Northern Oval No. 2, otherwise known as Frank Bourke Oval, will be transformed thanks to a $5 million cash injection from the state government.
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The funding, which has come from the state government's $25 million Council Support Package, is being given to council regions affected by the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games.
The package announced on Saturday will see four new changerooms, including female friendly rooms and umpires changes rooms, administration and scorers facilities, veranda and AFL standard storage facilities to be built at the oval.
The project will also allow the football club to play some home games at the venue while the Mars Stadium redevelopment takes place to increase the ground's capacity.
The project is "shovel ready" and will begin as soon as possible, with the club hopeful it can open the new look oval for the start of the 2026 football and netball season.
"I'm really proud we are able to announce $5 million for the Frank Bourke Oval at North Ballarat," Wendouree MP Juliana Addison said at a function at Mars Stadium on Saturday.
"This is what the club has been wanting for so long, it will come out of the fund from the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games."
When the Commonwealth Games was first announced, and then the expansion of Mars Stadium after the cancellation of the game, North Ballarat had been expected to temporarily move to Miners Rest, however this upgrade will allow the club to remain in the Ballarat Sports and Events Precinct which will soon have a new athletics track built on the current showgrounds site.
North Ballarat Football and Netball Club chairman Richard Start said it would allow his club to be once again be able to field a women's team.
"We've been working with the City of Ballarat and they have helped to organise the funding, we didn't know how it was going to be funded, we're thrilled," he said.
"It will mean that the changerooms on the number two oval will go from the worst to the best. Before now, the girls would have to get changed in their car, now they'll have their own rooms, it's a magnificent idea to help the club.
"We haven't got a women's senior team because we haven't got the changerooms, this will allow the club to build again.
"I think we'll end up playing some boys games out there as well, it will give us the flexibility that when Mars Stadium isn't available for use, either for training or games, we'll have a fantastic facility all round. If we can get a while sporting precinct going, it'll bring more people to the area."
Ms Addison said she would continue to champion the cause of other venues across the City of Ballarat, including City Oval, which itself is long overdue for an upgrade, particularly in its changeroom facilities.
"We're always looking at ways to improve community facilities, particularly in sports and recreation, we know that healthy communities are better connected, happier communities," she said..
"We've done a lot of work across Ballarat, we have $8.4 million going into Marty Busch at Sebastopol, we done some work at Wendouree West, Alfredton.
"I'm really proud of the work we did in putting in the netball courts at City Oval, but I do recognise that City Oval is an iconic venue for Ballarat, it will certainly be one I will continue to advocate for."
