Culburra Cougars unveil new Club House

Avatar

With the support of the Federal Government’s Community Development Grant Programme, Shoalhaven District Football Association side Culburra Cougars officially opened its new Club House.

The Community Development Grant Programme provided a total of $345,000 – which went to the Culburra facilities upgrade at Crookhaven Oval.

The Culburra Cougars Club House was officially opened by Shoalhaven City Council Mayor Amanda Findley along with Deputy Mayor Clr Greg Watson, Clr Jo Gash, Clr Mitchell Pakes, Clr Patricia White, Kiama MP Garth Ward, and Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips, who were also in attendance at the official opening event.

Following the completion of the new Club House, Shoalhaven City Council undertook site restoration works on the oval, including levelling and installing new turf.

Shoalhaven City Council Mayor Amanda Findley acknowledged the importance of the infrastructure for the Culburra sporting community going forward.

“I would firstly like to thank the Federal Government for their support of the Culburra Cougars. The funding has allowed the club to design and construct new storage and toilet facilities at Crookhaven Oval,” she said.

“These facilities will be able to be used by generations of Cougars to come. These are important facilities not only provide a safe space for the club to store their training equipment, but club house also provides a safe space for club members to change before and after training and games.”

Daniel Ristic, Football NSW Manager for Government Relations, Funding & Infrastructure, was ecstatic about the upgrade for a club which is part of is the largest regional association in NSW with well over 3,100 participants donning the boots during the 2021 winter season.

“Storage and unisex toilets are the essentials of any community facility in the 21st century,” he said.

“As part of the NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy, storage was identified as a key priority by football associations across NSW.”

This upgrade was part of the club’s first stage in its redevelopment of its facility with Stage 2 to include new change rooms, referee room and canteen.

Local Council have committed funding towards Stage 2 in the 2022/23 financial year.

Football SA extending Development Centres throughout regional and metropolitan areas

Avatar
Football SA Development Centres
Image credit: Football SA

Football South Australia (SA) announced the expansion of its Development Centres for boys and girls from ages nine to 13.

This expansion will offer more football and more opportunities for players in the Barossa, Noarlunga, Port Lincoln and Metropolitan Adelaide.

The five new centres add to the four currently located in the Limestone Coast, Whyalla, Riverland and the Adelaide Hills, taking the total up to nine centres in 2024.

Much of the talk has been the incredible impact that the home soil FIFA Women’s World Cup has had on football participation in the country across all age groups. There has been a notable uptick in player participation in regional areas , registering a 16.5% increase. Across the entire state, there is overall growth of 9%.

The key goal of the Football SA Development Centres expansion is to lay the grassroots foundation in place and create a suitable environment for kids so that their talent is recognised and captured by coaches.

These added sessions as a result of the expansion are designed not to conflict with existing club activities and will enhance players’ fundamental footballing skills.

Football SA Technical Director Michael Cooper touched on the opportunity this opens up for player development at the early ages.

“When we started the original program in 2023, we had the vision to implement a state-wide program that provides equal opportunities for players to progress to our State programs and offerings, which are highly regarded nationally,” Cooper said via Football SA press release.

“Taking our programs to regional South Australia has prevented the need for young players to travel week in week out to Adelaide for specialised coaching. This illustrates our support for regional associations and pathways we collectively offer.

“We are excited to see all players come together at events such as the State Development Carnival in July and I am confident more players will be identified from regional areas in the future.”

An issue Football South Australia touched on in their 2023-2026 Strategic Plan was the lack of regional players making the transition into state and regional squads.

The key function of Football SA, as mentioned on their website, has always been player development and to increase participation. This Development Centre expansion will service the regional communities and allow potential talented players, who weren’t recognised before, to grow through a natural pathway up until they represent state squads.

Cádiz CF outlines plan for new sports technology centre

Avatar
Cádiz Sportech City
Image via Cádiz CF

LALIGA football club Cádiz CF has unveiled plans to construct a brand-new sports technology centre which will be known as ‘Sportech City’.

The centre is expected to deliver significant results in the sports technology industry, and assert Cádiz’s position in the top-flight of Spanish football.

In addition, the centre aims to make a positive impact in areas outside of the football club, most notably in health and education. A short video released on its official YouTube channel helped outline the proposed facilities within Sportech City.

These include:

  • A 7,500-square-metre data centre.
  • A dedicated sports university.
  • 5,600 square metres dedicated to laboratories and prototype validation for user experience.
  • An events/congress centre.
  • A technological business incubator centre with 6,100 square metres of offices.
  • Health and medical services.
  • A designated retail zone.

Sportech City is the latest plan to be announced since La Liga introduced its ‘Impulso’ agreement with CVC Capital Partners in 2021. The agreement provided nearly two billion euros (3.3 million AUD) for Spanish football clubs to invest in technology, innovation, internationalisation, and sporting growth initiatives.

Plans for the centre are being coordinated between the club and professional services firm KPMG, who believe the centre will stimulate the local economy. It is estimated that 4,000 jobs will be created for the construction of Sportech City alone, with a further 2,900 jobs expected for the running of the centre.

According to sources within the club, Cádiz CF hopes to generate a minimum of 15 million euros (24.7 million AUD) per year once it begins operation.

Cádiz CF, like many clubs that sit beneath the traditional giants of Spanish football, have suffered a turbulent off-field history.

However, under president Manuel Vizcaíno’s stewardship since 2019, the club attracted overseas investment which helped them return to the top-flight of Spanish football for just the fourth time in its 123-year existence.

Sportech City is hoped to be the next initiative under an ambitious Vizcaíno that will bring success not just to the football club, but to the city of Cádiz.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend