Lightwood Park set for major upgrade

Liam Watson

Kingborough Lions United Football Club (KLUFC) has confirmed details of a new $6 million changeroom and clubrooms complex at Lightwood Park, with imminent construction representing a big boost for football in Tasmania.

KLUFC President Brian Downes said that once the new complex is completed, it will contain eight changerooms on the ground floor with added club rooms, catering facilities and seating upstairs, making football more accessible for 558 players and thousands more that either play or volunteer each month.

“Kingborough Lions United FC takes very seriously its role within the local football fraternity and the broader Kingborough community as a provider of quality facilities and the provision of opportunity for men, women, boys and girls to play football at levels,” Downes said.

“The new building and improved facilities will enhance participation and delivery of all services the club offers to the Kingborough community for many years to come.

“On behalf of the club, I would like to thank the State Government for their support committed during the recent election campaign and through the Levelling the Playing Field program, as well as the Kingborough Council for their contribution.

“Following a tender process, we’re delighted to announce local company Maveric Builders will build Stage 1 of the project, which is expected to be completed by late November.”

Downes added that local business Clennett’s Mitre10 has also signed on as naming rights sponsors of Lightwood Park.

“As a proud member of the local community, Kingborough Lions United FC is actively working with the local business community to attain and develop long term partnerships in conjunction with the investment,” Downes said.

“We’re thrilled to announce we have partnered with well-known and much respected local business Clennett’s Mitre10 who will be the new naming rights sponsor of Clennett’s Lightwood Park.”

Downes elaborated that the club were seeking a further $3 million funding from the Federal Government to finish Stage 4 of the project.

“The additional funding from the Federal Government will not only allow for the total completion of the new building, but will also allow for further improvements around the main ground including an improved playing surface, new lights to 500 lux standard and improved security and fencing,” he said.

Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley explained the improvements would greatly increase the likelihood of Lightwood Park being selected as a Base Training Camp for the upcoming 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“With world-class facilities for Australian rules and cricket just across the road at the Twin Ovals, it’s wonderful that football will soon be able to follow suit in the Kingborough region, giving Lightwood Park the very best chance of being selected to host World Cup content,” Bulkeley said.

“I’d like to congratulate the club, and thank the State Government and Kingborough Council for getting this exciting project off the ground.”

Previous ArticleNext Article

Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Avatar
Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

Avatar
Image Credit: Shutterstock

Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend