Sydney Swans’ Moore Park HQ plans revealed
Fresh details have emerged over the Sydney Swans $47 million redevelopment of the historic Royal Hall of Industries, which will become the club’s training and administration base.
Central Sydney
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The Sydney Swans’ new $47 million home at Moore Park has taken a leap forward, as draft plans for the redesign of the Royal Hall of Industries were revealed today.
Following multimillion-dollar funding commitments from the state and federal governments, the Swans will turn the historic showground site into a high-performance training and administration centre.
Dubbed Sydney Swans HQ and Community Centre, it will be a base for the men’s AFL team, the Swans Academy, the NSW Swifts Netball Club.
It will also provide a platform for the Swans to finally enter a side in the AFL Women’s competition, joining cross town rivals the GWS Giants.
“Facilities have been the key barrier to us entering the AFLW competition — simply put, we had nowhere to house a team and we strongly believe that an elite women’s team deserves elite facilities,” chief executive Tom Harley said in April.
The centre would also be home to indigenous youth charities the GO Foundation and Clontarf Foundation, and a donation centre for the Australian Red Cross Blood Service.
Under the plans the hall opened in 1913 would be adapted into a two-level building housing a 60x30m training field, medical facilities, a cafe, museum, gym, dining hall and men and women’s changerooms.
It would also house meeting rooms and office space for up to 206 club staff, and recovery facilities including a 20m lap pool, spa and sauna and physiotherapy areas.
A separate building is also proposed for the Swifts to be located at the corner of Errol Flynn Blvd and Lang Rd.
The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has called for feedback on the plans, executive director of infrastructure assessments David Gainsford said.
“The department wants to hear the community’s views on this proposal to help us make a thorough and rigorous assessment and ensure any potential impacts are fully considered,” he said.
The club was awarded a lease for both the hall and Hordern Pavilion in October last year, which will be retained as a live music venue in a $65 million revamp of the precinct.
The NSW Government had put $20 million toward the adaptive reuse of the site, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian saying in October the plans would create a “vibrant community’.
“The Royal Hall of Industries and Hordern Pavilion has a special place in the hearts of Sydneysiders,” she said.
“It has always been a location for the people and it is great to see that history embraced and respected.”
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg also committed $15 million to the project as part of the Coalition’s women’s sport program in the lead up to May’s election win.
Consultation runs until August 7.