’s first concert in March 2022.

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos thanked Mr Gough for his valuable service and welcomed Mr Calafiore to the role.

“Mr Calafiore brings invaluable experience to the role as chair, carrying on from his position as a Trust member to help ensure Kardinia Park remains the premier regional sporting venue in Australia,” Mr Dimopoulos said.

“Mr Gough has made a tremendous contribution to the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust as chair for the past three years.

“He has provided valuable first-hand experience while working with the Board to help lead the ongoing transformation of this special regional venue.”

The Kardinia Park Stadium Trust manages and oversees many of the facilities and services at Kardinia Park, including GMHBA Stadium, for the purpose of sport, recreation, community and entertainment, helping contribute to the economy and liveability of the Geelong region and Victoria.

The stadium – known as GMHBA Stadium for sponsorship purposes – is presently in stage 5 of its redevelopment, with the $142 million project to increase the overall stadium capacity to 40,000 once complete.

For more information, head to kardiniapark.vic.gov.au