Brand-new AFL oval centrepiece of Caddens sports precinct
The St Clair Crows are excited by the prospect of moving into their new facilities next year.
Penrith
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Members of the St Clair Crows AFL Club community say the new sports precinct in Caddens will help grow the sport in western Sydney.
Legacy Property and Penrith Council unveiled the brand-new precinct at the corner of Caddens Road and Archives Way alongside Londonderry state Labor MP Prue Car and Lindsay federal Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh last week.
It features an AFL oval as the centrepiece, a half basketball court, two cricket nets, a children’s playground, a walking track and change room/canteen facilities.
Legacy Property chief executive Matthew Hyder said the new precinct added to the appeal of the burgeoning Caddens Hill Estate.
“Caddens Hill is set in the heart of Penrith’s health and education precinct, and the community is well connected to jobs,” he said.
“With Sydney Metro Greater West destined to connect Caddens to the airport and aerotropolis, the benefits will continue to multiply.”
Penrith Mayor Ross Fowler said while all the other facilities are available straight away, the oval would remain closed until next year.
“The playing fields will be closed, and this is primarily to make sure that when this asset is ready to be used in March/April next year, it’s in tip-top condition and able to last,” he said.
“While it looks like you can go and have a game of AFL out there tomorrow, you’ve got to wait.”
The precinct will act as the new home ground for the St Clair Crows, and president Kyle Smith is looking forward to the 2020 season.
“It’s very exciting,” he said. “We’ve been pushing and trying to raise funds for many years to upgrade our facilities over at Cook Park, so to have council and Legacy announce an AFL-designated field is awesome.
“We’re going to push for a girl’s AFL team for next year, and try to grow our current community base.
“The second the council takes the fences down, we’ll be inviting everybody to show them what AFL is all about.”
AFL NSW/ACT’s local area manager for Penrith, Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury, Michael Collins, said they’d work with the Crows and local schools.
“We’re growing every year, particularly in western Sydney,” he said.
“Greater Western Sydney has gone from strength to strength over the past 10 years in school participation and junior club participation.”