Goulburn has scored $3.8 million in state funding to upgrade hockey fields to state and national standard.
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The announcement by Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman on Wednesday came just three weeks after the council endorsed a deal to buy the Workers' Arena fields for $3 million from the Workers Club.
Mrs Tuckerman said the Growing Local Economies funding would assist the fields' upgrade to championship event standard.
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"Goulburn has a proud history when it comes to professional and social hockey participation and this funding will secure the future of the sport in the region, allowing players to keep on playing and also encouraging newcomers to join," she said in a statement.
"These upgrades will bring the facility standard to state and national hockey championship requirements and the events that it will be able to host will potentially generate up to $1.6 million per annum for the region."
The money is part of the $1.7 billion Regional Growth fund.
The council had been negotiating the complex's acquisition from the Goulburn Workers Club for well over a year. It aimed to give the Hockey Association certainty after the Club decided it wouldn't invest further in the facility. A growing player base could only utilise one field and the Association's lease with the Club expired at the end of 2021.
Negotiations stalled after the Club wanted to charge the council a $120,000 annual lease for the facility. Then, when attention turned to purchase, the parties disagreed over land valuations. The council has since discussed the matter several times in closed session.
These culminated in a decision on November 3 to buy the complex for $3 million and enter into a licence agreement for the use and maintenance of the main access, Sports Way, and maintenance of the existing car park.
The purchase will be funded from council coffers. Extra money was always needed for the upgrade, originally estimated to cost $3.5 million.
Mayor Bob Kirk said the project included construction of a national level water based field, installation of new field lighting, men's and women's player change rooms, more player and public amenities, multipurpose rooms and a 132-vehicle sealed car park.
"The ability to host state and national events means teams, their supporters and spectators will be travelling to Goulburn, which is great news for the local economy with heads on beds and money spent in restaurants, cafes and shops," he said.
Goulburn District Hockey Association President, Nadine Ward welcomed the funding and thanked the council for its "legwork."
"We have been hoping for this day for a while now, so to now have the support for the future of hockey in Goulburn and the Southern Tablelands region is a relief, to say the least," she said.
"Our hockey community also deserves a massive thank you for their support and patience. To have a permanent home for hockey is a great relief and wonderful opportunity for us all. (It's) very exciting times ahead!"
Deputy Mayor Peter Walker, who sat on the Hockey working party, said there were also plans to upgrade the existing field but the cost of this and a new field would depend on subsurface quality.
"Hockey is very happy to be getting a home because this (uncertainty) has destroyed the game. Numbers have dropped off," he said.
The council's corporate services director Brendan Hollands told The Post that contracts for the sale would exchange on December 1, with possible settlement in April.
"There is a lot of work to do and it will settle when the subdivision (separating land from the Club's parcel) is completed. A lot also depends on Essential Energy with the power supply," he said.
Meantime, the Goulburn Workers Club last month reported a $491,958 trading loss which it attributed mainly to coronavirus and "a complete shutdown" of business.
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