An Update on Our New Club Facilities
Today we wanted to give the entire Sharks family a long overdue update on the new club facilities at Sutherland Sharks FC.
For those who might not be aware of exactly what is being built, the new facility is designed to serve as a central hub for all Sutherland Sharks activities. It will feature new changing rooms, a brand new cafe and seating area, a comfortable lounge area and dedicated space for coaching staff to perform video reviews with their squads. The building will also feature additional fitness and rehab facilities for our players and new spaces for meetings and events.
While this will be a fantastic new asset for the club, we all acknowledge that the building process has taken longer to complete than any of us would have liked.
Understanding the Delays
The planning for these new facilities began more than 15 years ago. Once the decision to go ahead was made, the club diligently saved funds as part of our long-term commitment to improving our infrastructure. As the process evolved, the initial plans grew into a more comprehensive and ambitious project to better meet our club's needs.
Unfortunately, this ambition combined with the pandemic and a blowout in construction costs created additional challenges. With the generous support of our major sponsor, Pipe King, we managed to complete most of the final stage of construction under an owner builder model. While this approach allowed construction to continue, it unfortunately resulted in additional delays.
New Committee and Renewed Focus
We are pleased to announce that the new committee has stepped in with a renewed focus and urgency to bring the building to completion. A new project management team has been appointed to work with our existing contractors and a number of new suppliers to ensure that the remaining work is finished promptly and to the standards our club deserves. We are committed to delivering a facility that we can all be proud of as quickly as possible.
Opening Timeline
We are hopeful that the building will be ready to open in the next few months. As we get closer to the completion date, we will provide more details about the official opening event. Thank you once again for your continued support. We look forward to welcoming you to our new home soon and celebrating this milestone together.
Best regards,
The Committee
Sutherland Sharks Football Club