THE Connell Park Sporting Precinct will celebrate the official opening of its new and upgraded sporting facilities on Saturday 11 April with a community fun day.
The largest sporting facility in the Bellingen Shire, work has been underway at Connell Park since 2023, with the construction of new netball courts.
The precinct has been closed since September 2024, with improvement works undertaken for the playing fields, construction of two amenity buildings and public toilets, as well as landscaping improvements, new lighting, paths, fencing and footbridges.
Bellingen Shire Council Mayor Steve Allan is looking forward to a chance to celebrate with the community and showcase the new facilities.
“I know the community is looking forward to using Connell Park again, and we’re excited to finally be able to show off our new, state-of-the-art facilities that our teams have been working hard to get completed before the Autumn sport season kicks off,” said Mayor Allan.
“We’re inviting the community to participate and watch a range of games and activities put on by our local sporting clubs, as well as enjoy a free sausage sizzle, free access to the Bellingen pool, and be there to witness the official opening of the Park.”
The Council project has been made possible through the support of the NSW Government via several grants, while Cricket NSW funded the training nets and new wickets.
Council General Manager Mark Griffioen said the project has been a multi-year, multi-million dollar investment into the capacity and wellbeing of the Bellingen Shire.
“These big projects ask a lot of a small regional council such as ours, but when they are completed, the rewards and benefits to the community are significant and ripple out to the whole community,” said Mr Griffioen.
“I am particularly proud of our teams and contractors who have built the amenity buildings, installed fencing, coaxed and cajoled the turf until it covered the entire sporting field, landscaped, built paths and footbridges, all while working around natural disasters and the myriad of challenges that occur during a project like this.”
The community fun day is hosted by Council, the Connell Park Sporting Committee, and Community Aquatics, the manager of the Bellingen Swimming Pool.
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