Gisborne netballers ‘rapt’ with progress on new Victoria Domain courts despite delay

The project to rebuild the netball courts at Victoria Domain is running two weeks behind schedule, but the netballers are rapt with progress nevertheless. Photo / Murray Robertson

The netball fraternity is “rapt” with progress on the transformation of the Victoria Domain courts in Gisborne despite a two-week delay in completion.

The project now looks set to be finished by the end of May or early June.

It is the first phase of a multimillion-dollar project that will see the domain turned into a multi-sports hub.

Contractors Siteworx Civil are building a brand new court layout, complete with a complex under-court drainage system, court borders and a new playing surface.

Contractors Siteworx Civil continue to make steady progress with the project, which includes extensive drainage improvements. Photo / Murray Robertson

“It’s very exciting to watch it coming along,” said Gisborne Netball Centre manager Allisa Hall.

“To know we’re not far away from something that we’ve wanted for a long time.

“Our community deserves to have good netball courts to play on, so it’s awesome.”

Concrete drainage channels have been constructed around the bounders of what will become the next playing surfaces at the Domain. Photo / Murray Robertson

Hall said three of the courts previously played on were too small, and the court layout went the opposite way to what Netball New Zealand preferred.

The new layout will run north to south, as opposed to east to west.

“We’re rapt that all of our new courts will be the correct size and run in the right direction, and we’re rapt with progress towards that goal.”

Hall said the new design will give them a long-lasting structure for their game.

“That’s awesome for our netballers,” Hall said.

“The ‘D-Day’ date for completion of the project was May 19, but now it’s out to about May 31.

“We intend to start our competition on May 24 and that will happen, despite the delay.”

As a result of the survey done with the membership earlier this year, the centre decided to do away with a grading round this season.

“Instead, we will run two competition rounds, with the shape of the grades decided by the centre board, and then a finals round.

“Due to the two-week delay we will run our opening rounds at alternate venues,” she said.

“Premiers will obviously still start in the YMCA.

“We will run the traditional opening tournament, the Kathleen Henderson, at the end of the season as something a bit different.”

Hall said they have set the season up around an ‘end date’ and worked back from that.

Victoria Domain continues to be a hive of activity as the new netball courts take shape. Photo / Murray Robertson

Project architect Dan King from Architects 44 confirmed on Tuesday the project was running two weeks later than expected.

“The job’s going well, but there has had to be some redesign work needed, as happens whenever you’re digging in the dirt,” King said.

“We are happy with how the job is going, given the size and scale of it.”