Victorian state election: Labor pledges $16 million for new Montmorency Secondary College stadium
LESS than three months ahead of the November state poll, Labor have made a $16 million pre-election pledge that could make a huge difference to the lives of basketballers in Melbourne’s north.
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LESS than three months ahead of the November state poll, Labor have made a $16 million pre-election pledge that could make a huge difference to the lives of basketballers in Melbourne’s north.
The $16 million promise would see a new sports stadium built at Montmorency Secondary College, plus the current stadium would be expanded to five courts with more seating, change rooms and meeting rooms.
Sporting clubs such as the Eltham Wildcats will be able to use the Para Rd facility.
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Chief executive Greg Jeffers said the club’s junior teams had grown more than 50 per cent in the past six years, and to cater for the demand, players are spending 25 per cent less time training than their neighbours.
“Across a range of sports, the area has been short-changed for a long time and the investment we’ve had to make ourselves into facilities is proof of that,” Mr Jeffers said.
“With $3.5 million worth of investment made by the Wildcats into stadium infrastructure, including $1.15 million spent on redeveloping the Eltham High School stadium, we needed help with more courts in the region.”
Basketball Victoria’s facilities and government relations manager Mark Hubbard said Victoria needed 191 indoor courts to meet demands for the sport, with 14 of those required in the Diamond Valley and Manningham areas.
“The Montmorency Secondary College expansion would be a valued project to help address some of the significant undersupply of facilities,” Mr Hubbard said.
State Labor MP Vicki Ward said Labor’s commitment was a “slam dunk” for the next generation of local sporting stars. Liberal candidate Nick McGowan said Labor was “embarrassed into action after failing to properly support” the club. He said there was bipartisan Liberal and Labor support but didn’t say what funding his party would promise.
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