Good sports in recreation

YMCA is celebrating 20 years in the Casey community – which has grown to be one of the strongest recreation partnerships in Victoria.
The 160 year-old not-for-profit entered the Casey community when it won the contract to operate Endeavour Hills Leisure Centre, Berwick Leisure Centre, Doveton Pool in the Park and the former 25-metre indoor pool in Cranbourne on behalf of the City of Casey in January, 1997.
In 2001, the YMCA assumed management of Casey ARC. Casey RACE replaced the old Cranbourne Pool in 2008 and the YMCA was awarded the contract to manage the new facility, before adding the Casey Indoor Leisure Centre (now Casey Stadium) to its City of Casey recreation portfolio in 2013.
Executive officer for YMCA Anthony Neal praised the collaboration that has been the achieved with the City of Casey over the 20 years and said it had been a benchmark relationship in the growth of both organisations.
“Throughout the past 20 years the YMCA’s commitment to ensuring an inclusive approach to enabling a healthier, happier and more active Casey community has never changed.”
“The City of Casey has been a leader in local community and achieved extraordinary growth in that time, and so has the YMCA.”
Today, Casey RACE and Casey ARC combined, have more than 7000 students enrolled in YMCA swimming lessons.
YMCA has also fund-raised through its Open Doors initiative, raising more than $250,000 to assist thousands of struggling families to access programs and services at Casey recreation facilities.
Throughout the two decades the YMCA has also helped shape many high level sporting successes, including London Commonwealth Games swimmer Matson Lawson and Rio Olympian Josh Beaver, together with former world champion boxer Sam Soliman, who is currently training at Casey RACE in preparation for his fight against Anthony Mundine.
Others sporting achievers include National aerobic champion from Endeavour Hills, Ryan Smith who represented Australia in triathlon, and Melbourne AFL player James Harmes who undertook swimming lessons as a child and also worked at Casey RACE.