Christie Park will become one of the premier football complexes in North-West Sydney after the City of Ryde approved the construction of a new amenities building and additional training facilities at the Macquarie Park venue.
The new amenities building will feature office space and a function room for use by sporting groups, as well as introducing female-friendly changerooms and improving access for people with disabilities.
It will service the two recently constructed FIFA-accredited synthetic fields and help ensure Christie Park will be able to host state-level competitions in the future.
City of Ryde Mayor, Clr Jerome Laxale, said the latest investment was part of Council’s vision to make Christie Park a regional hub for football that serviced all levels of the game.
“The popularity of football is booming in the City of Ryde at all levels of participation and the improvements that we are undertaking at Christie Park will not only ensure that the venue will be able to meet the growing needs of the local community, but also the North-West Sydney region,” Clr Laxale said.
“Most importantly these works focus on providing elite facilities for local female clubs. With the Women’s FIFA World Cup being played in Australia in 2023, it’s crucial that councils invest in elite facilities for females who have historically struggled for access to such facilities.
“Building these facilities will offer a pathway programme from junior teams through to elite senior representative teams for women and girls in the Ryde local government area and beyond.
“This is a win for the community and a win for football.”
Christie Park, the Home of North West Sydney Football, will benefit greatly from this upgrade that is sure to assist in the further development of the sport within the football mad area, said Stuart Hodge, Football NSW Chief Executive Officer.
“City of Ryde and all the football users of Christie Park have partnered together to achieve so much in the last few years. This Christie Park masterplan compliments the NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy, and the importance of developing Homes of Football,” Mr Hodge said.
James Johnson, Chief Executive Officer Football Australia supported this exciting news by stating.
“As the number one team based and most multi-cultural, diverse and inclusive participation sport in Australia which is confronting a chronic facilities shortage throughout the nation as a direct consequence of football’s continued and strong participation growth, we welcome this announcement by the City of Ryde,” Mr Johnson said.
The latest upgrades are part of Stage 2 of the Christie Park Masterplan and will be funded by the City of Ryde and the NSW Government’s Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund.
Construction on the new facilities is expected to start this year.
