Kingston and the Hawks kick off a new partnership for community sport
Kingston Council and Hawthorn Football Club will partner together to boost local community AFL with a new community oval at Hawthorn’s Dingley Village headquarters.
Council has given in-principle support to contribute $5m to the new oval which will have dedicated hours set aside for community sport.
Kingston Mayor Steve Staikos said the partnership with Hawthorn Football Club would help meet the growing demand for sporting facilities in Melbourne’s south-east.
“Sport is booming in our region with growing participation particularly in footy played by women and girls,” Cr Staikos said. “The new community oval will help transform a former landfill in the Green Wedge site into much-needed community facilities to serve generations to come.”
Cr Staikos said the project was a cost-effective way to meet the growing demand for sporting facilities while providing good value for money for ratepayers. Developing community sporting facilities like this would cost Council around $15 million if we were to go it alone, so working together with Hawthorn to use their land is a smart move,” Cr Staikos said.
Council’s ‘in principle’ support for the $5 million contribution is subject to agreement on a legally-binding arrangement guaranteeing 20-30 hours per week of community access, plus Victorian Government funding support being secured for the project.
“We are proud to take the first step towards a strong partnership with Hawthorn Football Club through signing the Memorandum of Understanding and we look forward to nailing down the details in order to proceed with the project,” Cr Staikos said.
Caruana Ward Councillor, Cr George Hua welcomed the decision by Council, “It’s an exciting project that will be a great asset for local sport, provide pathways into elite women’s football and help boost the local economy through construction and ongoing jobs,” Cr Hua said.
“Community sport adds so much to Kingston by encouraging a healthy, active lifestyle and establishing strong community connections. It’s great to think that we could soon be seeing the next generation of young footy stars getting their start on a brand-new community oval here in Dingley Village.”
“We now call on the State Government to at least match the Commonwealth’s commitment so that this project can be realised as soon as possible,” Cr Hua said.
