Newcastle Olympic has shared the design of a new grandstand, amenities building and car park, with the construction to begin in the next few weeks.
The $3.5 million project is made possible by the City of Newcastle, NSW Government, and the Australian Government. This is supported by Nuatali Nelmes – Lord Mayor of Newcastle, State Member Tim Crakanthorp MP and Federal Member Sharon Claydon MP.
Newcastle have also chipped in with a major contribution, ensuring this project can succeed.
With existing amenities having already been upgraded, the new facility is another exciting step in the club’s overall redevelopment of Darling Street.
It will be one of the few football facilities in the area with four change rooms and match officials’ rooms which are all female friendly. Additionally,, there will be a much improved and safer viewing area for spectators – as well as club meeting rooms, new canteen and expanded off street parking.
As part of Northern NSW, Newcastle are a club that has recently invested in women’s football, featuring their own NPLW team. 2020 saw the creation of a comprehensive women’s program that ties in nicely with momentum towards the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The result of this is a sharp increase in facility usage, that caters for 480 club players and visiting sides. Naturally, there needs to be adequate resources to keep up with supply and demand – this has been matched with the upgrades at Darling Street.
Identifying where and when these upgrades need to happen will be essential to the growth and longevity of the game.
