The turning of the first sod took place at the end of March and construction is now well underway for the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility at Speers Point.
The new state-of-the-art facility will boast 10 five-a-side synthetic pitches, two full size synthetic playing fields, an administration building for Football FIVE5 and Northern NSW Football as well as a café, seminar rooms, change rooms and a 120 car park.
Northern NSW Football (NNSWF) in conjunction with Lake Macquarie City Council were successful in securing a $7.3 million grant from the NSW Government’s Hunter Infrastructure and Investment Fund (HIIF) for the $11.3 million facility, with Northern NSW Football contributing the remaining $4 million.
This project will provide a world-class football facility that will encourage greater football participation in the community. The five-a-side fields will be used for Football FIVE5 structured competitions as well as be available for casual hire to enable people with limited time for recreation to participate in organised team sport.
Projected Facility Utilisation and Visitation figures show an estimated 250,000 people will use the facility per annum, providing a great opportunity not only for NNSWF and Football FIVE5 but for other local businesses in the area to capitalise on the influx of people coming into the area to use the facility.
Northern NSW Football is currently talking with local businesses in the immediate precinct of the new facility, giving them the opportunity to take a sense of ownership in the facility with court sponsorships available. This provides an opportunity for local businesses to engage with the facilities extensive user base and benefit from increased business resulting from the influx of visitors to the facility.
Northern NSW Football aim to have construction completed by mid-November to enable Lake Macquarie City Council to host the football component of the 2014 International Children’s Games in December.
Northern NSW Football is a full Member Federation of Football Federation Australia recognised by Local, State and Federal Government agencies as the governing body responsible for the growth, development and promotion of the sport of Football throughout Northern NSW.
Today, Northern NSW Football has over 50,000 registered players across more than 240 clubs and over 3,300 teams and is Australia’s third largest football state.
