Published on 03 December 2020

Work begins on $3.3 million Morton Road Sports and Community Hub

Work has begun on the new $3.3 million Morton Road Sports and Community Hub at Christie Downs, aimed at changing lives through sport.

The City of Onkaparinga has partnered with the Roger Rasheed Sports Foundation (RRSF), the local community and state and federal governments, to transform the Morton Road Reserve into an active, family friendly destination.

It will also become a base for RRSF’s free sports coaching and mentoring programs for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The hub’s unique family-friendly skate park will be built first, with design and construction by world-leading skate park designers and builders, CONVIC.

The community hub will also include multi-use tennis/netball courts, junior and youth play-spaces, seating, shelters, barbecue facilities, basketball half-court, irrigated lawns and new public toilets.

Construction will continue in stages with the completed facility opening by late 2021.

The $3.3 million for the project includes $1.5 million from both the City of Onkaparinga and state government, $200,000 from the federal government towards the tennis courts, and $100,000 from the RRSF.

But the council and RRSF are seeking additional funding to help fully realise the hub’s vision, which includes outdoor lighting, and athletics/running track, outdoor exercise equipment and additional multi-use courts.

A prospectus is available for those interested in partnering with the council and RRSF, whether via in-kind or financial contributions.

Progress of the Morton Road Sports and Community Hub can be tracked online via City of Onkaparinga’s Your Say page.

City of Onkaparinga Mayor Erin Thompson

“The Morton Road Sports and Community Hub will be a truly life-changing place for southern families.

“We know how important sport and recreation are to our city and our way of life, so having a facility like this on our doorstep is a major boost for our communities’ ability to stay active and healthy.

“I’d like to thank everyone who provided feedback on the designs of the hub and skate park – your ideas have helped create an amazing space for the community to make this place the best it can be.”

Roger Rasheed, Roger Rasheed Sports Foundation

“This is our third and by far, our biggest project and undertaking in South Australia. We are really excited to finally break ground and can’t wait to be operational to start helping the community and those kids who really need it most.

“Access to regular sporting activities and ongoing mentoring programs can make a difference to kids in all areas of their lives. We have seen this impact firsthand through the success of our other programs.

“The hub itself and the programs the foundation will deliver across a variety of sports will meet a desperate need for the families in this community. We know sport can change the lives of kids and that is what this project and our foundation is all about – giving extreme disadvantaged kids access to a better life by giving them access to sport.

“We have the opportunity to send a powerful and positive message to the community through this project and use sport as the vehicle to help make a real and long-lasting change.”

Vickie Chapman, Minister for Planning and Local Government

“The Morton Road Sports and Community Hub at Christie Downs is a perfect example of what can happen when local and state governments team up to build what matters.

“This is exactly the kind of project the Marshall Liberal Government wants to support and encourage, to enhance public infrastructure and community areas through the Open Spaces and Places for People Grants.

“The next round of grants is now open, with $20.4 million on the table to ensure more projects like this get off the ground.

“I encourage local councils to assess their ‘wish list’ and have a good think about which projects fit the grant criteria.”

Katrine Hildyard, Member for Reynell

“Having worked on this for a number of years with our community, the City of Onkaparinga and the Roger Rasheed Sports Foundation, I am so pleased to see it now taking shape and am grateful for everyone’s collective work towards it.

“Sport and recreation engages and includes people, and gives many a sense of belonging; this development, and associated coaching and mentoring, provides enormous opportunities for the young people of Christie Downs and our whole southern community to get active and involved.”

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Roger Rasheed and Erin Thompson walk through Morton Road Reserve; artist impressions of the sports and community hub