Stadium campaign: let them play netball and basketball in Darebin and the northern suburbs
SPORT is great for creating a sense of community and for health, especially for young people, but the lack of suitable venues means many in the northern suburbs have to play on substandard courts.
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A PROPOSED new stadium in Thornbury could create an “explosion” in women’s sport in the north.
Darebin Mayor Kim Le Cerf said 5000 women and girls would benefit from a proposed multi-sports stadium at John Cain Memorial Park.
The stadium would be built by the council and could include six netball and basketball courts as well as dedicated change rooms for female participants.
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Cr Le Cerf said female participation rates were “exploding” in Darebin but still lagged behind the state average, calling on the State Government to stump up cash for the stadium.
Parkside Netball Club president Carly Kluge said the stadium would “fill a black hole in the area”.
“It’s a disgrace that in 2017 we still have girls getting changed in cars, playing on substandard courts and training in car parks,” she said.
The proposed stadium has been in the pipeline for years and is part of an overhaul to John Cain Memorial Park, which is estimated to cost more than $30 million.
The council has yet to complete a masterplan for the site but has asked the State Government for $25 million, on top of $6.5 million in council funds already allocated.
This week, Leader joins the council in calling for the cash as part of our Let Them Play campaign.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you support the Let Them Play campaign being run by Leader News? Tell us below
The stadium tops a council list of priorities put to Northcote by-election candidates this week.
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Greens candidate for Northcote Lidia Thorpe said she would lobby for the stadium to be fully funded.
“I’ve played netball all my life and I wholeheartedly believe that sport is one of the best ways to bring our community together,” she said.
“Chronic under-investment in women’s sport has meant that we have to travel significant distances to play and there’s no local option.
“I am looking forward to taking my daughter (to the stadium) and playing there myself when it’s built.”
Labor candidate for Northcote Clare Burns said she was a strong supporter of local sport, particularly for women and girls. But she did not back the council’s proposal.
“I will always fight for more funding for our clubs,” she said.
“(The Government) has already invested over $2.4 million across seven local projects and I intend to continue Fiona Richardson’s legacy so that more people can be fit, healthy and happy.”
The by-election will be held on Saturday, November 18.
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