The Victorian Budget 2020/21 will provide $7.3 million towards the creation of the Danny Frawley Centre for Health and Wellbeing at St Kilda’s home base.
Frawley captained St Kilda and later coached Richmond before moving into the media where he won admiration for his work on radio and television, but his enduring legacy stretches beyond sport.
In the years before his death in 2019, Frawley’s advocacy for mental health awareness had a profound impact on the community. He spoke openly about his mental health struggles and advocated for research while supporting and inspiring others to speak up.
The Danny Frawley Centre for Health and Wellbeing will include classroom spaces, consultation suites and breakout areas in the Moorabbin Reserve’s grandstand and aquatic facility. The Victorian Government’s funding will also help to establish mental health and wellbeing services and programs.
The Commonwealth Government and St Kilda Football Club will also make contributions to the project with construction due to start early next year.
The Victorian Government has previously provided $13 million funding for the development of St Kilda’s Moorabbin home, including works to provide best-practice facilities for the Saints’ AFLW team which entered the national competition this year.
Frawley played 240 games for St Kilda, 177 of them as captain. He won the club best-and-fairest award and All Australian honours in 1988 and was inducted into St Kilda’s Hall of Fame in 2007.