Western Bulldogs Football Club
Our unique association with the Western Bulldogs Football Club began in the 1980s. It has grown to include all four teams (AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFLW), an innovative shared campus at Whitten Oval, and our brand new VU High Performance Centre.
Victoria University (VU) and the Bulldogs are deeply invested in our surrounding community, and embrace and celebrate its diversity. As the partnership continues to grow, so do the people – students, staff, athletes and the community.
About our collaboration
Our Major Alliance with the Western Bulldogs is extensive and multifaceted. It spans multiple projects, all with the end goal of enhancing student experiences and outcomes.
The partnership has boundless potential to support students, staff and athletes alike. Benefits include:
- Work Integrated Learning placements for physio, psychology and exercise science students
- clinical hours for remedial-massage students at the iconic Whitten Oval
- valuable research opportunities for postgraduate students
- employment within the Bulldogs for VU graduates.
In 2023, VU and the Bulldogs proudly extended the Major Alliance for five years. Alongside this renewal came the launch of the VU High Performance Centre at Whitten Oval – a facility for AFL and AFLW players and staff to focus on training, assessment and recovery, and offering VU students a chance to work in a professional sport environment.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
This partnership addresses the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Benefits for students & courses
Each year, VU students from a variety of courses across university and TAFE have the opportunity to complete workplace learning with the Bulldogs. Courses that benefit from this partnership include:
Research
VU’s sports science researchers work side-by-side with the Bulldogs' coaching, medical and performance teams in a structured research program.
Collaborative research topics have included:
- women’s health and performance impacts
- football performance
- active living
- community development
- sport management.
Joint projects give our researchers the opportunity to work with an elite sports team and contribute to real-world advances in the sports industry. They also offer the Bulldogs access to sport-science expertise to help them improve their on-field performance and to develop their skills and fitness. This critical research is run out of our world-class sports facilities and the VU High Performance Centre at Whitten Oval.
