Horsham's Richard May has created a mock-up design of the oval in accordance to AFL standards and said it wouldn't fit at the proposed site, as listed in the council documents.

However, the council says the oval's positioning is "conceptual" and would require further consultation with sporting bodies.

AFL guidelines say the ideal playing area for a new playing field is 165 metres in length goal-to-goal, and 135 metres in width boundary-to-boundary.

Furthermore, the preferred playing field orientation is north-south from goal-to-goal to minimise the impact of the sun during day matches, and boundary run-offs on all newly constructed grounds should be five metres.

Mr May's mock-up appears over the top of the draft master plan map. It shows the oval would be too big for the site if built to standards, with the oval covering Hocking Street and part of Sawyer Park.

Mr May said the draft plan hadn't allowed space for infrastructure, including grandstands and clubrooms.

"The plan is a concept, but if you're going to do a concept it needs to be accurate - otherwise it's pointless. The oval will not fit on that site," Mr May said.

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He said the proposed changes to the oval went against the north-south orientation recommended by the AFL.

"If you're going to reconfigure that to a north-south orientation, it won't work. You'd have to look for another site in Horsham," he said.

"Changes need to be compliant. If there are proposed changes, it should be up to the football club not council.

"My understanding is that the club has spent a lot of money (on the oval) and they don't want to shift. If the club is quite happy with what they have, why change it?"

AFL Wimmera-Mallee regional manager Bruce Petering said he supported the proposed upgrades to City Oval.

"It aligns with our strategy of lifting the capacity of City Oval so it can host marquee games," Mr Petering said.

"There's no premier facility in the North West that has the capacity to host an AFL pre-season game or an AFLW game. It's something the region is crying out for."

Mr Petering said the organisation understood the plans were not to scale and was "very happy" to work with the council on details.

"Everyone needs to understand that this is just aspirational - to show what it could look like. Conceptually, we certainly agree to it," he said.

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Horsham Cricket Association secretary Darren Chesterfield said the proposed changes would benefit cricket in the region.

He said the association was also aware the current plan was not to scale but would work with council to improve the plans.

"The Horsham Cricket Association also sees the broader picture - that by standing still, the City Oval is, in fact, going backwards," Mr Chesterfield said.

He said the plan needed to change the location of the club rooms to allow a view of the oval.

The council's chief executive Sunil Bhalla said it was common master plan maps were not to scale.

"My understanding is you can actually accommodate an AFL-size oval - but that is for the detailed design process. The consultants have looked at the requirements for AFL," he said.

"This is a visionary document. Those key interest groups - like the AFL - will be part of the next level of consultation in terms of the orientation, the size and the positioning of the nets.

"If the community is saying there is another way we can make this (sporting) precinct, that's part of the process. This is the first stage in the process and that's why we're asking the community to tell us what they think about the plan."

The council's community relations and advocacy co-ordinator Susan Surridge said the grandstand was included in the new building proposed on the map.

"If people are measuring things out and showing that it won't fit, then that's a valid thing that we'd encourage people to submit as a submission in written form," she said.

The council's community facilitator Martin Bride said all the buildings on the map were not drawn to scale.

"If we're attracting private investors, it depends on how much they want to spend and what is financially viable. Those kind of details will need to be worked out," he said.

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