North Lakes netball club given funding for its own courts

A growing netball club on Brisbane’s northside will soon have its own premises after years of hiring courts at a school.

Netball players Ellie Carlson, 20, Ziahn Malopito, 10, and Amanada Mawston, 17, of North Lakes Blues Netball Club on the site of their new courts. PICTURE: AAP/Regi Varghese

A Netball club north of Brisbane that has to rent courts to train on has finally received some funding for its own facilities.

the North Lakes Blues Netball Club hopes to have its own courts and clubhouse by the end of next year after funding was allocated in this week’s Federal Budget.

Federal LNP MP for Petrie Luke Howarth this week announced $1 million for the netball club and $263,000 for lighting for the North Lakes Eels Australian football Club had been included.

Netball players Ellie Carlson, 20, Ziahn Malopito, 10, Amanada Mawston, 17, and Samantha Malopito (right), President, North Lakes Blues Netball Club with Luke Howarth, Federal Member for Petrie. (AAP/Regi Varghese)

Mr Howarth last week launched petitions to support both clubs with more than 600 people adding their names.

Mr Howarth said the North Lakes area had doubled in population in the past few years and more sporting facilities were needed.

“It’s not an elections promise, it’s in the Budget,” a happy North Lakes Blues Netball Club president Samantha Malopito said.

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She said the club was wanting four courts and a clubhouse on vacant land at the Kinsellas Sports Complex in Innovation Place.

“The Moreton Bay Regional Council now has no choice,’’ Ms Malopito said. “(They have) to put something in its 2019/2020 budget.

“It can go ahead and put in its planning. It should take a year to plan and six months to build.

“It depends on the costings but $1 million should cover most of the cost,” she said.

Ms Malopito said the club would keep working to get the facilities completed.

“The club is the second largest netball club in the area.

“It has seen steady growth year after year with 273 players in 27 teams registered to play in the Pine Rivers 2019 winter competition.

Players Ellie Carlson, 20, Ziahn Malopito, 10, Amanada Mawston, 17, and North Lakes Blues Netball Club president Samantha Malopito on the vacant land that will become their netball courts. PICTURE: AAP Image/Regi Varghese

“We have seen a 20-player and two-team growth in just one year which is the trend I have seen as long as I have been a part of Blues. At present we hire courts to train on and it is our single largest annual cost.

“Unfortunately it keeps fees high and also limits how many days we can train per week.

“To keeps costs down we can only hire the courts three days a week which means teams often have to share a court which is not ideal,” Ms Malopito said.

“However we have been encouraged by council’s commitment to building sporting facilities in North Lakes in recent years for other sports.

“We are also encouraged by council’s willingness to support our sport with predominantly female participation.

“It is important that all sporting codes have places to meet, train and play and we believe the council is behind this,” Ms Malopito said.

A Moreton Bay Regional Council spokesman said council was currently planning the 2019-2020 budget and Cr Julie Greer had been advocating strongly for money for the netball courts. He said council staff met with Mr Howarth at the Kinsellas Sports Complex site in July last year following a request to his office from the netball club.