The historic Preston City Oval has served as a community football and cricket oval since 1876. The oval, also known as Genis Steel Oval or PCO, has hosted a range of teams across generations. It’s long served as a home for clubs around Darebin, from junior pathways through to elite programs, and until recently, was the stage for the Northern Football Netball League (NFNL) finals.

The Preston Bullants, who have long called the oval home, decided to split from Carlton during the pandemic to commit as a standalone side from 2021. This move led to poor performances and mounting financial pressure.

And now, after 143 years, the AFL made the astonishing decision to strip the Bullants of their VFL license, leaving one of Melbourne’s biggest and oldest community grounds up for grabs.

The 500-seat grandstand in front of Preston Station defines the venue with its size, across the road, the smell of hot jam donuts from the Preston Market wafts over crowds.

The Darebin Council has a unique but important decision to make in allocating the ground to a new tenant, not often does a 150-year-old ground become available.

The Preston Bullants Amateur Football Club (PBAFC), Northern Knights and Darebin Falcons women are all possible contenders. As the local football season starts, the council’s decision is critical. Teams need clarity on where they’ll train and play.

According to the council CEO Anne Howard, the council supports local clubs and organisations to access the site, and teams looking to secure the oval can do so through formal lease or licensing arrangements.

“Council is now inviting expressions of interest for remaining availability,” she tells upstart. “There were 32 tenant club
matches held at PCO plus various finals matches.”

This is a big number for a local community oval, especially when most suburban grounds only have to provide for one team. With the ground now available, questions remain around how heavily it should be used. Clubs want to maximise access, but overuse risks damaging the playing surface.

Howard says that the council anticipates a similar number of matches at PCO in 2026.

A multi-tenant allocation of PCO, where junior, senior, men’s, women’s and representative sides rotate fixtures and training, allows for several clubs to call the oval home.

The Preston Bullants VFL team has continuously pushed for just one club to be allocated the oval to continue the Preston legacy. The club has thrown their support behind the PBAFC and PBJFC to become the owners of the ground, with the decision ultimately in the council’s hands.

PBJFC President John Pappas believes the Bullants seniors and juniors need the oval to keep the Preston spirit alive. He described the ground as far more than just an oval, but a symbol of the club’s long history and identity.

“PCO, is the spiritual home of the Preston Bullants,” he tells upstart.

“Whether it’s VFA, VFL, Bullants juniors or Bullants seniors, the Bullants spirit should live on.”

Connection to the club runs through the Pappas family. Pappas’ son followed the whole Bullants pathways during his football career, starting with the club at Auskick level in 2009 and rising through the junior ranks before making the step up into the senior side last year.

Pappas believes part of the Bullants strength all these years has been the strong connection between the senior and junior club, in keeping with what he describes as the “Preston spirit”.

“The Bullants Senior Amateur Club was created so when junior players finished, they were able to continue wearing the Preston jumper.”

Pappas, however, does recognise a bigger vision in which the Preston and Darebin greater community all have a purpose to watch football at the oval.

“My vision would be, every second weekend, have female football played with junior girls at 9am, followed by Senior Bullants Amateur women at 11am, and at 2pm, hopefully getting the teams to stay around and watch the Darebin Falcons play in the VFLW. The same with men’s matches on the alternative weekends, leaving space for juniors to play on Sundays.”

Beyond scheduling and tenancy, the future of the oval also carries financial and social implications for both the council and the community. Shared usage between multiple clubs could help ensure the venue remains active throughout the footballing season. A multi-tenant allocation of PCO, where junior, senior, men’s, women’s and representative sides rotate fixtures and training, allows for several clubs to call the oval home.

Although the risk of damage to the playing surface is a major factor in the council’s decision, taking that path could leave the oval unusable for weeks or months. An outcome that would impact the entire Preston and Darebin community.

The decision now sits at a crossroads between heritage, community access, and sustainability.

Ultimately, whichever club or clubs are granted access to use the oval will inherit more than just a playing surface. They will become part of a long and proud lineage, carrying the responsibility of preserving Preston’s sporting identity into the future.

Article: Harrison Smith is a third-year Media and Communications (Sports Media major) student at La Trobe University. You can follow him on X @HarrySmith1909.

Cover Photo: The 500 seat grandstand at Preston City Oval. This photo has been modified. Photo by author.