Kiama Netball Courts are undergoing upgrades ahead of the new season. Photo: Kiama Council.
Hundreds of netballers will soon hit safer, smoother courts, with upgrades underway at the Kiama Netball Courts just weeks out from the start of the winter season.
Backed by state and council funding, the improvements aim to boost safety and keep one of the town’s busiest sporting hubs in top shape for players and competitions when the season gets underway on 2 May.
Kiama Netball Association president Michelle Gregory said players would be thrilled to have improved facilities.
“This will be great for the hundreds of players who use the courts for training and games each week,” Michelle said.
“It will also mean we will be able to go ahead with our carnival in Kiama where associations travel to our town to compete later this year.”
Kiama Council Acting Mayor Melissa Matters said the project would deliver important safety and surface improvements for players, and would be split over two stages.
Council and councillor Matters advocated for the improvements in the lead-up to last September’s by-election.
“These works are a significant investment in one of Kiama’s most well used sporting facilities and will ensure our netball community has safe courts to train and compete on,” Cr Matters said.
“With the season beginning soon, stage one works will focus on surface preparation while carefully managing access so that evening training can continue with minimal disruption.”
Council received $250,000 from the NSW Office of Sport for the project, and contributed an additional $38,000 from council’s Development Contribution Fund to facilitate the upgrades.
Stage one works will focus on preparing the courts for ongoing use and will include pressure-cleaning of all courts, grinding and sealing of surface cracks, and preparation of a smooth and safe playing surface ahead of the May netball season.
A small number of car parking spaces will be temporarily allocated for site compound purposes during construction.
Works will be carefully staged and scheduled to allow evening training to continue, minimising disruption for clubs and users.
Stage two will involve the full resurfacing of all seven netball courts and will be delivered after the 2026 season, with further details and timeframes provided closer to starting.
Council has appointed Court Craft as the contractor for the project.
Member for Kiama Katelin McInerney said she was pleased to see the work getting underway this month.
“Keeping local young players engaged in sports is incredibly important for their wellbeing and connection into their community,” she said.
“Netball continues to be a mainstay of local sports in Kiama so I was very pleased to support this project.”
Council will continue to keep affected sports clubs and the community informed as works progress.
The Kiama Netball Courts and Val Brunker Centre are located at Terralong Street, Kiama.
