Head of AFL Victoria Ben Kavenagh impressed by upgraded Reid Oval

"I think now the oval has reached a standard where there are genuine conversations," he said.

"Last year, the league took a cautious approach as far as regional games went given the COVID circumstances that were around but it looks like that will change going forward.

"Having seen this facility, having seen the standard of the ground, having seen the change rooms, these are certainly the standards that are required for AFL pre-season games, ALFW games, VFL games so Warrnambool and the Reid Oval now join the conversation on attracting those sort of games."

Kavenagh was impressed by what he heard and saw during a guided tour of the football ground on Tuesday morning.

The $11 million project is nearing its completion with cricket set to played there in January.

"I couldn't be more ecstatic for the local people, I'm really appreciative of the Warrnambool City Council for the work they've done and all the users group that have been involved," he said.

"I know it's been a long build up to get to this stage so to see the smiles on the faces and the satisfaction, I think we all now can't wait to see the first ball bounced.

"Talking to the local league there, there's now flexibility to potentially play night junior finals and those elements that haven't been here in the past so I think the locals are going to get a lot of enjoyment out of this new facility."

Kavenagh, who took on his new role in mid-November, grew up at Camperdown and has in-laws in the south-west.

"I grew up just down the road, community football was an enormous part of my life while I was in this region," he said.

"I just really enjoyed the social elements and the fact that communities came together at the local football club.

"And here at the Reid Oval today I'm really impressed with what's occurred here, the facility is now absolutely fantastic."

He recalled being at the Reid in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Camperdown was on the end of a couple of losing grand finals.

Kavenagh played junior football for St Pats in the Mount Noorat league.

"I played in a premiership there with a couple of local identities like Clinton Baulch and a few of those sort of types," he said.

"I have great memories of those days."

He's enjoying his new role with the AFL. He's the former chief executive officer of NBL club Adelaide 36ers/Lightning. He was also CEO of SANFL club South Adelaide from 2005-12.

"I spent much of the past month getting out and speaking to people in community football - the people who make the game tick - learning about the challenges and opportunities and where we as AFL Vic can help the game thrive," he said.

This week the AFL committed an extra $8 million to grassroots football following the past two coronavirus pandemic-impacted seasons. As part of the package, $1.6 million is going towards volunteer support.

"We want to make sure we're there to support clubs wherever they might have some challenges," he said.

"So we want to make sure volunteers are well resourced when they get into clubs and we put some things in place to make sure volunteers are appreciated.

"And for some clubs that are doing it tough, there's even some opportunities for some hands-on support to assist clubs to get through tough times but also set them up so they're sustainable going forward."