A major upgrade is set to bring the Hunter Sports Centre up to scratch with the world’s best athletics facilities.
The $1 million project will see a new athletics warm up area and athlete testing facilities built, officially bringing the Glendale venue in line with World Athletics Class 1 standards.
It is part of Lake Macquarie Council’s $25.7 million expansion project, which attracted a $10 million dollar boost from the Federal Government in October last year for a new 4,505m2 multi-storey building with meeting and function rooms as well as fitness and treatment facilities, upgrades to the athletics track, additional parking and a new signalised pedestrian crossing.
It is one of a dozen upgrades set to go ahead locally, with the NSW Government dishing out more than $8 million worth of funding in the Hunter alone under Round 2 of the Greater Cities and Regional Sport Facility Fund.
The up and coming Wickham and wider Newcastle communities are also big winners, with Hamilton Rugby Club successful in a bid for $1 million for long awaited upgrades to Passmore Oval.
New facilities will be built adjacent and connected to the existing grandstand, including dedicated women’s change rooms and toilets, accessible bathrooms, as well as a new community space in the grandstand itself, which will be accessible by lift and has a special viewing space for wheelchair users.
Club President Lesa Mason welcomed the good news, and said the money would go a long way to helping meet the needs of the community, including members and the growing number of young female players.
“At the present time we have just two change rooms to service both male and female home and away teams. It is a constant juggling act to move people and equipment in and out of the rooms with multiple games each weekend and multiple fields in use,” Ms Mason said.
There are also currently no accessible bathrooms anywhere in the park area.
Ms Mason said the Club plans to get construction underway this year and hoped to have them ready for use in 2023.
NSW Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres said the funding is a welcome reward for local sporting organisations after a tough few years.
“2022 is shaping up as a great year for NSW sport and I’m thrilled to see people back out doing what they love,” Mr Ayres said.
The full list of Greater Cities and Regional Sport Facility Fund winners is below.
| Who | What | Funding |
| Cessnock City Council | New sporting facilities at Carmichael Park Provision of a new four bay cricket practice net facility, a full size multipurpose court and hit up wall. | $648,640 |
| Lake Macquarie City Council | Hunter Region Sports Centre Warm-Up Facilities and Athlete Testing Building The project involves the construction of a new athletics warm up area, with testing facilities and amenities. The upgrades will provide World Athletics Class 1 certification to Hunter Region Sports Centre, enabling emerging high-performance athletes to train and compete world-class facility. | $1,000,000 |
| Lake Macquarie City Council | Harold Knight Sports Complex upgrades The project involves the construction of a new amenities building at Harold Knight Sports Complex and the redesign and upgrade of Harold Knight Field from oval to rectangular with two football pitches and a cricket field | $1,000,000 |
| Muswellbrook Shire Council | Upgrading sports fields at Olympic Park, Muswellbrook The project involves the upgrade of the playing surfaces on Field 1 and Field 2 at Olympic Park Muswellbrook, including improved drainage to enable water re-use, laser levelling and installation of new turf as well as minor improvements to Field 3. These upgrades will improve participant experience and maximise the use of the facility, building on other upgrades at Olympic Park, including a new amenities block. | $1,000,000 |
| Port Stephens Council | Revitalising Brandon Park, Seaham The project involves the revitalisation of Brandon Park into an inclusive, accessible and high-quality multipurpose facility. This will involve the upgrade of the amenities, car park and lighting. In addition, the existing single tennis court will be upgraded to a multi-sport court to encourage increased participation. | $693,100 |
| Port Stephens Council | Yulong Oval amenities upgrade. This project will involve the replacement of existing amenities with a new contemporary, inclusive and multipurpose facility. | $999,980 |
| Broadmeadow Magic Youth Football Club | Myers Park Multipurpose Sports and Community Active Hub Stages 1&2 This staged revitalisation project includes the construction of new centralised multipurpose clubroom/function room including disabled access and amenities, fenced perimeter and fenced football fields with covered grandstand seating, synthetic cricket pitch, basketball/netball courts, wallball/racquetball court, kids playground, walking/jogging perimeter track, outdoor exercise stations with human and dog water stations, repurposed existing clubhouse for maintenance equipment store and suitable off-street carparking. | $1,000,000 |
| Hamilton Hawks Rugby Union Club Inc | Passmore Oval Female Changerooms, Community Rooms And Disability Access This project involves the construction of new facilities adjacent and connected to the existing grandstand in Passmore Oval, which forms part of the Wickham Park sport and recreation complex. This includes changerooms, toilets, access and viewing amenities upgrades, along with function and meeting facilities. | $1,000,000 |
| Kotara South Junior Football Club | Lugar Park Amenities Upgrade The project will replace the old amenities block at Lugar Park, with a new inclusive facility including accessible amenities, female friendly change rooms, canteen, referee room and storage. | $521,737 |
| Newcastle Netball Association Inc | Resurfacing and upgrading of 30 courts This project includes the resurfacing and upgrading of 30 Netball courts at the National Park Precinct. | $514,670 |
| Wallsend Football Club | Wallsend Park Lighting Upgrade The project involves the installation of 4 new poles complete with LED lamps on Wallsend No 1 oval. The new lighting infrastructure will supply the field with 100 lux lighting, bringing it up to the Australian Standard for local competition matches. | $252,602 |
| Waratah Mayfield District Cricket Club | Waratah Oval Change Rooms And Amenities Upgrade This project includes an upgrade to the home and away change rooms and ambulance room in Waratah Oval grandstand to provide unisex toilet and shower facilities and a disabled toilet. | $103,877 |