By Victoria Stone-Meadows
THE Casey Indoor Leisure Centre has had a big funding boost, with the announcement of a $650,000 grant through the Community Sports Infrastructure Fund.
MP for Cranbourne Jude Perera made the announcement on Friday 16 December and said the new centre would provide the facilities the community needs.
“Grassroots sport in our local area is really popular, and local players deserve the best facilities. That’s exactly what we’re delivering,” he said.
“For too long, communities all over Victoria have had to contend with ageing facilities. We promised we’d help clubs update tired grounds and build the facilities they need.”
The new centre will have a new gymnastics facility including floor space and amenities and an upgraded indoor sports centre with flexible netting for a variety of floor layouts to cater for indoor cricket, indoor soccer, high performance cricket training, futsal, and multi-purpose courts.
City of Casey Councillor Steve Beardon, who represents the Cranbourne area, said the funding shows the relationship between local and state governments in the South-East is working well.
“This is fantastic support from Jude Perera MP,” Cr Beardon said.
“We are very pleased to have a well-oiled working relationship with our local MP and very happy to have his support and additional funding for the Casey Indoor Leisure Centre.”
The new centre will cater for a number of grassroots sporting teams and groups and allow sport participation in Casey to increase.
“This is a fantastic centre, one many enjoy and one set to become one of Australia’s best regional facilities right here in Cranbourne,” Cr Beardon said.
The new works are expected to begin at the start of March and have an expected completion date just seven months later in October.
City of Casey Group Manager Active Communities James Rouse said that the grant would mean completion of the upgrades to the centre would be more expansive than originally planned for.
“Council is close to completing its $18 million redevelopment of the regional basketball and netball facility at CILC,” he said.
“This grant will allow us to go ahead with delivering further enhancements at the centre, including the creation of a new gymnastics facility and indoor cricket and soccer centre.”
