Netball Victoria is delighted with the announcement of the first project under the Andrews Labor Government pledge to create a further 64 netball courts across inner northern Metropolitan Melbourne.
Minister for Sport John Eren joined Member for Preston Robin Scott at the Darebin Community Sports Stadium yesterday morning and announced that the State Government will provide $346,000 from the $9.6 million pledged to this project, to support the new development in Reservoir. Councillor Vince Fontana, Mayor of Darebin Council, was on hand to help launch the exciting new court development. Darebin Council is co-funding the project, which will cost over $720,000 in total.
This project will create three new, compliant netball courts with spectator shelters and competition level lighting.
Netball Victoria CEO Michelle Plane is pleased to see this first announcement and noted that the development with lights will enable significant increases in participation in the north of Darebin.
“Representatives of Sport and Recreation Victoria, Netball Victoria, local government and government planning authorities have been working closely together over past months to commence this program, which will deliver much needed netball courts to this region in order to address the significant existing and future shortage and enable increased sport and recreation participation,” said Ms Plane.
“These courts are particularly important as part of the government investment in facilities and activities to increase sporting participation by girls and women, who have higher rates of inactivity and are therefore more likely to miss out on the physical and mental health benefits that can be provided by regular physical activity in a team or social environment. We look forward to many more similar announcements over the next 3-4 years as the project further develops”
An estimated 300,000 people play netball each week in Victoria. It was this statistic that prompted the Labor Government to promise the Inner City Netball Program, which joins the $100 million Community Sports Infrastructure Fund as initiatives that give grass-roots players across the state the facilities that they deserve.
Minister for Sport John Eren said the project would deliver facilities that met demand and enable more people to participate in sport as a result.
“We promised to address a shortfall in netball court availability in Reservoir and we’re getting on with it,” said Mr Eren.
“We’re the sporting state, and we want it to stay that way. That’s why we’re investing heavily in facilities all over Victoria.”
