SPORT in Ballarat has been given an almost $12 million boost with the State Government to announce today a $6.6 million upgrade to Mars Stadium and a further $5.2 million to the Ballarat Sports and Events Centre.
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Mars Stadium will get new entrances, new ticket boxes and covered areas, permanent bathrooms and increased accessible seating in the Western and Eastern stands.
However it is the extra funding for The Eureka Sports Precinct which is set to prove the most beneficial for grassroots clubs with the announcement coming just 10 days after Tourism and Sports Minister Martin Pakula toured the new centre.
The project will include a strength and conditioning centre for athletes and outdoor 3x3 basketball courts.
The State Government has previously given $9 million for the development which funded six new courts for multi-sport use including basketball, netball, volleyball and badminton, a 3000-seat show court, learning rooms and sports medicine facilities.
Wendouree MP Juliana Addison said she was excited the commitment had been realised in the first budget.
"We made history when we brought AFL games to be played in Ballarat for the first time in 2017 and now we're forging ahead making the Eureka Precinct an unrivalled sporting venue," she said.
Today's budget could be a boon for athletes in Ballarat with hopes the State Government will also provide the first stage of its promised $2.5 million for lights at Lake Wendouree and Victoria Park.
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