ROME wasn’t built in a day.
And that is certainly the case with the Mildura Sporting Precinct, which continues to grow and develop, years after its official opening.
The potential of the facility has, in many ways, already been realised, but there is so much more to come.
A conservative estimate of 10,000 people are attending the facility each week, whether they be playing or watching indoor or outdoors, and that number is set to grow as more facilities open up.
Four new squash courts are opening, with a come-and-try weekend locked in for November 11-12, and the new beach volleyball courts are scheduled to be opened in January.
And this Friday night, the MSP will host its second Women’s National Basketball League game, where it will unveil its new stadium seating.
The lack of indoor seating had been an issue, but Mildura Council has addressed that in the second stage of the development with the addition of a 529-seat roll-out grandstand.
Council took me on a tour of the precinct this week and gave a demonstration on how the new grandstand works.
It’s impressive and, most importantly, comfortable to sit in.
So anyone tossing up whether to go along on Friday night and see some of Australia’s best female basketballers in action can be guaranteed they will be doing so in comfort.
It is a strong selling point for the stadium, not just for this week, but for major events going forward.
Another major development is the opening of the second oval, which is now being used by new cricket tenant, Mildura East.
The new cricket training nets, featuring the only turf training pitches in Sunraysia, have also opened.
This open up further possibilities for Mildura as a potential pre-season training venue for state squads, given our climate, while the lighting on the main oval allows for night cricket.
MSP has already hosted a number of state-level events in sports such as volleyball and badminton and next year will host the Under 14 basketball state championships, which are expected to attract 5000 people to Mildura.
Mildura Council chief executive Martin Hawson said the major events were the cream on top in terms of driving economic activity in the region.
But he maintained the MSP was, first and foremost, for this community.
“Our major focus, primarily, especially in the first couple of years, was community sport and to generate as many people as we could to utilise the facility and that has come to fruition,” Mr Hawson said.
“We have got anywhere between 9000 and 10,000 people coming through the facility each week, and that is not even taking into account football season, so it is a big impact on the community.”
Council’s acting general manager of healthy communities, Cheree Jukes, agreed.
“As you see now, we have a playgroup operating,” she said on Thursday morning when the entire main court was filled with parents and children.
“So I know a lot of the commentary in the community is around major events, but that is a small component of it.
“Talking with our team, a lot of what we talk about is ‘how can I make this precinct feel like you belong? And the parents belong, and nanna belongs, and the kids feel safe’.
“So that is absolutely the team’s focus to make sure Mildura Sporting Precinct is not just a premier site, but that it belongs to the community and everyone has a place here.”
Council is hoping for another big crowd at Friday night’s WNBL game after the success of last year’s event.
And while it has taken time for the new grandstand to arrive, Mr Hawson believes it’s worth the wait.
“One of the major barriers was just getting access to contractors and the seats, because they are quite popular and the brand we are using is right across Australia, so it has taken time, but it is great to have them there and we will have them up and running for the WNBL,” he said.
“Obviously when we have major events – whether it be basketball, volleyball, squash or cricket – it brings a huge amount of economic injection into the community, with people coming and staying for two or three days.
“That is when you see the vibe in the community when accommodation is booked out, restaurants are full, and we will use that strategy of event or tournament tourism. Other major cities have been making the most of that and now we are in a position with this facility to make that happen.”
