St George Netball Courts upgrade completed

The 15 netball hard courts have been resurfaced with an plexipave netball hard court acrylic surface, and new netball rings and fencing have been installed.

The St George District Netball Association, which leases the courts from Council, secured $1 million for the upgrade from the Australian Government's Community Development Grants Program.

Other works included asphalt re-levelling, application of a new asphalt surface, installation of a concrete edge at the court perimeter, formalised perimeter drainage, line markings, and replacing netball posts and footings.

St George was handed the courts back in time for its upcoming season, which will begin on March 27.

Vice President of St George District Netball Association Marlise Edmondston said that the girls were excited to play on the new courts.

"Everyone is loving them," she said. "The surfaces are great and everyone has been getting a chance to see where we will be spending the next few years.

"The opening ceremony was great. We had nice and warm weather. We had sponsors and MP's there from multiple areas.

"There were also life members there, including Linda Free who was president when we last had the courts resurfaced in the early 90s."

Bayside Mayor Joe Awada said: "The upgrade of these playing fields has given Bayside and the surrounding area a state-of-the-art netball facility that will encourage more people to discover the health benefits of a team sport."

The Association supports 11 clubs from the Bayside and Georges River council areas.

Following a survey from Netball NSW that deemed the courts no longer suitable for play, the club reached out to various avenues for funding.

In 2019, Federal Banks MP David Coleman granted the club funding to begin the resurfacing.

The works at the courts, at 310 West Botany Street, were implemented and managed by Bayside Council working closely with the Association.

Construction began in September.