A-League club Western United have struck a deal with Essendon to base themselves at the NEC Hangar for at least the next two years.
The Melbourne football side are currently in the process of building their own stadium and facilities in Tarneit.
With construction only just beginning, Western United have been left needing to find a suitable place to call home and have settled on the NEC Hangar precinct.
While the two codes have clashed in the past over venues, Essendon has welcomed the temporary relocation of the A-League club.
"We welcome Western United as partners at the NEC Hangar, and look forward to a strong partnership between the cross-code organisations over the years to come," Essendon chief executive Xavier Campbell said.
"The partnership will see Western United primarily utilise the community oval on our training fields, with their players and staff also accessing some of the new performance and expanded office areas.
"While this partnership will deliver important outcomes for the Essendon Football Club, providing an important step forward in our aspirations for developing a truly world class, multi-faceted sports and community precinct, it’s also important to note that the partnership and particularly the use of training facilities will have no direct impact on the operations of our football programs.
"That said, we expect the partnership over time to provide a range of opportunities for growth as our staff and players develop relationships and identify and leverage opportunities for mutual benefit."
Western United recently had to change the venue of an FFA Cup match when South Melbourne objected to their use of Lakeside Stadium.
The A-League club have avoided any such clash this time around, however, as they prepare for their third season.
"Our club has grown enormously over a short period of time and as a result, we needed to explore all options to accommodate both our staff and our players and their increasing high-performance needs," Western United CEO Chris Pehlivanis said.
"To be able to utilise the world class facilities at the Hangar and bring our team together was a really attractive solution for us while we build our permanent home in Tarneit.
"Importantly we are still very committed to our existing partnership with the George Cross Football Club in Fraser Rise. Whilst we’ve had a need to expand, we have also been able to strengthen our partnership with George Cross.
"We’ve been with George Cross from the beginning - many fans will fondly remember being at this venue for our first practice match – and we will continue to have a presence there long into the future. Our academy program will continue to operate out of the facility as well as our future women’s football program."