The University of Canberra will fast-track plans to add a soccer stadium to a $30 million upgrade to its sporting hub, inviting Capital Football to make the state-of-the art venue its high-performance home.
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The university will invite Canberra sporting organisations to a workshop this month to fine-tune details and designs for the next stage of the sporting commons precinct, which will be worth almost $50 million.
The ACT Brumbies have already moved into a $16.5 million facility at the Bruce campus, which is shared by ACT Sport and the UC research institute for sport and exercise.
Capital Football has been asked to invest $5 million in the development of a purpose-built soccer venue, to be adjacent to a nine-court multi-sport stadium capable of hosting basketball, volleyball, netball and futsal. It's the final part of vice-chancellor Stephen Parker's vision to make the university the best sporting tertiary institution in Australia and combining community and elite sport with students studying sport degrees.
The boutique soccer venue will have television-quality lighting, making it capable of hosting A-League pre-season fixtures and will be home to Capital Football and W-League team Canberra United.
Capital Football chief executive Heather Reid backed the plans, which would be a four-way funding partnership between the federal and ACT governments, the university and Canberra sporting bodies.
"We would love to have something at the University of Canberra that can fill the gap between the big venues and the small venues," Reid said. "McKellar and Deakin are our only two soccer-specific venues in Canberra ... if we're going to grow and attract more A-League teams to play in Canberra, or stage more FFA Cup games, then we need a venue with a greater capacity. There's nothing in between the smaller venues and then Canberra Stadium.
Kevin Rudd's Labor government pledged $10 million to the stage two complex, but that funding was cut by the Abbott government.
Building will begin as soon as the funding can be secured and when Parker has ticked off on the final designs.
The indoor stadium will boast up to eight squash courts and a 3000-seat venue with roll-in-roll-out seating for Canberra Capitals matches and marquee events for other sports.
The university has taken over the licence for the Capitalsthis season and the new stadium and soccer field could be complete just 15 months after contruction starts.
Officials will reapply to the federal government for funding in the coming months to ensure its future.
It's understood Capital Football is considering its financial contribution to the field, which will cost an estimated $5 million.
The university's aim is to integrate elite sport with its growing student base to offer a unique study opportunity in Australia.
The venues will be used by local, national and elite sporting teams and university students will have access to the development for research and the physical literacy program.
The indoor venue will also be open for community access for indoor cricket, futsal, volleyball and netball to generate revenue to pay for sporting programs.
The ACT Sport Hall of Fame walk will be opened next week at the $16.5 million sporting commons while the AIS has also invested in the facility with a $500,000 altitude room.
The new indoor venue would be built adjacent to the Brumbies facility to create a sports-hub connection and the stadium for the soccer venue would be attached to the indoor courts.
The initiative is aimed at integrating university studies with sports, giving students access to all of the facilities and athletes to help them gain valuable experience for their degrees.
