Newcastle City Junior AFL Club president Jon Clark believes an upgrade to Pat Jordan Oval will help to grow the game.
The venue is one of three sporting fields in the region to share in more than $3.3 million worth of improvements, aimed at encouraging increased female participation while also catering for predicted population growth.
New LED floodlighting, which meets modern standards for training and matches, will be installed at Johnson Park and Pat Jordan Oval at Carrington.
Additional enhancements to the former include drainage, as well as the relocation and replacement of the existing playground.
Tarro Reserve and Johnson Park at Lambton are set to receive new amenities buildings with female-friendly change rooms, an accessible toilet, canteen, referees’ room and storage.
“This [work] will create a safer, more welcoming environment for all of our players, but particularly for women who train at the ground,” Clark said.
“It’ll facilitate more training sessions and competition opportunities and cater to the growing female participant demand.”
The projects are being funded by City of Newcastle (CN) and the NSW Government’s Level the Playing Field Program.
“As part of council’s 10-year Strategic Sports Plan, we want to renew and upgrade existing sportsgrounds to improve their functionality in order to meet the current and future needs of the community,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.
“These upgrades will deliver benefits for our communities.
“They’ll also help prepare for the population increases forecast under the new housing targets set by the NSW Government and draft Broadmeadow Place Strategy.”
Preliminary work has begun on the project at Lambton, with the upgrade at Carrington expected to start in September.
Construction of the new amenities at Tarro will take place in 2025.
“I’m very pleased that Tarro Reserve and Johnson Park will receive these improvements, which will enable female players to have greater access to sport and recreational facilities,” Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery said.
“We’ve seen the immense success of our Newcastle Knights women locally and, on a larger stage, the brilliance of our Matildas football team.
“They have inspired many young girls to participate in sport.”
Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp said the upgrades at Pat Jordan Oval would be well-received by the local sporting community.
“Newcastle boasts some fantastic sports programs for women and girls,” he added.
“It’s crucial that we encourage those to continue and grow, so more females develop a lifelong love of sport and enjoy the benefits that it brings.”
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