The City will allocate $1 million this financial year as part of the amended recommendation that also requested a City representative to serve on any of the project’s teams.
Mayor Troy Pickard said this would allow the City to be a ‘decision-maker around the State Government’s table’.
‘We have an opportunity here, with our funding, to ensure that the interests of our community are best represented at this development ” specifically the West Perth Football Club and the Wanneroo Basketball Association,’ he said.
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READ NOWThe recommendation also requested the WPFC and WBA consider changing their trading names to reflect their Joondalup locality .
‘The Wanneroo Basketball Association has indicated it will be changing its name to better reflect the locality, however the West Perth Football Club has expressed concern about heading down this path,’ Mr Pickard.
He said in 2005, the club made the decision to trade as Joondalup Falcons but the change was never implemented.
‘I accept it’s a sensitive issue among the membership of the football club but I think it’s important as a council that we make a statement that we believe after 19 years of calling Arena Joondalup home, the West Perth Football Club would better engage the local businesses and community by trading in a name that better reflects their locality,’ he said.
‘I am not proposing for the $4 million to be conditional on changing their name but I think we are in a sound position, given we are providing $4 million of ratepayers’ funds, to express our view.’
Cr Brian Corr said the WPFC should decide hat name it traded with.
‘We should judge them by their work in the community and their results on the field,’ he said.
The upgrade includes construction of new clubrooms for West Perth, additional courts for the Wanneroo basketball and Joondalup netball associations and additional playing surfaces for the Joondalup Brothers Rugby Union Club.
The City’s funding is in addition to the $16 million the State Government committed to the project as an election promise in March.