NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres have announced plans for major upgrades to Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre and a new roof to be installed on the Ken Rosewall Arena, all to be completed by 2020.
The announcement is a major coup for the Australian Netball community, as the all-weather high-performance complex will be the new home venue for both NSW professional franchises, the NSW Swifts and GIANTS Netball.
Netball NSW CEO Carolyn Campbell was delighted by the announcement and is excited to see how the purpose-built will drive the continuing growth of netball in Australia.
“Netball is one of the top sports in NSW when it comes to participation, and is the market leader for women and young girls,” she said.
“I think today’s announcement is a wonderful development which will provide us with a much more cost-effective venue, with priority scheduling, that also allows us to raise the number of people who will be able to see our game at the elite level live and up close.
“I would like to thank the Premier, the Minister for Sport, Tennis NSW, the Office of Sport and the Sydney Olympic Park Authority for their efforts and cooperation in helping make today’s announcement happen.”
Upgrading the Centre will give Sydney another international level sporting facility and Premier Berejiklian believes this will continue to increase the growth of both netball and tennis at grassroots level.
“This upgrade will provide better facilities for netball and tennis athletes, and provide opportunities for both sports to meet growing demand for more content,” she said.
“Netball and Tennis are market leaders in growth and participation and the NSW Government is committed to continuing to support these sports.”
Minister Ayres is excited about the variety of world-class events the new complex will attract and believes the upgrades will play a large role in the continued success of NSW athletes around the world.
“Investing in renewing our sporting infrastructure allows NSW to attract a wide range of events, keeping Sydney the number one when it comes to events,” he said.
“NSW netball teams continue to dominate national competition while Tennis NSW athletes flourish both nationally and internationally. Both of these sports have proven they mean business and aspire to be our nation’s best.”
The project will be undertaken by Tennis NSW with funding and oversight from the state government, under an agreement that will ensure netball and other sports have access to the facility once the upgrade is complete.
Work on the Tennis Centre upgrade is expected to commence in early 2019 and the first stage will be complete in November 2019.
