Campbell Town wins 2019 AFL Ken Gannon Community Football Facilities Award

Posted on October 22, 2020

The Campbell Town War Memorial Oval was recently announced as the Tasmanian winner of the 2019 AFL Ken Gannon Community Football Facilities Award, which annually recognises best practise in community football facility development across Australia.

Lauded for its emphasis on community consultation and high-quality inclusive amenities, Northern Midlands Council contributed $2.3 million towards the redevelopment.

Mayor Mary Knowles OAM said the oval redevelopment aimed to provide an AFL-standard facility and foster inclusivity for female athletes as well as provide the community a high-quality multi-use space.

“With a large proportion of the Tasmanian population located outside the major cities, Campbell Town provides a central location between the three football regions (north, north-west and south) to bring together talent for competitions and programs that benefit Tasmania both on and off the field,” Mayor Knowles said.

“However, the facility needed a significant improvement in order to be able to deliver amenities and programs that our communities deserve.

“The Oval now features inclusive changerooms which are able to be reconfigured depending on the amount of rooms required, as well as a first aid room, meeting rooms, kitchen, bar and function room which overlooks the well-maintained oval.

“The oval’s lighting was also upgraded from 50lux to 200lux and we’ve introduced an electronic scoreboard, enhancing the atmosphere and allowing the oval to be used for more evening games.

The Campbell Town War Memorial Oval Development Plan included thorough community and stakeholder consultation, with extensive involvement from the AFL.

“Council worked closely with AFL Tasmania, consulting the community, local businesses and potential new user organisations throughout the process, ensuring the project would respond to both the immediate and future needs of the community.

“With its new facilities, the Campbell Town War Memorial Oval can continue to host high performance sporting programs and support the development of Tasmanian talent. The multi-purpose space also enables community use outside of the sporting arena,” Mayor Knowles said.

Newly appointed Chief Executive of AFL Tasmania, Damian Gill, said Campbell Town was a really important community football facility as it was ideally positioned with respect to Tasmania’s three football regions and was brilliant for bringing the state together.

“It is an important hub for the local community and a flexible multi-use facility, with the recent developments enabling use for a wide range of user groups that visit or reside in Campbell Town,” Mr Gill said.

A total of $3.2 million was invested in the facility, including $150,000 from the Australian Football Facilities Fund and $750,0000 from the Federal Government.

Northern Midlands Council has also recently completed the installation of a new interchange bench at the oval, designed and built by members of Council’s Works Department, with assistance from an external contractor.