The McGowan Government has started building a new dryland dive centre at HBF Stadium that will help athletes hone their craft to give them the best chance at Commonwealth and Olympic success.
The new dryland facility – opening in mid-2022 – will allow divers to use trampolines, springboards, harnesses and foam pits to perform acrobatic jumps without water.
Using the dryland facility will help divers practise ten times as many repetitions than traditional water-based training.
It is anticipated the innovative centre will help Western Australia to retain home-grown springboard and platform diving stars as they work towards their Commonwealth and Olympic dreams.
The FINA international standard training facility will enable athletes and coaches to finely tune techniques of all parts of the dive, apart from the final water entry.
When the new facility opens in mid-2022, it will be among just a handful of dryland facilities in Australia – a drawcard for diving training camps and events hosted in Perth.
Befittingly, the new facility will also honour the late Bruce Prance OAM, who sadly passed away in 2019 and was involved in the sport of diving for over 70 years.
Mr Prance was a State-level diver before he became a world class coach. He was instrumental in the formation of what is now Diving Western Australia in 1957 and became a pioneer of dryland training in Australia.
The facility will also be the new home of Diving WA, including office space, athlete area, board room and training room.
The facility will include six springboards, three trampolines, six harnesses, a sprung floor, foam pit and weights area
Coaches and divers will also have the ability to analyse techniques through three video replay systems
As stated by Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman:
“The finesse, repetition and courage required to compete in the sport of diving is incredible, and simply astonishing to watch.
“A facility like the one we’re building is becoming a necessity to be able to compete at the highest levels, so I’m thrilled it’s underway.
“Developing our athletes on home soil, from grass roots to elite level, is a major priority for high performance sport in Western Australia and will be a significant benefit for divers in the lead up to Brisbane 2032.
“Diving is widely-loved by spectators and the facility will look to attract diving events at an international standard.
“HBF Stadium is renowned for its world class facilities and the new state-of-the-art centre will be another string to its bow.”
