From Bellingen Shire Council
The Connell Park Sporting Precinct will have its official opening on Saturday 11 April with a community fun day and official opening ceremony.
Bellingen Shire Council, along with the Connell Park Sporting Committee, and Community Aquatics, the manager of the Bellingen Swimming Pool, are inviting the community to join in all the fun and games to celebrate the opening of the new, upgraded sporting facilities.
The largest sporting facility in the Bellingen Shire, work has been underway in Connell Park since 2023, with the construction of new netball courts. The precinct has been closed since September 2024, with improvement works undertaken for the playing fields, construction of two amenity buildings and public toilets, as well as landscaping improvements, new lighting, paths, fencing and footbridges.
Bellingen Shire Council Mayor, Cr. Steve Allan, is looking forward to a chance to celebrate with the community and showcase the new facilities.
“I know the community is looking forward to using Connell Park again, and we’re excited to finally be able to show off our new, state of the art facilities that our teams have been working hard to get completed before the Autumn sport season kicks off,” said Mayor Allan.
“We’re inviting the community to participate and watch a range of games and activities put on by our local sporting clubs, as well as enjoy a free sausage sizzle, free access to the Bellingen pool, and be there to witness the official opening of the Park.”
“This project has only been possible through the support of the NSW Government, through the provision of several grants, Cricket NSW, who funded the training nets and new wickets, as well as a significant contribution from Council. We are grateful to have had this support, so that our community can have access to high quality sporting facilities.”
Bellingen Shire Council General Manager, Mark Griffioen, said the Connell Park Sporting Precinct project has been a multi-year, multi-million dollar investment into the capacity and wellbeing of the Bellingen Shire.
“These big projects ask a lot of a small regional council such as ours, but when they are completed, the rewards and benefits to the community are significant and ripple out to the whole community,” said Mark Griffioen.
“I am particularly proud of our teams and contractors who have built the amenity buildings, installed fencing, coaxed and cajoled the turf until it covered the entire sporting field, landscaped, built paths and footbridges, all while working around natural disasters and the myriad of challenges that occur during a project like this.”
“The opening of the park is a big moment for the Bellingen Shire, and I look forward to being a part of the opening day celebrations, seeing this precinct come to life and handing the park back over to the community.”
For more information on the Connell Park Sporting Precinct opening celebrations, including the schedule of events, please visit our website or follow our Facebook or Instagram page.