The atmosphere at a Gators game is electric.
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The Shepparton crowds are unmatched, and the love of sport is ingrained deep into the culture.
But the facilities no longer support the ever-growing demands Shepparton’s currently facing.
Shepparton knows the sports stadium is past its prime.
As part of Greater Shepparton City Council’s Australian Government Priorities 2025/26, a new Shepparton Sports and Events Centre has been proposed, transforming Greater Shepparton’s place not only as a major sporting hub but as a larger events hub.
With federal government funding, this project would be a game-changer for Shepparton.
Built in 1972, the stadium hasn’t seen any major upgrades in three decades.
These courts can barely meet demand for basketball games, let alone for other sports.
Council has identified several areas of the stadium in need of improvement, including:
- Non-compliance with disability access standards
- Non-compliance with basketball major tournament requirements
- Non-compliance with other major sporting codes such as netball and badminton
- Insufficient parking (including accessibility parking) and connectivity pathing to access the facility
Seating is another major issue, with only bleacher seating on one side of the stadium and smaller temporary seating on the other.
With the fast-growing popularity of basketball fuelled by the Shepparton Gators’ success in the past few years, this has become a major issue, especially during 2023’s Big V division one men’s grand final clash.
Eight hundred people attended that game, with hundreds turned away.
With appropriate facilities, the number courtside could’ve been over 1000.
Gators player Tom Frame has played hundreds of games in his long career.
At his role at The Bucket Centre, he’s seen first-hand how important basketball is to Shepparton’s youth.
“It would mean a lot to our club, to our kids, so that’s what we want to see,” he said.
Mr Frame said there were many challenges playing at the ageing facility.
“Wet weather stops us from playing on certain ends of the court,” he said.
“The leaks in the roof are quite dramatic and there’s a chance of injury each time we’re on here.”
Basketball Victoria general manager David Huxtable said it “fully” supported council’s push.
“Basketball Victoria has seen consistent strong growth and demand for a number of years and at a statewide level our participation numbers represent around four per cent of the population,” he said.
“The Shepparton area exceeds the state average for participation and has seen strong growth over a number of years.”
Basketball would not be the only sport to benefit from the proposed stadium.
Sports including netball, pickleball, volleyball and badminton could also utilise the courts.
Badminton Australia chief executive Tjitte Weistra said the organisation supported the proposal.
“With the huge growth of badminton in Shepparton and surrounds, the new venue will offer much-needed capacity for the local badminton clubs and associations but equally important, improved opportunities to host state and national level events,” he said.
“We have seen a huge demand for events in Shepparton due to the growth of our sport ... the proposed new events centre will allow for future growth and bring more teams and participants to Shepparton.”
Council has been working towards a solution to fulfil the growing needs of the community, supporting a wider variety of sports and events to bring Greater Shepparton in line with other Victorian regional hubs.
What’s on offer at the new Shepparton Sports and Events Centre?
– Construction of four basketball/netball/multi-use national standard compliant courts
– Show court with seating for up to 3000 people
– A multi-purpose room that can host stadium programming, events and corporate functions
– Inclusion of a sports house/administration space for the stadium, event organisers and other sporting users
– New change rooms with the capacity and flexibility to cater for males, females and gender fluid sporting players/teams, officials and for elite competition standard competition
– Family friendly and accessible (including ‘changing place’) change rooms for visitors with mobility and special needs and visitor amenities
– Entry, lobby, cafè and reception
– External works including access roads, signage, landscaping, pedestrian footpaths and crossings, bicycle parking, bus drop-off and crossovers and car parking
To achieve this, council is asking the federal government for $20 million to bring the proposal to life.
Council is also asking the Victorian Government for $8 million, alongside $4 million from council, for a total $32 million investment.
City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali said it was a shovel-ready project.
“We have the designs, we have the costings, and we are ready to bring this game-changing project to life,” he said.
“Once completed, the Shepparton Sports and Events Centre will significantly increase sporting opportunities for residents and visitors to the region.
“It will provide a positive boost to the economy, with the facility enabling us to host major events, building on our reputation as the sporting capital of regional Victoria.”
The stadium redevelopment would be a turning point for Shepparton, creating a regional hub to serve the wider Goulburn and Murray regions.
This means Shepparton could host events at state, national and international standards across all levels in various sports.
“It is ‘game on’ for the Shepparton Sports and Events Centre,” Cr Sali said.
“The time is now to get this project done.”
Journalist