THE City of Joondalup will apply for funding for a floodlighting upgrade at Kingsley Park.
At last month’s meeting, councillors unanimously agreed to apply for $126,500 to partly fund the upgrade of the lights to the Australian standard for football for training and competition.
Kingsley Junior Football Club president Hamish Borthen said the upgrade would have many benefits for the club and local community.
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READ NOW“It will increase participation, primarily through the female competitions which are played on Friday evenings,” he said.
“Currently we do not have the lighting to host games, so players have to travel 20 minutes or more to games, which is directly affecting participation at the local level.
“We will also see increased revenue because we will be able to gain significant increase in female registrations and the canteen can open on a Friday evening.
“We would also like to be able to fixture night games for the boys competition.
“This will free up the park on a Sunday, which will also give the park a bit of a rest during the daylight hours and allow other users on to it.”
At the previous week’s briefing session, the Kingsley Amateur Football Club also supported the funding application.
Committee member Keith Pearce said it would also allow them to increase female participation, “creating a pathway for girls in to the AFL”.
President Tim McKimmie said the biggest hurdle stopping the club from getting more teams on the park was time.
He said 5pm was about the latest the seniors could play in winter.
He said lights would enable later games to be held and would also provide an opportunity to take part in integrated football for players with physical or intellectual disabilities.
The City held community consultation from June 12 to July 3, with eight submissions received. Of these, six supported the upgrade.
Those that did not raised concerns about increased noise in the evening, inadequate parking and concern that the height of the lights would be “an eyesore”.
Cr John Logan said there had “long been an appetite for night footy” in the area.
He said it would provide flexibility in scheduling of matches and an opportunity to grow the game.
“The lights will also benefit a number of other clubs and the broader community, enabling more music and other entertainment during summer,” he said.
“They will also provide longer light hours for people walking in the park.”