Netballers get first use of new facilities at Mercury Bay Sport Park

Netballers have been the first sportspeople able to use impressive new facilities at the Thames Coromandel District Council's Mercury Bay Sports Park.

Netballers have been using five new asphalt netball courts since mid-June while work continues on the impressive new facility at the entrance to the North Island town of Thames.

Covering an area of 10 hectares, Mercury Bay Sport Park is the largest sport facility to be developed as a single project by the Council.

When complete it will feature five playing fields built to international rugby size for rugby, rugby league and football, five marked netball courts, three asphalt tennis courts, car parking for 220 vehicles and five buses, a children's playground, a picnic area, landscaped grounds, public toilets and a changing facility for 100 women and 100 men.

The Park will officially open in November once the toilet and changing facilities are complete.

The netball and tennis courts are already finished but the tennis courts will remain locked and netball courts will be locked outside of game days while construction work continues on the facility. This avoids any potential risk to members of the public visiting what is still a construction site.

Project Manager Gordon Reynolds says a decision was made to allow the netball courts to be used because the only courts available at the Mercury Bay Area School are in high demand. International grade equipment and courts at the new facility include umpire lines for tournaments, while temporary toilets have been brought on-site after being loaned to the council by the organisers of Coro Gold.

Mercury Bay Sport Park will be managed externally under a structure modelled on the Sportville concept. Skilled people from the community will sit on a governing board voluntarily, with a 'codes committee' to give input on their wants and needs.

Reynolds explains "the governance board is a key role for providing an overview of sporting needs in the community and planning for future needs not only from within the sports park but in other areas of the town."

The combined energies of Mercury Bay Area Manager Lesley McCormick and Mercury Bay Community Board Deputy Chair Sheree Webster resulted in the council successfully receiving $150,000 from Sport New Zealand (the former SPARC), to be used by The Mercury Bay Recreation Trust in employing a contractor to establish the management structure.

Mercury Bay Community Board Chair Alison Henry said the complex does not include a swimming facility at this stage however there is an active trust established separately to work with the Mercury Bay Area School on improving existing swimming facilities and expanding the season for the public.

Henry explains "although the focus of sports falls on younger people, recreation is very much at the heart of Mercury Bay and we have active people of all walks of life that will be a key part of this new facility."

For more information go to www.tcdc.govt.nz/Your-Council/Council-Projects/Current-Projects/Mercury-Bay-Sports-Park-/

22nd October 2010 - MERCURY BAY SPORTS COMPLEX GETS FINAL SIGNOFF

12th December 2008 - PROJECT SPARKS SWIMMING BOOM IN THAMES VALLEY DISTRICT