There's more to Waverley Park now than memories of chilly football afternoons, Emma Quayle writes.

In its final days, Waverley Park had old wooden seats that gave you splinters, old grey stands that made you shiver, and an old black-and-white scoreboard.

It was known as a bit of a wreck, really, and still has that sense - in a more nostalgic, retro, slightly surreal and movie-set way. As you wind through the row of townhouses that line Sir Kenneth Luke Boulevarde, the remaining part of his stand appears suddenly in front of you, looming like a piece of the Titanic.

The wooden seats are still there, the stand is still grey and though the ground was sunkissed yesterday, a slight wind at the start of the match had picked up by the end, suggesting the ground is still proud of its reputation as the coldest place on earth.

The car park is not as big, or as dark, though did present some problems yesterday: so many people turned up to watch the Hawks that cars were forced into a construction area. Habit had people trying to line their cars up like they would turning up to a game there seven years ago.

The new-look Waverley Park, though, is anything but rustic. The public gym is still being built, more retail stores will soon sit alongside the new supermarket, and the outer side of the ground, covered now in piles of red dirt, eventually will be lined with more townhouses.

Inside what is left of the Sir Kenneth Luke Stand, the Hawthorn players were impressed with their brand new equipment and their theatre, though there was so much space that Sam Mitchell almost needed a map.

"We had a bit of a briefing on Wednesday, but this is the first time that we've actually been out here to train, and use some of the facilities," said the onballer at the end of yesterday's intraclub match. "You get lost up there. It's so big. You feel like you've got to be somewhere in five minutes and you don't know how to find where it is. There's so many rooms and theatres, and all that sort of thing, that we just haven't had in the last few years."

Having trained so long on the "postage stamp" that is Glenferrie Oval, Mitchell was happy to have full-sized wings to run around in, though he understood how difficult it would be for some to farewell their old home ground. "There's a legends game out there next week, I think, and there will be a bit of feeling out there then. You hear guys like Peter Knights, who still works at the footy club, talk about the passion he had for the place, and you feel for all those guys who played their whole careers there," he said.

"But in saying that, it's a step forward for the footy club and for all these new guys coming in. You look at the facilities they've got now, and it's got to help."