The future is bright at the Learmonth Football Netball Club after the completion of a vital project to deliver modern netball facilities.
City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson was joined by Member for Ripon, Martha Haylett MP to officially open the Learmonth Netball Courts and Lighting Project on Wednesday.
The $781,703 project received $531,703 in City of Ballarat funding and $250,000 from the State Government's 2021/22 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund.
The project delivered two new netball courts inclusive of LED sports lighting to 200 LUX, a shelter and fencing to current Netball Victoria Facility Guidelines.
Cr Hudson said the upgrades had already been well received since they were handed to the club during the 2023 Central Highlands Netball League season. The netball courts were completed in May and the lights were fully connected in August.
"It's fantastic that such a deserving club like Learmonth has been able to already put these facilities to use. We even saw some finals matches played here and the A-grade team even went on to win the grand final," Cr Hudson said.
"We know these upgrades were very much needed, so it's great to transform the Learmonth courts into an incredible community facility.
"We thank the State Government for the support that ensures we are able to provide local communities with the sporting infrastructure they deserve.
"We're planning further upgrades to the Learmonth football oval's surface and lighting and are hoping with the support of Martha Haylett, the Member for Ripon, the State Government will partner with us again to help fund those works."
Learmonth Football Netball Club has more than 100 registered netballers and more than 200 registered footballers and club president Stephen Griffin said the new facilities would be of major benefit to the club.
"Our club is extremely grateful to have the opportunity to train and play on these new courts and facilities," he said.
"We are proud to host home games, finals, interleague games and look forward to the wider community utilising these premium facilities."
The Learmonth Netball Courts and Lighting Project demonstrates that the City of Ballarat is committed to delivering a better Ballarat.
