New centre marks another step for Saints

Having the swimming pool at the new Danny Frawley Centre as the backdrop for Anita Frawley and Matt Finnis' media conference was symbolic.

It summed up how far St Kilda's facilities have come over the last turbulent decade at the AFL club.

The 25m pool, with two lanes for swimming and two lanes for recovery exercises, is a feature of the $16m-Danny Frawley Centre that Anita and Finnis helped officially open on Tuesday.

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First and foremost, the new centre is about mental health - for the broader community, as well as the Saints.

Anita, Frawley's wife, and Finnis, the St Kilda chief executive, have been driving forces in creating the centre as a legacy for the much-loved former Saints captain following his tragic 2019 death.

But the new facilities along the wing where St Kilda fans once populated the "animal enclosure" at AFL games are also the latest addition to more than $50m of redevelopment at the Moorabbin ground.

Ten years ago, Moorabbin was just another tired suburban footy oval. The Saints hadn't played a home game there since 1992 and had left in 2010.

They were based 25km away at Seaford, a relocation that never quite worked.

The pool in the Seaford centre was so shallow taller players would drag their fingers along the bottom as they swam freestyle.

The heating eventually didn't work properly and it often went unused during winter.

St Kilda returned to Moorabbin four years ago and while the dream of a second AFL flag still looks hazy for now, at least their facilities look the part.

"This will transcend to the football field, I'm sure ... because success breeds success," said Anita at Tuesday's media conference.

Finnis said it's more than just the facilities -