Labor Delivers for Club and Community in Karingal - Press Release

Andrew Leigh & Peta Dunkley, Labor Candidate for Bruce

A Shorten Labor Government will contribute $1 million towards an integrated package that

upgrades facilities for local sporting clubs to deliver for the Karingal community.

These are great clubs and Karingal is a great community. These clubs embrace their role

in the community, including working with local schools to give kids a positive outlook and

embracing greater female participation in sport.

This community deserves great facilities. Labor will ensure that these facilities are

delivered.

The existing Ballam Park sports pavilion is more than 40 years old, with facilities that are in

serious need of upgrading. The current facility does not cater for female participation, with

no change rooms, showers and communal areas not providing the safety and amenity that

great local clubs deserve.

Labor’s $1 million commitment will go towards the $2.89 million redevelopment of Ballam

Park facilities, to deliver modern, fit-for- purpose facilities that will support male and female

athletes, seniors and juniors, across football, netball, cricket and soccer.

With new facilities, Karingal Football and Netball Club plans to:

Expand and establish two senior female football teams and an additional two senior netball teams once the proposed facility development is complete.
Expand and grow the size and number of drug and alcohol education seminars and programs once the proposed facility is complete.
Introduce two junior female football teams (youth and junior) and two additional male football teams once the proposed facility development is complete;
Establish a base at Ballam Park, sharing with the senior and junior football and netball clubs will create opportunities to establish close partnerships and work together on forging additional netball participation opportunities.

In addition, the Long Island Cricket Club plans to:

Develop a closer relationship with their proposed co-tenants and provide opportunities to participate in cricket activities during their off-season.
Work with Cricket Victoria to develop an in2cricket and T20Blast program in an effort to increase cricket participation in the area.

Long Island Cricket Club’s move to the Ballam Park Pavilion will also enable the Peninsula

Strikers Junior Football Club to develop girls change rooms for its nine girls’ teams.

These $2.89 million facilities, including the $1 million contributed today by Labor, represent

Andrew Leigh