Substandard indoor sports facilities in the Macedon Ranges will soon be a thing of the past if a new coalition of clubs, schools, associations and state bodies gets its way.
Residents are being urged to get behind the Macedon Ranges Regional Sports Hub group’s campaign for a six-court stadium in a central location.
Basketball Victoria and Netball Victoria support the push for the centre, which would include administration space, storage, catering and bar facilities.
Spokeswoman Megan Condron said the group met council representatives last week to present its proposal.
Among the sports which would use the new centre are basketball, netball and futsal (indoor soccer), which are all among the top 10 participation sports in Australia.
The Macedon Ranges has only 12 indoor sports courts.
With the area’s cold climate also a factor, Ms Condron said having just 12 courts spread over six towns was no longer acceptable.
‘‘More than 3000 people play basketball, futsal, netball and volleyball in the Macedon Ranges every week,’’ she said. ‘‘Local indoor courts are bursting at the seams and clubs are turning players away.’’
Ms Condron said that with the municipality’s population expected to increase almost 40 per cent by 2036, now was the time to act.
As well as ending the necessity of late-night games, Ms Condron said a new hub would also open up opportunities to expose players to a higher level of competition.
‘‘At the moment, we can’t run a regional [basketball] tournament because there’s nowhere big enough,’’ she said.
‘‘There’s nothing regional, except for the outdoor netball courts [at New Gisborne].’’
Ms Condron says the group will be involved in ongoing talks with the council, and state and federal MPs, as it seeks prioritisation of land and funding.
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