Gungahlin, one of the city’s fastest growing areas, will soon have the new sporting facilities its residents need. The ACT Government is building the Throsby Home of Football, and work will soon begin on designing the new Gungahlin Tennis Centre.
Football is the largest team sport in Australia, and the Throsby Home of Football will be a world-class facility, featuring outdoor football fields and indoor futsal courts. The ACT Government committed $9 million in the 2021–22 Budget, taking the total investment to $33.5 million. This includes a $4.5 million contribution by Capital Football.
“This is an exciting project that will support a range of community and high-performance programs for Capital Football and its affiliated clubs, as well as provide valuable open space for the community to enjoy,” said Yvette Berry, ACT Minister for Sport and Recreation.
From today, the community can comment on the design of the facility through the ACT Government’s YourSay website.
Phil Brown, CEO of Capital Football, and Neil Harlock, President of Gungahlin United FC, said they were grateful for the ACT Government’s support.
Tomorrow, the ACT Government will release a request for tender to engage a consultant to design the Amaroo Tennis Centre. A total investment of $8.4 million, including $400,000 from Tennis Australia and Tennis ACT, has been committed to the construction of the facility.
The centre will include up to 12 full sized courts; hot shots courts; a hitting wall; LED lighting; parking; and a pavilion.
Tennis ACT was excited to see the progress made with the Amaroo Tennis Centre, said CEO Kim Kachel. The tennis and broader community were ecstatic when Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Ms Berry, and tennis star Nick Kyrgios announced the $8 million ACT Government commitment last year.
“We can’t wait to see the venue realised to begin to service areas of Gungahlin, and know the facility has great community support.
“It has been a strategic priority to develop tennis facilities in Gungahlin and growth corridors – this will be a great first step to address as tennis thrives in the ACT and region. It remains a sport for all and a sport for life, and we’ve seen a huge uptick in participation through the COVID pandemic.”
These Gungahlin facilities are part of what the ACT Government says is its largest-ever infrastructure program to support Canberra’s post pandemic economic recovery.
The ACT 2021-22 Budget committed funds to build new state-of-the-art sports centres, upgrade existing facilities across the city and partner with women’s elite sporting teams to engage the community in sport, Ms Berry said.
“As our city grows, the ACT Government is committed to delivering more sporting facilities to help Canberrans stay active, healthy and engaged in the sports they love.”
In Canberra’s south, Phillip District Enclosed Oval in Woden will be upgraded to bring it to the standard of Greenway Oval and Gungahlin Oval, for the benefit of rugby union, rugby league, and cricket.
A new stand-alone pavilion will be constructed; the Michael O’Connor grandstand refurbished; new LED sportsground lighting installed to support night-time match play use; and the oval upgraded.
In the coming weeks, the community will be invited to comment on the proposed Phillip Oval upgrades on the YourSay website.
The ACT Government also invested $1.59 million to support women’s elite sport by providing ongoing funding to the Canberra Capitals and Canberra United.
“We are committed to growing and supporting women in sport, and these teams help promote and develop basketball and football in the community and women’s sport more broadly,” Ms Berry said. “They provide quality female role models, inspiring the next generation of female sporting leaders.”
