Football NT to install new lights at Gray Oval for junior soccer matches

Premier League soccer matches could be held at Gray Oval after a Football NT plan to install new lights was submitted to the Territory government.

Premier League football matches could be held away from Marrara in Palmerston after Football NT secured funding for new lights at a local sporting oval.

The peak body won a Federal Government grant to install two new, 25m light towers at Gray Oval, complementing six others of the same height, a development application to be considered by the Territory Government revealed.

The lights will not impact on existing public facilities like the nearby Gray Primary School but will “only enhance the use of the existing land” for hundreds of children of many abilities and backgrounds,” it stated.

The president of host club Palmerston Rovers, Andy Bell, said the towers would illuminate several junior fields but it could potentially allow the ground to host Premier League matches.

NT Football has received a major grant to upgrade lighting at Gray Oval which hosts hundreds of junior soccer players each week. Picture: Glenn Campbell.

He said the new lights would bring the ground up to particular requirements to allow the broadcasting of top level matches.

If approved, he hoped works would begin in January and be finished by February, in time for the Palmerston Cup, a 28-team, seven-a-side competition s likely to be held at the end of the month.

“It gives us a greater capability to host night games, particularly for juniors,” Bell said.

“It gives us the ability to get kids out of the heat and get them to play at night, get families involved.

“And the more future intention of hosting more senior games.

“It will give us the potential to host Premier League games at our facility in the future.”

The club currently does not have a team in either Men’s or Women’s Premier League.

Two light towers would illuminate junior fields to the south of Gray Oval. Picture: Google Maps.

However, more than 1000 junior soccer players would benefit from the new lights, with the ground currently used by “Miniroos” competitions, for children aged five to 11, and kids aged 12 to 17 on weekends, from early April to the end of September.

On any given weekend during the season, Miniroos and juniors access the two larger pitches and smaller fields that run along the southern side of Gray Oval, the application revealed.

“Palmerston Rovers have seen strong growth in young girls joining the club,” it read.

“Every survey conducted by football in the Australian setting clearly indicates the overwhelming preference from women and girls to play under lights.”

Palmerston Rovers also conduct training on the same fields, Monday through to Thursday.

However, on fields without lights, training “problematically” concludes at dusk while play on fields with lights concludes at 8.45pm.

Then, every second Friday, Under 16s and senior Division 1 matches are played under lights at the ground, and occasionally women’s reserves matches, away from Marrara.

Football NT chief executive Bruce Stalder said Rovers were a growing club in Darwin’s growth corridor,

“The field lighting upgrade will allow more little ones to train and play out of the heat of the day, out of the sun and humidity,” Stalder said.

“Families stay longer at the club under lights and are more a part of the club as a result.”