Highball facility a slam dunk for Moonee Valley, pledges Libs

Moonee Valley City Council welcome the commitment from the State opposition that will see $17.5 million committed to developing Moonee Valley’s new highball facility to house netball, basketball and other indoor sports.

The Liberal candidate for Niddrie, Alan Youhana announced at Quinn Grove the commitment for the ‘development of infrastructure’. He said, ‘it will be nice to have a new facility built so people can get out and kids can stay healthy close to home’.

As the only municipality in greater Melbourne without a competition-compliant highball facility, Council plans to create a space that would include six indoor courts, to facilitate the growth of these important sports activities in Moonee Valley and the Western Melbourne region.

Moonee Valley Mayor Cr Samantha Byrne said this facility is key to achieving Council’s vision for a city with opportunities for the whole community to live an active lifestyle and improve their overall well-being.

“Sports and recreation facilitate strong social networks in our communities, where everyone is welcome and the sense of cohesion and inclusion in the community is strengthened.

“Currently, the lack of adequate facilities is leading to long wait-lists to play both netball and basketball, which are particularly popular amongst women and girls,” Mayor Byrne said.

The current participation level for indoor court-based sports such as basketball, netball and futsal in Moonee Valley is more than 8,000 people but this is expected to increase to over 12,000 people by 2040, leaving an estimated shortfall of between 12 and 15 courts by 2030 and 17 by 2040.

According to Basketball Victoria, Moonee Valley is home to the largest basketball association in the Western Region and netball participation in the municipality is higher than the State average.

“Following the extended lockdowns of the past two years, we know our community is eager to reconnect and get back into the sports and activities they’ve missed out on, so this is the perfect time to invest in the future of Moonee Valley’s sports facilities.

“Participation in sport and active recreation makes us healthier, happier and has many economic benefits for the whole community. We need additional funding to make this vision a reality, so we’re also calling on the State Government and all candidates considering running for the upcoming election to consider making a commitment to work with us in delivering a highball facility within Moonee Valley,” said Mayor Byrne.