A new soccer hub at Armstrong Creek is expected to be built by 2031

A long planned soccer facility at Armstrong Creek is expected to be delivered by the end of the decade, complementing upgrades originally proposed for the Commonwealth Games.

A new soccer hub proposed for Armstrong Creek comes at a “very critical point” with access to local grounds becoming harder to attain, a sporting club in the area says.

It is planned to be built by 2031 and complement new facilities originally proposed for the Commonwealth Games, the City of Greater Geelong says.

The State Government plans to build a civic plaza and a “permanent” aquatics centre including an enclosed swimming pool and four indoor sports courts by 2025 in Armstrong Creek.

However, the council has also initially allocated more than $1.41m across two financial years – 2025-26 and 26-27 – for a separate soccer hub on Ghazeepore Rd, south of Baanip Blvd, with sports fields and fencing, irrigation, lighting and paths.

A council spokesman said master planning and design is planned to take place in 26-27, construction between 28 and 30 and a pavilion to follow in 31.

Armstrong United Soccer Club share facilities with an Aussie Rules team. Picture: Google Maps.

However, the mostly volunteer-run Armstrong United FC, or the “Pelicans”, which began operation in 2018, has seen significant growth over the past five years with total player numbers rising from 67 to 242 this season.

In a statement to the Geelong Advertiser, the club said it was also getting “harder and harder” to share the facilities at Central Blvd with the Armstrong Creek Sharks, from a capacity and scheduling point of view.

“This announcement comes at a tipping point for the club,” the club said in its statement.

“The ground (is) becoming unavailable due to drainage issues and further exacerbated by the football traffic caused by the demands of the sporting codes and growth in participation rates.”

A new G21 and Football Victoria soccer strategy earmarked Armstrong Creek West as the home of a new “sub regional” soccer facility as an “immediate priority”, with synthetic and hybrid surfaces.

An under-14 junior match between Armstrong Creek and the Breakwater Eagles. Picture: Mark Wilson

The same strategy revealed more than a third of soccer pitches in the Geelong region are of a “poor” standard.

Geelong council’s acting chief executive officer Kaarina Phyland said the council had allocated funding to “progress planning and delivering these facilities”.

“The site was the location selected by the State Government for the weightlifting and gymnastics venue for the Commonwealth Games,” Phyland said.

“We are now in discussion with the state about what the legacy outcome will look like, including how the soccer facilities will fit with their plans for the site.”

A soccer hub at Armstrong Creek West was also highlighted as a medium to long term development in a G21 soccer strategy back in 2012.

It proposed a minimum of two grass and two synthetic pitches with an estimated cost of up to $8m.

Originally published as A new soccer hub at Armstrong Creek is expected to be built by 2031