The City of Ballarat has welcomed an announcement this week the new Ballarat Sports Events Centre will host five state level championship events from 2020 – 2022.
Basketball Victoria has confirmed Ballarat Sports Events Centre as well as the Minerdome will host the U16 and U18 Division three and four Championships over the next three years, while also hosting the Under-14 Country Championships in 2020 and the Under-12 Country Championships in 2022.
The announcement comes as the $24 million Ballarat Sports Events Centre stage one is due to open next month. A further $5.2 million was also announced in the recent Victorian Government budget for stage two works at the centre.
City of Ballarat Deputy Mayor Jim Rinaldi said the news demonstrated the investment in the facility was already generating a significant return for Ballarat.
“Ballarat Sports Events Centre is not only a terrific community facility for a range of local indoors sports, it also enables our city to attract a range of events that will have a significant impact on our local economy,” Cr Rinaldi said.
“All five of these championships will see hundreds of players and their families, support staff and officials from across Victoria will converge on Ballarat.
“That means hundreds of thousands of dollars driven into our accommodation, hospitality, and retail sectors.”
“Our congratulations to Ballarat Basketball, which has worked with City of Ballarat’s Sport and Active Living team to achieve this fantastic outcome.”
“The City of Ballarat Events and Sport and Active living teams will continue work to attract these major community sports events to our city.
“We will also continue to closely engage with our local accommodation providers and hospitality industry to ensure Ballarat is providing a fantastic experience for the visitor but to also ensure this increased business flows into our local visitor economy.”
The Ballarat Sports Events Centre project will significantly change the indoor sporting experience in Ballarat, particularly through the inclusion of a new 3000-seat show court and additional courts capable of hosting a range of events including netball, basketball, volleyball and badminton.
This project will see six new courts added to the existing two-court Wendouree Sports and Events Centre, making it one of the biggest facilities in the region.
The first stage of the project is jointly funded by the Australian Government ($10 million), Victorian Government ($9 million) and City of Ballarat ($5 million).
