THE HON RICHARD MARLES MP

Member for Corio

$590,000 KARDINIA PARK NETBALL REDEVELOPMENT COMPLETE The redevelopment of the Kardinia Park Netball Complex will see a new generation of players, officials, administration staff and spectators enjoy quality sporting facilities in one of the states most iconic sporting precincts. Member for Corio Richard Marles said that organised sport was the lifeblood of regional communities like Geelong and the Barwon region and quality sports infrastructure was important for liveability and economic growth. With more than 4,000 people using the Kardinia facility each month, the ageing building was struggling to keep up with demand, Mr Marles said. This $590,000 in funding through the Australian Governments Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program is an investment in the future of this area. Kardinia Park is the home turf of the Geelong Central Netball Association, Football Netball Geelong and St Marys Sporting Club. These organisations support social players, junior and school teams, representative sides as well as recreational users so this redevelopment is really important to their current members but also attracts new members to the game. For more than 80 years Kardinia Park has been the home of netball in Geelong, so I want to thank the City of Greater Geelong for their commitment to this redevelopment and making an identified local priority a reality for their community. The redevelopment includes: a functional design with more space for netball players, administrators, officials and spectators; improved access for people with a disability; interior and exterior painting, new flooring and upgraded toilet facilities; new faade to match other buildings in the precinct; new spectator seating; and landscaping. The project supported 50 jobs along the way so its been terrific for the local economy, too, Mr Marles said
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City of Greater Geelong Mayor Cr John Mitchell said the refurbishment of the netball pavilion followed the major redevelopment of the courts completed mid last year. These works have brought the entire facility up to todays standards and will help us cater for the growing number of local netballers. In fact, since last year netball participation numbers at Kardinia Park have increased by 20 per cent. The netball complex gets plenty of use by serious netballers as well as those in just-for-fun competitions. Its a fantastic facility that encourages people to lead healthy and active lifestyles, Cr Mitchell said. The $1.1 billion Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program has delivered more than 6,000 projects across Australia, supporting local jobs and building infrastructure for the future. 14 September, 2012

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