Years of drought across Australia has created many challenges for councils in their attempts to maintain sportsgrounds for their communities. Thanks to a new partnership and some innovative thinking, the City of Whittlesea has come up with an impressive solution.
The Mill Park Secondary College Multipurpose Sportsground is the biggest synthetic surface in the southern hemisphere and the first multipurpose synthetic surface in Australia.
The new $1.68 million sports ground and amenities feature a full size Australian Rules football oval, a full size cricket oval, and two full size soccer pitches.
To maximise its use, Council has also included lighting on the ground, toilets and storage space.
It has been built thanks to a partnership between the City of Whittlesea, the Victorian Government and Mill Park Secondary College.
Council provided $1.2 million for the facility, $300,000 came from the Sport and Recreation Victoria Synthetic Surfaces Scheme, $150,000 from the Education Department’s Community Facilities funding and $30,000 from the Mill Park Secondary School Council.
The result is a new drought proof sporting facility that can be used seven days a week.
Mill Park Secondary College students use the facility for physical education, school sports and a place to play during recess and lunchtimes.
Whittlesea Mayor Councillor Mary Lalios said local cricket, football and soccer clubs can use it for training and competition after school hours and on weekends.
“These multipurpose facilities are being used for everything from training and junior games to senior competitions by local cricket, soccer and Aussie rules clubs,” she said. “That’s about 5,000 people in total using one facility.”
Councillor Lalios said there is a strong sporting culture at the City of Whittlesea.
“With a multipurpose facility such as this, we can be confident of meeting the strong demand for quality local sports facilities with durable and playable surfaces, regardless of the weather,” she said.
Council’s Manager Leisure Services and Planning Paul Reading said the synthetic surface is proving to be good value for money.
“As well as being environmentally friendly because it doesn’t require watering, it also keeps maintenance costs down,” he said.
It is estimated this new facility is saving six million litres of water a year.
Synthetic pitches also ease the use of and impact on other natural turf grounds, reducing the need for extra maintenance of those grounds.
Paul Reading said the ground is already very successful.
“We’ve had a huge demand from local sports groups to use the facility,” he said. “We’re getting terrific feedback and there are more people attending events held at the ground.”
A roster system has been implemented to give all sporting groups equal opportunities to use the facility. It also means the facility is constantly at its maximum utilisation.
Replacement of the synthetic pitch is anticipated within the next 15 years.
