St John’s Regional College students got a brief but exciting chance to try out the school’s new multi-million dollar sports precinct at the end of first term before home schooling became the norm.
As the second part of its stage one upgrade, the college has installed a FIFA accredited soccer pitch as well as three new basketball/netball courts with an all weather roof, a 100 metre synthetic running track and an irrigated football oval and softball diamond.
Former Socceroos captain Paul Wade was due to visit his former school in March and open the new sports precinct.
However, Covid-19 put an end to those plans.
Principal Tim Hogan said Wade had agreed to come back later in the year to present the inaugural Paul Wade Cup to the winning primary school teams involved a round robin soccer event to be held on the new pitch.
Mr Hogan said the Paul Wade Cup would become an annual tournament involving 8 Catholic primary schools in the Dandenong region.
The new sports precinct has also been embraced by the wider community. The college has entered into a partnership with the Melbourne Chinese Soccer Association which will play matches there on a Sunday.
The pitch will also be used by the Greek Olympiacos Soccer Academy for training on Saturday mornings, while the basketball court is used as an overflow facility for the Dandenong Basketball Association.
“This is a fantastic facility which generates opportunities for our students and the wider community,” Mr Hogan said,
The sporting precinct is part of a master plan which has been in development since 2017. Stage one involved the construction of a new administration building.
Stag two will involve a new $5 million junior STEM building, which will commence construction at the end of the year and be ready for learning in late 2021.
The college has also applied for grants for a new senior STEM and art centre.
When all stages have been completed, the college will have invested between $25 and $30 million in new facilities and buildings.
