90 | T T Richard Loader New facility will have huge impact The centre’s large clubroom area can hold 200 people plus there are two meeting rooms, all of which can be individually hired out. COMMUNITY Ellerslie Sports Club: Michael’s Avenue Community Centre It’s been a complex project that’s taken around 20 years to complete and the imminent opening in early April of the Michael’s Avenue Community Centre marks the final stage of a long journey. “We’ve had a lot of political, iwi, community trust funding and local support and we’re thankful and proud that we’ve managed to get there in the end,” says Ellerslie Football Club President Mark Weipers. “It will be a fantastic facility for the wider community.” The project is a joint project undertaken by the Ellerslie Sports Club, the umbrella organisation for the activities of both the Ellerslie Association Football and Ellerslie Cricket Clubs. Both clubs have been operational for over fifty years. It began with the staged redevelopment of the Michael’s Avenue Reserve including artificial pitches and floodlighting. The investment in field infrastructure attracted more interest in the clubs and a further requirement for improved facilities to cater for increased playing numbers, particularly from females. For example, female football playing numbers increased from 65 in 2012 to 389 players in 2021, while female cricket players went from 8 in 2012 to 63 in 2021. Mark says that membership numbers had previously been constrained largely due to a lack of adequate training facilities and on game days the growing community of parents and locals attending games struggled to get an all day service. The lack of a central hub for members/patrons, which Mark says is critical to the ongoing sustainability of the clubs’ activities and programmes, became apparent, hence the need for the Michael’s Avenue Community Centre. It consists of a new two level building with eight segregated changing rooms, first aid, segregated referee changing rooms, storage and public toilets on the ground level. The upper level is an administration hub for the use of football and cricket, modern clubrooms with catering facilities and two separate meeting rooms available for third party hireage. The project has been built by RCC Commercial Ltd, in two distinct stages. “They’ve done an excellent job of working with us on this community project, accommodating us as well as understanding the commercial constraints. They’ve been very supportive.” Mark stresses that the new complex will be not just a sporting but rather a community facility: “It’s not just about football and cricket and those particular clubs. We want this to be a facility that the wider community can use and we’re already getting enquiry,” he says. The aim is multifold – to attract more members thus improving sustainability, as well as catering for a shortage of facilities for community use. The latter came to the attention of the Ellerslie Sports Club after a meeting with the Ellerslie Business Association. The centre’s large clubroom area can hold 200 people plus there are two meeting rooms, all of which can be individually hired out. Mark hopes this will help bring people in that wouldn’t normally come to a sporting club so that community networks can be improved. He says Ellerslie Sports Club intends to ask the membership and wider community what it wants the facility to deliver then try to marry service offerings to suit demand. This will probably include a catering offering and Mark hopes the club can work with local food and hospitality business people to deliver this. With the YMCA located next to the Michael’s Avenue Community Centre, there is also the idea of working together to cater to community needs re programmes and other ventures. “As a football club, we have under five-year olds and over 60-year-olds participating. “We really want the centre to offer something for everyone, be it sporting or non sporting in nature.” As evidence of its wider appeal, Michael’s Avenue Community Centre has been confirmed as one of the nine Auckland-based team training venues for the duration of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 tournament, hosting the Argentinian team, who will be based at the reserve from early July. “We’ve had a master plan for the whole Reserve dating back 20 years and the Michael’s Avenue Community Centre is the third stage of that strategic plan. You have to have patience and persistence to deliver a project like this, and all the people involved in its delivery can be very proud and excited to see it come to fruition.” www.hiclassglass.co.nz Free phone 0800 NEED GLASS (0800 633 345 or 0272 987 121) Best at steel Contact: Nathan Valdez Email: admin@atlanticengineering.co.nz Mobile: 027 5563674 Contact Phone: 09 294 6637 Postal Address: PO Box 225 Dury 2247 www.atlanticengineering.co.nz We are proud to support Ellerslie Sports Club Inc Mutual Construction Group Commercial and Residential Construction Class A and B Asbestos Removal and Demolition Contact us! QS@mutualconstruction.co.nz (Construction) will@mutualgroup.co.nz (Asbestos/Demolition) www.mutualconstruction.co.nz 100 Hugo Johnston Drive, Penrose, Auckland
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