THE AFL is delighted to partner with the NSW Government following the announcement on Friday that the Government has made a groundbreaking $15 million contribution to redevelop Showring Oval at Sydney's Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park.
When complete, the Showring Oval will be the new focal point for women's sport in NSW, providing a state-of-the-art home for local community teams and schools, talent pathways and the Sydney's AFLW program.
The proposed works will restore the iconic venue into a world-class sports precinct and multi-purpose community space. The project will create the first full-size, multi-sport hybrid turf oval with running track and broadcast lighting in Australia. It will cater for elite AFLW matches and more than 4,000 spectators, benefitting local businesses and adding an exciting new chapter to the Entertainment Quarter.
The AFL has partnered with the Sydney Roosters on the Showring proposal and, as co-funding partners, both codes will call the $32 million facility home. Australian football has a rich history at the site. AFL Sydney hosted finals there until 1980 and the Sydney Swans used the venue for training and practice matches in the mid-1980s through to the early 90s.
The Showring Oval redevelopment announcement comes after the NSW Government made other significant funding commitments towards a major upgrade of one of Sydney's most iconic ovals, Henson Park, and more recently to transform the Giants' training and community centre at Sydney Olympic Park.
The Showring Oval redevelopment supports the AFL’s Women’s Football Vision 2021-2030 to empower and enable the women's game at all levels through participation, pathways and performance and partnerships.
The project also aligns with the AFL's national infrastructure plan, Towards 2030, by building the capacity of community football, enhancing elite and talent infrastructure, and driving innovation and growth, which includes building or upgrading an oval per week every week for five years across the country.
Quotes attributable to Gillon McLachlan, CEO AFL
"Thank you to the New South Wales Government for its substantial commitment to the reimagined Showring Oval, an incredible development for Australian football in Sydney and across the state.
"We've seen monumental growth of women and girls playing Australian football in the region since the introduction of AFLW, initially involving the Giants and followed by the Sydney Swans' entry into the competition last year, which strengthens the code in New South Wales.
"One of the biggest challenges we face in New South Wales is to meet the increasing demand and great interest for our sport by providing quality facilities, particularly through the growth of female participation. The Government’s support of the Showring redevelopment, which follows funding commitments to upgrade Henson Park and the Giants’ training and community centre at Sydney Olympic Park, shows incredible progress in the area of facility development and will benefit the game immensely.
"Showring Oval will be a place to call home for women and girls football, which will bring an invaluable sense of belonging, purpose and comfort for players from community clubs in Sydney’s east right up to the elite. The Showring Oval sits alongside world-class stadia, including the SCG, and I look forward to its bright future adding to the venue’s storied past."
Quotes attributable to Tiffany Robertson, Head of AFL NSW/ACT
"This is a truly exciting moment for Australian football across community, talent pathways and the elite game in Sydney and across NSW. A revitalised Showring Oval in Moore Park will help accommodate the increasing number of women and girls striving to be their best on the football field as well as provide a world-class facility for multiple sporting groups and the broader community to share.
"Thank you to the NSW Government for acknowledging and supporting the value of a reimagined Showring Oval. The Government’s commitment to investing in facilities like Showring Oval benefit so many involved in Australian football and across the community more broadly.
"I would also like to thank our project partners the Sydney Swans, Sydney Roosters, Greater Sydney Parklands Trust and the Entertainment Quarter for working together and collaborating on such an important and exciting development that will benefit generations of sports participants from the grassroots to the elite across different codes."
