AFL Victoria has awarded the City of Casey’s redevelopment of Clyde Recreation Reserve with the 2024 AFL Victoria Best Community Facilities Project Award for 2024.
The award is announced annually to recognise best practice in community football facility development across the state, along with the people, clubs and other stakeholders driving the best projects in Victoria.
The City of Casey upgraded and expanded Clyde Recreation Reserve by constructing three football/cricket ovals and two multipurpose pavilions, along with two netball courts, and eight tennis courts to meet significant demand for active open space in the local area.
The Clyde Cougars Football Club will benefit from this redevelopment to their home ground facilities, which came at a total project cost of $21.5 million.
Clyde Recreation Reserve has provided an opportunity for the tenant clubs to increase participation in sport, particularly among females and diverse communities.
Since moving back to the reserve, Clyde Cougars Football Club was able to grow its club with an additional 86 registered football participants and this included 44 new females to the club.
Through this growth the football club were able to establish three new girls only teams for the first time in its history.
The redeveloped facility has provided the club with a welcoming, safe and inclusive environment for all participants and their families, along with the broader Clyde community.
As the winner of the AFL Victoria Best Community Football Facilities Project Award for 2024, Clyde Recreation Reserve Redevelopment will be put forward as the Victorian nomination for the national AFL Ken Gannon Community Football Facilities Award in 2025.
The award was presented by AFL Victoria to the City of Casey Mayor Stefan Koomen and Clyde Cougars Football Club President Craig Chapman on Wednesday 11 December.
Clyde Cougars Football Club President Craig Chapman said the redevelopment has had a significant impact on the rate of female participation at the club, due to the increased facilities available.
“What has been built here is truly inspirational and is able to provide a safe and welcoming environment, it is not about changerooms and footy ovals but this is a place for the entire community to gather,” Chapman said.
“This is a place where the players and their parents can come back and celebrate their achievements on and off the field.
“Developments like this are not just about bricks and mortar; it’s about creating opportunities and providing equal opportunities for girls and boys to play our great game of AFL and all the other sports that get to use these magnificent facilities.
“We’ve not only grown, but doubled in size from last season because of the magnificent facilities. “We’ve gone from less than 10 girls enrolled last season to approximately 50 this season and that’s an awesome achievement.”
Mayor Koomen said the redevelopment is a proud moment for the Casey community.
“Sport is very important and the key to our community, showing the importance of having good sporting facilities, where communities can gather, we have a diverse community in Casey,” Koomen said.
“Facilities like this provides a place for people to socialise and meet others through sport, this facility is vital in building strong communities and there is a lot of pride for the community in this facility.”
Since the club has relocated back to the reserve post-redevelopment, it has been able to field three girls-only football teams for the first time in the club’s history.
The AFL and AFL Victoria have partnered with stakeholders from state government through to local councils, local football clubs and community groups across the state in 2024 to deliver access to 23 new ovals, 66 more grounds with at least 100 lux lighting while 58 percent of local football venues now have gender neutral player change facilities, up from 54 percent in 2023.
