Sill: Box Hill City Oval Update

The Box Hill City Oval Redevelopment Project has a bold vision to realise this significant asset and return it to a premier community and sporting facility in line with current community expectations and needs.

The Board of the Box Hill Hawks are proud to be working towards the delivery of this project – eager to share each step along the way – but write this knowing there’s much work to be done and we cannot complete it without your support.

I’ll share more about how you can help shortly…

Since conceiving the vision for the Box Hill City Oval Redevelopment Project we have been working with a range of stakeholders, including representatives of local and federal government, regional sports clubs, administrative bodies, community groups and charities.

We’ve taken great encouragement from these conversations, having secured significant in-principal and financial support from Whitehorse City Council.

Further, we’ve received endorsements from the AFL, Box Hill Cricket Club, Sion Girls College, Whitehorse Colts Football and Netball Club, Life Victoria and Football Integration Development Association, Victorian Amateur Football Association and support from the Hon. Gladys Liu, Member of Parliament for Chisholm.

Importantly, these discussions have revealed a shared vision of and commitment to the benefits of this project.

We envisage the new Box Hill City Oval as a welcoming, highly utilised facility, catering for its high-performance football and cricket programs for both female and male athletes and user groups and, crucially, greater accessibility for people of all abilities to enjoy.

A revitalized and reimagined Box Hill City Oval shapes as a key pillar in the evolution of the area, the development of its local athletes and would deliver increased community connection between not just the Box Hill Hawks and our public, but the various stakeholder groups – groups such as local clubs, schools and community groups, who would be afforded
unprecedented access to what would become the region’s pre-eminent sporting and cultural venue.

Whilst we congratulate the organisations located in the South and West of
Melbourne which recently received crucial funding, we remain concerned that the cultural and sporting hub of the eastern region, Box Hill, has been forgotten and left behind.

Situated equal distance between Melbourne’s CBD and the foot of the Dandenong Ranges – an area home to 839,000 Victorians and Melbourne’s second biggest CBD – City Oval’s orientation determines that in its current state it is an under-utilised asset, unable to realise its full potential.

Once completed the venue would be replete with many noteworthy amenities, including dual gender capacities – a significant upgrade in its own right. This alone would accommodate for the growth in demand for women’s sport, breaking down barriers to participation and development.

Additional amenities include a universal access design linking up Bolton Park and City Oval for dog walking and bike riding, flexible office space, multi-use community rooms as well as upgraded lighting and benchmark football, cricket, coaching, administration and broadcast facilities.

We expect that via Monday-Friday access for local community groups and sporting bodies use of the site will number 250,000-plus local residents and families and 2,300-plus community sports participants training and competing on the venue per year.

This is not a project purely for the betterment of the Box Hill Hawks, but one that strengthens our relationship and shows our support for the wider community, establishing Box Hill City Oval as the foremost community and sports venue in one of the state’s fastest growing and most diverse corridors.

As for how you can help, we have attached a petition to this letter. As a member of our community your signature shows your support for this project and would be greatly appreciated.

Ed Sill
President, Box Hill Hawks