In a ground-breaking agreement Pittwater Council will partner with the AFL NSW/ACT and Narrabeen Sports High School to provide two new sportsfields in the school grounds.

The Council voted last night to endorse the agreement, which will see construction of a synthetic turf field for AFL and soccer, as well as reconstruction of a grass field at the end of Namona Street.

Under the agreement, the two new fields will be used by the school during term times and by the community outside school hours and during holiday periods. Change rooms and toilets in the school grounds will be upgraded and opened to the public outside school hours and both fields will have night lighting. Work on building the new fields will begin in June this year, with completion expected by December.

The AFL will contribute $80,000 in funding and the school will add a grant of $40,000. The remainder of the cost for the two new sportsfields, estimated at $1.9 million, will be met by the Council through developer levies called Section 94 funds. These funds are levied to provide facilities for population growth gained from new development in Warriewood Valley.

Mayor Harvey Rose said all codes of football ‘did a great job in involving our youth in constructive sporting activity.’

“The two new fields will allow the AFL and soccer codes an expansion of this.”

General Manager Mark Ferguson said soccer needed more fields in Pittwater and the AFL had built up a good following in both senior and junior football at Narrabeen. Currently the AFL uses fields adjacent to Pittwater Rugby Park for matches and training.

“We’re very pleased with the outcome of this historic agreement and the potential for increasing sporting activity in the local area.”

Deputy Principal Peter Stokes from Narrabeen Sports High said that the school was working diligently to be recognised as a centre of excellence for the development of high performance sport within the curriculum of a comprehensive secondary school.

“The synergy between Pittwater Council, the school and various sporting associations is unique and exciting,” he said.

“To assist in this process the school has introduced The Northern Sydney Scholastic and Sports Academy as part of its curriculum. The school executive and staff are striving to ensure that the growth of the school is actively supported by a rigorous academic and social framework.”

 Currently the AFL uses fields adjacent to Pittwater Rugby Park for matches and training. AFL NSW/ACT General Manager,Tom Harley said “This pioneering project provides a fantastic opportunity for AFL to partner with Pittwater Council & Narrabeen Sports High School to deliver the first AFL synthetic surface in NSW.”

Harley reinforced that the delivery of the new field “will enable both school and community AFL programs to service the growing demand in the surrounding region.”

3 April 2012

Contact: Mark Ferguson, Pittwater Council

Phone: 9970 1105