Warringah MP Zali Steggall OAM has helped secure over $7 million in funding for the Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club’s Centre of Excellence and the Mosman Municipal Council’s Middle Head Oval Amenities Building and Community Gathering Spaces Project announced December 4 through the Federal Government’s Thriving Suburbs Program.
The $5.15 million grant to the Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club will ensure the success of their new Centre of Excellence at Nolan Reserve in North Manly.
Artists Design Impression: Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club's Centre of Excellence
The Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club is recognised as one of Australia’s premier gymnastic clubs, offering programs to all ages and abilities through competitive, recreational and inclusive activities. The new facility, to be built in partnership with the Northern Beaches Council, will be recognised by Gymnastics Australia and Gymnastics New South Wales as a Centre of Excellence for high-performance gymnastics and trampoline. It is also designed to cater for all sports including aerial movements, such as snow sports, diving, skateboarding, surfing and acrobatics through the Clubs NSW and NSW Institute of Sport endorsed Aerial Academy.
The $2 million grant for the Mosman Municipal Council will enable an upgrade to the amenities building and associated works at Middle Head Oval improving public amenity, sporting and in demand community use spaces for locals and visitors. The Middle Head Oval is the home ground of the Mosman Swans Junior Australian Football Club and these critical upgrades will enable the construction of new female friendly player and umpire changerooms.
Zali Steggall stated:
“I welcome the $7 million in grant funding which will help nurture both grassroots sports participation as well as broader athlete development. Both projects will help to enrich the Warringah Community by encouraging more sports participation and opening up new opportunities for aspiring athletes”
“This funding, which I have continually advocated for on behalf of the Club and will add significant economic and social benefit to the local community.”
“The funding will enable a sustainable, state-of-the-art project to go ahead helping to nurture future sporting success and supporting the talent pathway to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.”
“With over 70 per cent female participation at the Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club, the funding will safeguard female sporting success, bringing wider benefits to the whole community.”
''Funding for upgraded amenities will bring a significant enhancement to the Middle Head Oval and deliver a more accessible, welcoming and inclusive space for all players.”
Construction of a 3,000 sqm world class indoor gymnastics Centre of Excellence at Nolan Reserve in North Manly will progress in 2025 thanks to Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club (MWGC) securing a $5.15mllion grant from the Commonwealth government.
In partnership with the Council, MWGC will develop a state-of-the-art, multi-sport facility which will serve as a premier venue for community recreational sport, national elite training clinics, competitions and coach education.
MWGC have a 30-year lease arrangement with the Northern Beaches Council and the construction and operation of the facility will be fully funded and managed by MWGC at no cost to Council.
Mayor Sue Heins welcomed the announcement of the Thriving Suburbs Program grant from the Federal government today, which will supplement a grant from the NSW state government of the same amount.
“This is great news for local gymnasts and for the Northern Beaches,” Mayor Heins said.
“Securing the funding means MWGC can now get on with transforming the former North Manly Bowling Club site into a modern, state-of-the-art facility to meet the growing needs of recreational and professional gymnasts for many years to come.
“The MWGC offers programs for all ages and abilities, from babies to seniors, and currently boasts a membership where over 75 per cent are women, with a majority under 12 years of age. With a new purpose built facility, they will be able to further expand their programs as well as continue their successes at the elite level.
“When complete, the Centre of Excellence will become one of NSW’s most significant hubs for gymnastics and trampoline sports.
"With construction underway across the road for a new golf clubhouse, squash and tennis facilities, North Many will soon be home to a range of fantastic new recreational facilities."
The DA for the Centre of Excellence was approved in August this year.
Council entered a Public Private Partnership with the Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club following a multi-step evaluation process beginning in 2021 with a call for proposals from community and sporting organisations on the future use of the space.
Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club stated:
''We are thrilled to announce that we have secured a Federal Government Thriving Suburbs grant to contribute to the construction of our proposed facility.
This investment, combined with the NSW State Government Centre of Excellence grant, means we can proceed with the construction of the new facility to transform MWGC for our athletes, our community, and gymsports across NSW.''
To ensure that the development truly becomes a Centre of Excellence, MWGC are undertaking a philanthropic campaign to raise funds for new, state-of-the-art equipment. This will enable MWGC to provide best-practice coach development opportunities and to offer athlete travel and training scholarships, as well as increased accessibility for their inclusion programs.
Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club CEO David Krantz is thrilled with the grant news. "A lot of work has gone in to this project by the MWGC team and Board over many years. This gives us the building - now let's come together and make it a Centre of Excellence.”
This historic moment in the club’s 45-year history will empower a new era of growth and success for the Club, operationally allowing better financial sustainability and creating vastly improved access to equipment and training flow for all athletes.
To find out more please visit: www.mwgymclub.com