Another milestone has been reached in the roll out of the Liverpool Plains Shire Recreational Strategy with the official opening of the new basketball-netball complex at Longfield Park in Quirindi.
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Liverpool Plains Mayor Doug Hawkins and Liverpool Plains Shire Council general manager Jo Sangster welcomed Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson to officially open the facility.
They were joined by representatives from the Quirindi basketball and netball associations.
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Anderson said it is great to open such a fantastic project.
"I congratulate all those involved in establishing the new basketball and netball courts," he said.
"And I encourage locals of all ages to find a team, or even create one, and get playing.
"Basketball and netball provide a wonderful opportunity to improve fitness levels as well as sporting skills, and to mix socially."
The state government backed the project with an allocation of $415,000 through its Stronger Country Communities program, as well as through other contributions.
Quirindi Amateur Basketball Association (QABA) secretary Jenny Golland said the new outdoor basketball/netball courts will make a great difference to the operations of the organisation. She said the combination of the new full sized outdoor courts and the continued use of indoor courts at the High School Community Hall will expand QABA's capabilities and mean that more than one game will be able to be played at a time.
"With the new courts open to the public young players can go and practice and refine their skills at any time which will be beneficial for new and existing players. The restarting of a senior competition may also be a possibility," she said.
President of Quirindi Netball Association (QNA), Jody Kent, says they have been striving for years to build the sport and particularly for juniors but have been hamstrung by a local lack of facilities meaning that both seniors and juniors have had to travel to Tamworth to play their chosen sport.
"These new facilities will allow us to continue to grow our vision and we'll be able to welcome players, who found travelling to Tamworth too time consuming and costly, now we can play at home," she said.
"We have about 40 players registered for 2021 and with the new complex we look forward to many more joining our ranks."
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