The Liberal-National Coalition has pledged they would commit $800,000 towards upgrades for the Altona Magic Soccer Club’s sporting grounds in Altona North if they are elected into power in next month’s state election.
Liberal Party deputy leader David Southwick and Liberal candidate for Williamstown Daria Kellander visited the club to announce the funding towards upgrades to the Paisley Park Soccer Complex recently.
Altona Magic is Hobsons Bay’s only soccer club which competes in the National Premier League at both the junior and senior level.
The funding would contribute towards the construction of two new modular changerooms, new spectator seating, pavilion concreting, asphalting of the carpark and upgrading the lighting and scoreboard systems.
The club currently hosts 250 players, but is experiencing enormous demand, with more than 270 people expressing interest in the 60 vacant positions the club recently advertised.
Every year, more than 500,000 players and visitors come to the precinct to play, support and spectate teams from across the state.
Liberal candidate for Williamstown Daria Kellander said football players from across Melbourne’s west and beyond would benefit from the new world-class facility.
“The new grounds will become a social sporting hub for the region, with hundreds of thousands of visitors coming together to compete and spectate each year,” she said.
“Only the Liberals and Nationals acknowledge the needs of the Altona community, and only we will deliver for them.”
The upgrades would also lead to the club being able to apply to both FIFA and Football Victoria to host international league teams for onsite training, particularly during the upcoming 2023 Women’s FIFA World Cup.