Tuesday 8 December 2009

MEDIA RELEASE

Green light for netball and football

The development of eighteen netball courts and seven football fields received the green light at the Hastings District Council today.

“I am especially pleased we will have netball courts available from the early part of next season,” says Sports Park Trust Chair Lawrence Yule. “This day has been a long time coming and we’re now going to pull out all stops to make the courts available as early in the season as we can.”

Planning work for the development of netball and football facilities and associated roading within the Park, has been underway for six weeks. It is anticipated earthworks will commence at the end of January.

“Today is an important milestone for the Park. We are able to develop netball and football following significant recent fundraising successes. The cost of developing this next stage is $3.8million and almost two thirds of that amount is coming from non-ratepayers sources,” says Mr Yule.

In its presentation to the Council the Sports Park Trust noted it had now raised a total of $8.4m towards the Park.

“This is great achievement of the worst economic climate of our lifetimes and demonstrates the amount of community support there is for the project. Hawke’s Bay is fortunate in having a number of outstanding corporate citizens and individuals who are prepared to back local projects. Unison (for the Unison Veldrome) is one such citizen and we’ll be announcing another major sponsor, this time for the netball courts, in the weekend,” says Mr Yule.

Grass for the football fields will be sown in the Autumn of 2010 with the fields being available for use later in the year. Obtaining additional funding for an artificial football turf remains a high priority.

ends

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