Gympie Netball granted $2.4 million to rebuild flooded courts and clubhouse

Joint funding of $2.4 million from the Australian and Queensland Governments will allow Gympie Netball Association to rebuild its flood-ravaged courts, lights and club facilities to better withstand severe weather events in the future.

The whole site, with the exception of the female amenities building and one shade structure, will be demolished and replaced with more resilient infrastructure after 3.6 metre floodwaters inundated the site in February 2022.

Gympie Netball President Colleen Miller said the redevelopment will be amazing for the club and shared “Our numbers will explode once we have the new courts up and running. Our numbers have dropped from 500 before the floods to 350 as we have been playing on two different school netball courts and have had to cancel our mixed comp due to a lack of space while adding another night for the ladies which has been a real stretch on all the volunteers.

“Bringing everyone back together means we will be able to just keep adding to our programs and will see the numbers of players and volunteers increase over time.”

The funding is delivered via the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), which will be administered by the Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport.

It will deliver a full-site rebuild, providing an expected minimum 20-year lifespan on the facilities which are located in a flood-prone area.

Site investigations and detailed design are underway, with construction to start as soon as practically possible and the facility ready for play in the 2024 season.

Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt said getting Queensland’s sport and recreation facilities operational was an important step in the longer-term recovery for communities affected by the 2021-22 disaster season.

Minister Watt noted “getting grassroots sport and recreation facilities up and running enables communities to come back together and do the things they love.

“These facilities are part of our social fabric as Queenslanders, so we’re making sure that they are not only rebuilt as quickly as possible, but also that they incorporate features to make them stronger in the face of natural disasters.”

Queensland Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the funding will help rebuild what was damaged and make the club more resilient to future natural disasters.

Minister Hinchliffe added “This redevelopment will make a huge difference to more than 500 players at Gympie Netball Association and mean they can have their home base back, instead of playing at schools and other sites around town which has contributed to a fall in participation since the flood event.

“Quality sporting facilities encourage more people to play sport and keep playing, and get more people volunteering, leading to a healthier, more active state, so it’s terrific to see all levels of Government team up to deliver this important project for Gympie.”

Images. Gympie Netball flooded courts and clubhouse February 2022. Credit: Gympie and Districts Netball Association/Facebook