News

A Magnificent Partnership

February 14, 2018
Category: Local Government,
A Magnificent Partnership

Shire of Cardinia, Kooweerup Cricket Club and Kooweerup Secondary College have commenced a partnership that demonstrates exceptional planning and development of sporting facilities in one of Melbourne's growth areas.

The Cardinia Shire population forecast for 2017 is 93,279, and is forecast to grow to 175,929 by 2036.

Cardinia Shire have undertaken significant planning, understanding that more sporting fields will be needed in the municipality in the coming years. Cardinia has developed their Recreation Facility Standards Policy which outlines their approach and requirements for construction of sport and recreation facilities.

Within the Policy, schools have been specifically recognised as development opportunities for local, neighbourhood and district sporting facilities and playing fields. This is demonstrated in the development of several recreation reserve masterplans.

Cardinia Shire has recognised that investment in schools as community facilities is a much more economic approach to developing sporting facilities for future needs, rather than purchasing green fields sites for development.

Locally, Kooweerup Cricket Club is a grassroots cricket club already bursting with cricketers young and old. This 2017/18 cricket season they are fielding 5 seniors, 1 veteran and 12 junior teams – including an under 10s junior formats girls and mixed cricket team (pictured above). The club is currently provisioned with one recreation reserve and have been campaigning in recent years for facilities that can provide a solution to the club’s growing needs.

The local primary and secondary schools are also strong cricketing schools, fielding boys and girls cricket teams and entering them in to the State-wide MILO T20 Blast schools cup carnival and in recent years winning their way to playing on the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
With cricket having such a strong presence in the school and community, the local club decided to approach the school and council to propose an upgrade to the school’s sports field and sporting amenities.

As a result, Cardinia Shire and Kooweerup Cricket Club identified Kooweerup Secondary College as a suitable location to upgrade existing sporting infrastructure to be utilised by sporting clubs from the town, school students and the wider community of Kooweerup. In partnership with the school, Cardinia has developed a project plan to upgrade the facilities at the school including:

  • Installation of a new sub-surface drainage and irrigation system for the oval
  • Installation of new synthetic cricket pitch
  • Construction of new pavilion incorporating change rooms, umpire’s rooms, canteen and storage
  • Installation of flood lighting suitable for training
  • Installation

Cardinia Shire applied to the School Building Authority’s Shared Facilities Scheme and have received funding of $1.6 million towards the sporting facilities upgrades. The funding will cover the oval upgrade expected to cost approximately $400,000 and the construction of a new pavilion expected to cost approximately $600,000.

The oval and lighting upgrades are scheduled for completion in April 2019. Stage 2 of the project being the construction of the pavilion is schedule for completion if January 2020. The hockey pitch will be the final stage of the project with completion scheduled for March 2021.

A joint use agreement has been developed between the school and council to ensure that local clubs and associations will be able to access the facilities after school and on weekends.

The collaboration of Kooweerup Cricket Club and Kooweerup Secondary College, with planning and funding facilitated by Cardinia Shire Council is indeed a magnificent partnership!

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