Portarlington football, netball, tennis, and cricket clubs have a new home advantage thanks to the completion of upgrades at Portarlington Recreation Reserve, backed by the Victorian Government.
Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant today joined Federal Member Libby Coker, as well as representatives from the City of Greater Geelong and local clubs to officially launch the upgrades, made possible by a $3.15 million state government investment.
Portarlington is one of the Bellarine Peninsula’s booming towns, with a growing demand for local sports facilities.
The project delivered an upgrade and extension of the pavilion to now include two change rooms and amenities suitable for women and girls, trainers’ room, two umpires’ change rooms, accessible public amenities, a first aid room and storage room.
For cricket fans, upgraded facilities at the popular reserve include a refreshed synthetic cricket wicket and multi-use enclosed cricket training facility.
The project also delivered two LED scoreboards for local netball and football, and a shed for the Bellarine Agricultural Society.
The car park is also bigger with 100 parking spaces, accessible parking bays, and new lighting to improve access and safety.
Together, the upgrades are a major boost to local footy, netball, cricket, and tennis as well as the Bellarine Agricultural Society and the local community. There are now better opportunities to gather, meet, get active and develop local programs.
The Victorian Budget 2025/26 is providing $20 million to support the development of high-quality, accessible community sports infrastructure across the state, including through the Local Sports Infrastructure Fund.
This brings the Victorian Government’s investment in community sport and active recreation infrastructure to more than $2.4 billion since 2014.
From oval upgrades to new pavilions, investments like these are all about creating jobs, stimulating local economies, and improving the health, wellbeing, and social outcomes for Victorian communities.
Alison Marchant MP acknowledged the Federal Government for its $600,000 commitment from the Investing in Our Communities Program, and the City of Greater Geelong for its $14,500 contribution and commitment to delivering the project.
For more information about infrastructure grant opportunities available through the Victorian Government visit sport.vic.gov.au.
Quotes attributable to Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant
“These new upgrades mark a major step forward for local sport in this growing Bellarine suburb, creating more opportunities to participate, strengthening development pathways, and attracting major events to the region.”
“High quality sport and recreation facilities make it easier for Bellarine locals to get involved, enjoy the many benefits of community sport, and lead healthy, active lifestyles.”
