When my family and I moved to the Bellarine more than 20years ago, one of the first ways we got to know people was through local sports.
Saturday mornings at the footy, weeknight soccer training, a tennis match or two in the sun. That’s how friendships started – not just for the kids but for us as parents, too.
Sport connects people. It’s more than a game – it’s a community, and that’s one of the reasons I’m so proud to see council adopt the Ocean Grove Sporting Infrastructure Plan 2025.
The plan sets out the priorities for improving sporting reserves across Ocean Grove and Wallington to ensure our community can keep participating in a diverse range of sports and recreation activities.
Ocean Grove and Wallington are growing and by 2035, the population is expected to reach more than 24,000 people.
That’s a big jump, which means we will have more kids signing up for AusKick, more soccer teams hitting the pitch, more netballers on the courts and more families filling the sidelines each weekend.
They all deserve good facilities.
Over the past five years, participation in most sports has grown steadily.
Soccer numbers are up by 77 per cent. Footy has increased by nearly 50 per cent and netball by more than 40 per cent.
That’s a great sign of a healthy, active community but our current facilities are under pressure.
This new plan maps out how we can ease that pressure and support local clubs to thrive.
The Ocean Grove Sporting Infrastructure Plan considers three pillars to guide local sporting infrastructure into the future, including facility provision to meet community need, efficient operations and sustainability, and access and inclusion.
The key directions outlined by the plan are relocating the Ocean Grove Soccer Club to a purpose-built facility at Devlins Road Reserve, the conversion of Shell Road Reserve with a second oval and further infrastructure upgrades across all six local reserves.
Across the six major reserves in Ocean Grove and Wallington, the plan outlines upgrades like better change rooms, accessible facilities, extra cricket nets and more.
It also keeps a strong focus on inclusion, making sure women and girls, people with disabilities, and people from all walks of life feel welcome and supported.
While this plan focuses on the provision of outdoor sporting infrastructure, it also acknowledges broader trends across the sporting network.
Indoor sports like basketball and emerging sports like pickleball are being planned for in the Geelong Indoor Recreation Facilities Strategy. This will help meet the overwhelming demand in Ocean Grove.
This plan reflects what the community has told us. It’s shaped by the people who use these reserves every week – the coaches, the players, the parents on fruit duty and the grandies in folding chairs.
It has also been created from a thorough analysis of the existing facilities and usage trends.
Sport has always brought people together in Ocean Grove. This plan makes sure it continues to do that, with better spaces, more opportunities, and stronger clubs for years to come.
I’m really proud to see it move forward and I look forward to cheering on our local teams from the sidelines for many years to come.
