Gympie Netball scores $2.3 million for rebuild of flooded courts and clubhouse

A total rebuild of Gympie Netball Association’s flood-ravaged facilities is expected to spark renewed interest in the sport locally and boost community spirit across the region.

Repairing the courts, lights and club facilities has been made possible by funding of more than $2.3 million from the Queensland and Australian Governments under Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

After 3.6 metre floodwaters inundated the site in February 2022, games needed to be transferred to alternative courts, a major competition was cancelled, and overall participant numbers dropped by 30 per cent.

This rebuild will provide a high-quality home base for Gympie netball and secure the future of the club for decades to come.

The new courts, facilities and infrastructure will be designed to better withstand future severe weather events and will require minimal ongoing maintenance.

Gympie Netball Association is confident netball will return to the site in 2024.

The club also sees the investment as an opportunity to expand its netball programs and activities to attract new players and more volunteers.

By growing the game at a grassroots level, Gympie Netball Association hopes to bring more people together and continue achieving healthy outcomes for the community.

This project is one of 197 sporting and recreation sites being rebuilt to a more resilient standard under the Community Recreational Asset Recovery and Resilience Program.

Administered by Queensland’s Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport, this program is part of a $721 million extraordinary disaster assistance package in response to the 2021-22 disaster season.