Stonnington’s $49.9m boost to female sport

Women and girls in Melbourne’s inner south-east are set to be the big winners of a new community sporting complex worth almost $50m following skyrocketing participation numbers.

Female sporting participation in the Stonnington area has grown by 130 per cent from 2022 to 2023 according to data provided by the City of Stonnington. Picture: Supplied

Females in Melbourne’s inner south-east are set to be among the big winners of a new multimillion-dollar sporting complex aimed at meeting skyrocketing growth in participation.

A $49.9m revamp of the Stonnington Sports Centre in East Malvern is set to open on October 29, following a participation increase of 130 per cent in sport among the area’s women and girls from 2022 to 2023.

The facility will include four competition-standard indoor courts for netball, basketball and other indoor sports.

City of Stonnington Mayor Jami Klisaris said the investment was a major boost for community health and wellbeing, with sporting clubs already based at the precinct also set to benefit.

“Our vision is for a Stonnington community that is more physically active, leads a healthy lifestyle and is socially connected and our new centre will help boost interest in local sport and recreation,” Ms Klisaris said.

Stonnington City Netball Association president Kate Campbell said the overhaul had granted the sport a “lifeline” in the community.

“Netball has one of the highest female participation rates of all team sports in Australia, and while we have a strong netball community in Stonnington, we have only been able to provide programs for 45 per cent of all registered netballers in the municipality,” Campbell said.

“These new courts, which more than double our current courts, ensure that we can increase access for all netballers in Stonnington and grow our programs to cater for all genders and abilities.”

The federal government has contributed $4m to the project, and member for Higgins Dr. Michelle Ananda-Rajah MP said it was a landmark investment for local female sport.

“The Stonnington Sports Centre will prioritise and celebrate women’s sport, and the extraordinary rise in women’s participation in community sport over the last decade,” Dr Ananda-Rajah said.

Other upgrades include an eight-rink synthetic bowling green, updated tennis courts with night lighting and a club lounge and space for community events.