Gippsland › Latest news › Harriet Shing MP

Warragul Leisure Centre Stadium $6M upgrade from the Victorian government Community Sports Infrastructure Stimulus

Local basketball and netball can look forward to doubling the action with the expansion of the Warragul Leisure Centre Stadium into a four-court venue, now underway thanks to the Victorian government.

By news@gippsland - 10th February 2023 - Back to News

Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing MP today joined representatives from Baw Baw Shire Council, Warragul and District Amateur Basketball Association and Warragul Indoor Netball Association to break ground and officially start works on the project, made possible by a $6 million investment from the Community Sports Infrastructure Stimulus Program.

Warragul Leisure Centre is a modern, bright and open indoor aquatics and sporting stadium, with accessible areas both indoor and outdoor, a group fitness room, cycle area and cafe

Stadium upgrades

Sport is the lifeblood of regional communities, with local venues like the Warragul Leisure Centre part of the social fabric. The stadium upgrades will feature the addition of two new multipurpose courts marked for basketball and netball, taking the venue's number of courts to four. The project will also deliver:

• New reception area
• Cafe, kitchen, and office
• Spectator seating
• Lounge viewing area
• Changing Places accessible change room
• Two player change rooms
• Referee change room
• First aid room
• Storage
• Two multi use rooms for group fitness or meetings
• 70 new car park spaces

Once complete, the new hub will provide a home court advantage for the more than 1,900 participants that play in the Warragul and District Amateur Basketball Association and Warragul Indoor Netball Association.

Set to benefit

The project is creating 54 full time jobs during the construction phase and is expected to be complete in June 2024. Also set to benefit are nearby schools and colleges like:

• Warragul and District Specialist School
• Warragul Regional College
• Warragul Primary
• Marist-Sion College

The Victorian Budget 2022/23 is kicking in $88 million to deliver new and improved community sports infrastructure and programs to boost participation in local sports clubs and organisations. It's part of more than $1.6 billion the Victorian government has invested in community sport and active recreation infrastructure since 2014.

Providing better recreation

From playspace redevelopments to new stadiums, investments like these provide high-quality and accessible places for Victorians to reap the benefits of sport and active recreation participation. They are all about:

• Creating jobs
• Stimulating local economies
• Improving the health and wellbeing
• Social outcomes for Victorian communities

Ms Shing acknowledged Baw Baw Shire Council's commitment of $5 million to the project. For more information about infrastructure grant opportunities available through the Victorian government visit Sports and Recreation Victoria website.

Pictures from Latrobe Valley Events Precinct website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com