Wollongong MP Paul Scully searching for ‘bang for buck’ in region’s sporting fields struggle

Wollongong Council data has highlighted football dwarfs other sports in the LGA when it comes to participation. But the domination is yet to be reflected by government investment.

The Cringila Lions have been promised $100,000 to upgrade lighting at John Crehan Park by Labor if elected on Saturday. Picture: Dylan Arvela

Wollongong’s number one sport, football, has finished second in the race for state election funding commitments with Labor MP Paul Scully promising $200,000 for two rugby league training grounds.

Mr Scully said a Labor government would inject the funds into upgrading the drainage of the two northerly fields at JJ Kelly Park which are used for touch football, cricket and Collegians RLC for training.

Coniston FC, who use the southerly outer field and the fenced off main ground, will not reap the benefits of the $200,000 commitment.

The Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces also pledged $100,000 towards “the football capital of the Illawarra – Cringila” which would be used to upgrade the floodlights at John Crehan Park.

The election promise comes in the week Wollongong Council voted to seek an unfunded priority list for its 67 sporting venues to be added to its yet-to-be implemented Sportsgrounds and Sporting Facilities Strategy 2023-2027.

The draft strategy includes data from 2020/21 highlighting football’s domination of the Wollongong sporting landscape with its 9381 participants nearly three times that for rugby league and as many as the next eight sports combined.

The promised funding for JJ Kelly Park would be used for drainage on the two most northerly outer fields. Picture: Google Maps

Football South Coast chief executive Ann-Marie Balliana was encouraged by the funding allocated to Cringila, however she urged greater support from the three tiers of government.

“The football community welcomes any commitment to improve our sports fields, especially with funding towards lighting, irrigation and drainage,” she said.

Football South Coast CEO Ann-Marie Balliana said the sport needs “ongoing investment”. Picture: Pedro Garcia

“The size of our code, with close to 15,000 registered players across our competitions and programs, makes the upgrade of infrastructure such an important priority.

“We need ongoing investment across all levels of government to meet the increasing demands and growth of football.”

Mr Scully told NewsLocal he had been in conversations with Wollongong Council and sporting bodies – including FSC – and the two projects were on their respective priority lists.

When asked if football was on the end of the raw deal when it comes to government support, Mr Scully said the shape of ball was not the determining factor in who received funding.

Labor Wollongong MP Paul Scully campaigning in Warrawong. Picture: Facebook

“I am looking for the best deal I can get and I am trying to spread funding around as much as I can whether it be for croquet, cricket, football or netball,” he said.

Mr Scully urged sporting groups, such as FSC, to focus on seeking the “best bang for buck” which he indicated could come through a collective project tender process rather than one-off grants.

Mr Scully explained there also needed to be perspective with the sports grants coming within 24 hours of a $70,000 commitment to funding the Warrawong Community Centre’s free community lunch program.

“Some people are struggling to put food in their stomach and their family's stomach,” he said.

“They would consider that to be more important than sporting fields.”