Community invited to tour new Mercy Junortoun Sporting Precinct

Friday 8 September is a landmark day for the Catherine McAuley College community as we will open the long-awaited Mercy Junortoun Sporting Precinct with a Blessing and Civic Welcome during the school day. Our community, together with all Greater Bendigo residents, are warmly invited to visit from 4pm to 6pm.

MEDIA RELEASE: COMMUNITY INVITATION

Greater Bendigo residents are invited to inspect the new $25.9 million Mercy Junortoun Sporting Precinct at a community open day from 4pm to 6pm on Friday 8 September 2023.

City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said the project has been a fantastic partnership between Catherine McAuley College, the City of Greater Bendigo, Cricket Australia, Cricket Victoria and the Victorian Government to provide much needed new school and community joint use sporting facilities at the Catherine McAuley College Coolock Campus in Junortoun.

“The partnership provided the City and the College with the ability to deliver a superior shared use facility that reduces the need for duplication of sports field investment across education and community sectors.  Sporting and community groups will have access to the facility outside of College operating hours, for example prior to 8.30am and after 4pm weekdays, all weekends, public holidays and school holidays, except for Good Friday or Christmas Day,” Cr Metcalf said.

“The open day is a great opportunity for members of the community to tour Junortoun’s new state-of-the-art junior sporting hub featuring facilities for cricket, AFL, netball, soccer and basketball to support educational use during school hours and community use outside of school hours.

“It’s an opportunity for people who have been watching this project take shape to come along and check out all the great new facilities that are now available for use.  Staff from both the City and Catherine McAuley College will be on hand to answer any questions the community may have about the precinct.

“The new precinct is a major investment in the fast-growing Junortoun and Strathfieldsaye area that provides new facilities for junior sport for boys and girls, and the growing participation by women in cricket and AFL.

“It also provides a new area for the community of Junortoun to enjoy recreational activities. It’s our region’s latest new sporting precinct and we’d love to see you there on the day.”

Catherine McAuley College Principal Mr Brian Turner said the College community has looked forward to the completion of the Mercy Junortoun Sporting Precinct with great excitement.

“These stunning facilities will be of lasting benefit to our current and future students,” Mr Turner said.

The new precinct will be officially blessed earlier in the day by Most Rev Shane Mackinlay DD, Bishop of Sandhurst followed by an official civic opening by Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf.

The redevelopment of the lower oval precinct has included:

• Construction of two junior-size ovals, one with lights
• Construction of one minimum-size senior oval, with lights and electronic scoreboard
• Construction of one full-size senior oval with turf cricket wicket (no lights)
• Construction of two outdoor netball courts with lighting
• Irrigation, access ways, pathways, landscaping, and car parking

The new indoor sporting complex, amenities, and cricket hub, includes a two-court indoor stadium with community and club social and meeting spaces, kitchen and kiosk spaces, local level AFL, Cricket Victoria, and Netball Victoria female-friendly changerooms and amenities, umpire changerooms, external viewing area to all sports fields, storage areas and first aid room. The cricket hub area includes a six-lane cricket training net facility with operable walls, dedicated storage space and office administration area.

Funding for the project was provided by Catherine McAuley College/Mercy Education Ltd ($18.4M plus land access and lease of approximately 9 hectares), City of Greater Bendigo ($7M) and the Victorian Government (Cricket Australia Sport and Recreation Victoria $500,000).