Unveiled on Tuesday at the Charles Sturt University’s Dubbo campus, the new Western Region Institute of Sport will include sporting and fitness facilities for athletics, soccer, gymnastics, tennis, indoor cricket, netball, basketball and cycling. 

It will also include a new $6 million PCYC facility (in conjunction with Dubbo Regional Council), an administrative hub and car parking. 

With future potential for a FIFA Standard Synthetic Soccer Field and 24 outdoor courts already in the planning, the new hub will be a boost for athletes across the region. 

No longer would they have to travel to the major cities to train at world-class facilities, with the future planned tennis facility to be only the second venue in NSW capable of holding international level tournaments. 

Many athletes who train in regional towns currently have to look further afield to find training grounds to help them progress in their chosen sport. 

The new facility will mean they can grow up and live locally, while also utililised the first class facilities the new hub will have to offer. 

Local sporting clubs will benefit from the state-of-the-art facilities they may not have access to at the moment, without having to travel considerable distances. 

And those from the wider region will also benefit. Many would have family and friends in Dubbo they could meet up with at the same time as they use the facilities, and again travel is an important factor when you live in our region. Athletes from towns such as Bathurst, Orange, Parkes and Cowra would be closer to home if they were to visit the new facility to train – a benefit for them and their families. 

The provision of the multi-sports facility in Dubbo would cater not only to the indoor sporting needs of Dubbo residents but to the needs of residents in the wider region. 

And it’s not just good for our athletes either. The new sporting hub is estimated to generate a net present value of the net cash flow of approximately $13.46 million. 

Athletes and their families will come to Dubbo to use the facility, and at the same time there will be a boost to our economy as they utalise accommodation and eateries around the town. 

The new hub is a win-win for the whole region.