Upgraded Parkville Netball and Hockey centre completed
The expansion of the Melbourne Sports Centres – Parkville has been completed, with the upgraded facility officially opened on Wednesday.
Work on the multi-sport venue, formerly known as the State Netball Hockey Centre, commenced in late 2018 and has been completed at a cost of $64.6 million.
Opened on Thursday by Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula, the expanded Parkville venue now has six new indoor netball courts, a new indoor hockey pitch, hot and cold recovery pools, a creche for parents playing at the centre, and a high-performance strength and conditioning gym.
The new facilities complement the existing indoor netball courts, show court and outdoor hockey pitches that have been in place since the centre’s opening in 2001. The expansion works were initially slated to be completed in 2020.
The centre hosts more than 500,000 players and spectators each year, with 80 per cent of all participants being women and girls.
With 64 lineal kilometres of timber sports flooring laid, the netball arm of the centre now has a total of 11 indoor courts – creating greater capacity for year-round play. The new indoor hockey court similarly provides more opportunities and pathways for players.
With Netball Victoria, Super Netball’s Melbourne Vixens, Hockey Victoria and dozens of grassroots hockey and netball teams based at the centre, the new facilities will open up the venue for more community participation, high-performance excellence, competitions and major events.
The works have also created a new northern entrance, better connecting the centre to public transport.
More than 150 jobs were created during construction, with contractor Kane Constructions encouraged to maximise the female presence on the project. These efforts included a pilot program to encourage women and girls to consider a career in construction while half of Kane Constructions’ and Development Victoria’s project teams were female.
At the peak of construction, some 26,000 hours were worked by women, equal to 30 per cent of all contributing hours worked during that time. In total, 73 women worked on the redevelopment site in trade and support roles. About 93 per cent of labour and materials were sourced under the Government’s Local Jobs First Policy.
The expanded centre will also allow for more use by volleyball, basketball, futsal, badminton and table tennis players and will be home to the Women in Sport Leadership Centre.
Take a look at the State Netball and Hockey Centre redevelopment.
— Development Victoria (@DevelopmentVic) August 12, 2021
🏐 6 new netball courts
🏒 1 new indoor hockey pitch
🏋️ strength and conditioning gym
🏊 hot and cold conditioning pools
and more!
Learn more about this record investment in women’s sport: https://t.co/uJFjIaaGr2 pic.twitter.com/IATBPMzm6K
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula said, “This reimagined centre will benefit thousands of women and girls who come to Parkville each week to compete and hone their skills in the games they love.”
“This was an ambitious project and it’s going to pay big dividends for players, clubs and supporters for many years.”
The official name of the venue was changed last year, along with MSAC and Lakeside Stadium, with all three venues now featuring the ‘Melbourne Sports Centres’ brand, with the State Netball Hockey Centre name dropped in favour of Parkville, to recognise its location and the fact more sports our now held at the venue.
