Kiama Hockey Club president Marc Hawker and his sons are excited about the new opportunity for their family club. Photo: Supplied.
New and upgraded sporting facilities planned for Kiama could help pave the way for upcoming athletes and allow clubs to better connect to their community.
Kiama Hockey Club has been around for almost eight decades, but after originally playing on grass, the need for more specific facilities forced it out of the area.
“Originally we played at Bonaira and other grass fields around the town,” club president Marc Hawker said. “But as the game evolved and astroturfs became a necessary prerequisite to playing, we had to actually leave the town because there wasn’t an adequate facility.”
The club’s home ground is at Albion Park, which means players not only have to travel for training and games, but are prevented from connecting with their local community.
“We’re not immediately visible and involved in the community where most of our players come from, so it’s really hard for us to tap into opportunities to provide grassroots hockey through the primary schools or activities during the holidays and to grow our numbers, because that’s obviously the future of our club,” Marc said.
The club has significantly grown its junior side into one of the largest in the Illawarra and those players are going on to build and strengthen their senior teams too.
And while they are seeing increased success with young players making representative sides, there are also opportunities for those starting out or playing socially.
“Hockey is one of those great games where the whole family can play and we’ve got lots of mums, dads and kids who all play during the weekend,” Marc said.
“There’s people who have never played the game and there’s these pathways in place for excellence for those who want to pursue that.”
Kiama Sports Complex is to receive an upgrade that could provide new opportunities for athletes and clubs. Photo: Region Illawarra.
But now a new opportunity to connect back to Kiama could be on the horizon, with the Draft Kiama Sporting Complex Masterplan revealing the potential for synthetic turf as part of the redevelopment.
“To be able to offer a family sport in somewhere like Kiama and have the facilities to train and play on the doorstep would be a real help in continuing that growth and making the sport visible to the Kiama community,” Marc said.
The Illawarra Academy of Sport has also thrown its support behind the masterplan, with many athletes travelling across the region to access facilities, with demand often outweighing supply.
“We have a heap of athletes that reside in Kiama and sometimes unfortunately they do have to travel to Wollongong to use amenities,” IAS CEO Salv Carmusciano said.
“Having more and better-quality facilities means that people will be able to stay local, people will be able to use those resources available to them as well and particularly available for longer as well – upgrades in floodlighting and such means there’s more use later in the night, which is great.”
Salv hoped it would improve participation in physical activity for the wider community as well.
“It’s also good to see all the elements of accessibility for all in there,” he said.
“Athletes with a disability can use it. Historically, changerooms and amenities have probably leaned more towards supporting male athletes, and to see more gender-friendly clubhouses and so forth is a step in the right direction as well. It just means more people will get to use those features.”
The Draft Kiama Sports Complex Masterplan is on display, with the council seeking feedback on three potential options that would cost about $150 million to deliver.
More netball courts, an upgraded leisure centre, removal of the skatepark and construction of a clubhouse are also features across the plans.
Sporting and recreational opportunities have also been flagged in a separate masterplan for South Werri Reserve. Also on exhibition, the masterplan includes an upgraded skatepark and pump track, a new basketball court and renewed tennis courts, as well as walking tracks and outdoor exercise equipment.
The community can submit feedback on the proposals until 5 August, with plans then finalised to be endorsed by the council.
No funding has been allocated yet.
But despite many steps still being needed before Kiama Hockey Club members can step on their own synthetic turf, excitement is already brewing.
“There’s certainly the appetite in the community for a sport that offers something to all the family,” Marc said.
“We’re looking forward to hopefully being part of the discussions and making that a reality.”
To see the plans or have your say, visit the Kiama Council website.
