The development of Canberra's proposed $24.5m Home of Football in Gungahlin has been delayed and earth will not be broken on the project until the completion of a community consultation process, and development application approval.
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Tuesday's ACT budget revealed funding for the project had been adjusted, with the majority of the $10.47m that was scheduled to be pumped into the project over the last two financial years having been pushed back to 2022-23.
A total of $8m has been estimated for the 2022-23 financial year, while $2.47m has been slated for 2021-22.
Twenty-eight hectares of land wedged between Throsby and Forde have been allocated for the project, although that has been the subject of a heritage site assessment which has considerably slowed the development.
Draft development plans obtained by The Canberra Times also show a small creek on the parcel of land that has been assigned for the development, although the majority of its footprint will be to the east of that body of water.
The project is set to include grass and synthetic pitches, indoor futsal fields and an office complex which will allow Capital Football to relocate from its Deakin offices. A successful development application is required to tick off on the indoor futsal fields.
Capital Football and the ACT Government both remain hopeful the project will be completed in early 2023, in time to potentially be used as a training base by a team participating in that year's Women's World Cup.
Community Consultation is expected to begin in the coming weeks, which the ACT Government's executive branch manager of sport and recreation, Rebecca Kelley, hoped would lead to the first sod being turned by the end of 2021.
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"It's still a possibility this year, otherwise it'll be next year," Kelley said.
"It all depends on the community consultation which we were hoping to get out fairly shortly. But then also the outcome of those other on-site investigations. The timeframe for delivery hasn't really changed. The design for the project is progressing well.
"We're working really closely with Capital Football. In terms of the completion date we're still aiming for 2023. It's just a reprofiling of the funding that's reflected in the budget."
Capital Football chief Phil Brown was hopeful of a 2023 completion.
"We'd love to have it completed by early to mid 2023, should a competing team from the Women's World Cup be looking for a pre-competition or in-competition base," Brown said.
"These things don't just spring out of the ground overnight, they take some time to develop and we want to make sure that the facility that's developed is fit for purpose and delivers what the sport needs for the next 20 years."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
