By Derek Schlennstedt
AFL players of all ages and abilities will now have access to the redeveloped Centre for Excellence in Kilsyth.
This Kilsyth Centre for Excellence is home to the AFL Victorian Eastern Ranges Football Club and the AFL Yarra Ranges Region Commission, with the upgrade delivering elite male and female training and facilities specialising in coaching and player development, and further opportunities for youths of all skill levels.
The upgrades include a multi-purpose space, mixed gender change rooms, umpire spaces, a kitchen, administration facilities, gymnasium, storage and associated amenities to support more than 3500 people who use the centre, including more than 300 junior interleague athletes, with a further 500 participants involved in coaching education and development programs.
Ontop of this, the upgrade also enable an AFL Youth Girls Academy to be run out of Kilsyth, allowing more than 120 female participants to train at the state-of-the-art site, with future games also an option.
Member for Monbulk James Merlino joined community members on 2 August to open the newly completed sporting hub.
“It’s exciting to see the Growing Suburbs Fund bring a new home to Aussie Rules in our area with the bigger and better Kilsyth Centre for Excellence.
“Girls and boys, kids and adults will get to enjoy this new centre. I hope to see the next generation of worldclass Aussie rules stars come through this centre, made possible by our Growing Suburbs Fund.”
The project was delivered by the Yarra Ranges Shire Council, which contributed $1 million towards the centre.
The Australian Government, through the Community Development Grants Program and the AFL, provided $500,000 and $550,000 respectively towards the project.
