FAQs

The Coffs Coast is a renowned sporting destination on the Mid North Coast of NSW, and is home to numerous local, regional, state, national and international sporting competitions and events.  The Coffs Coast Sport and Leisure Park (CCSLP) including the C.ex Coffs International Stadium (Stadium) is central to many of the sporting events in the Local Government Area (LGA), being known as the region’s premier multi-purpose sporting precinct in Coffs Harbour.

Coffs Harbour City Council has planned the development of the Coffs Coast Regional Sports Hub Project.This is a 4-stage project and commenced with the ‘Building an EPIC Stadium for the Future’ project, which increased player and spectator facilities at the C.ex Coffs International Stadium.  Stage 2 of the project involves the initiation of sports infrastructure development at the north western area of the precinct, currently an undeveloped area, to deliver 3 new fields, two of which are synthetic, allowing for increased capacity for competitions and player, training and coaching development.  Stage 2 of the project will also provide new and upgraded facilities to further provide for inclusive needs of athletes and spectators who compete in the region, along with connectivity throughout the entire precinct, linking the neighbouring health and education campuses with the sporting precinct which adds to the overall provision for the sporting community.  

The project will also:

• Physically and strategically connect the Coffs Harbour Health Campus, the Coffs Harbour Education Campus, and the Coffs Coast Sport and Leisure Park Precinct. 

• Increase levels of participation for local sportspeople

• Strengthen performance pathways for pre-elite and elite athletes

• Connect the sports sector and other complementary services physically and through shared provision for athletes and research students

• Increase economic returns through delivery of more and larger events

• Deliver on planned development of sports facilities, infrastructure and opportunities, with sporting facilities that meet the user needs of all genders and people with a disability.

Stage 2 will deliver an increase in the provision of sporting assets that will benefit multiple sports from local through to regional, state, national and international levels, as well as improving vital connections throughout the precinct to neighbouring partners.   Stage 2 will deliver:

• Three new rectangular fields 2 synthetic and 1 turf, with Australian Standard lighting. The turf field will have sub surface drainage and irrigation

• New amenity block including inclusive change rooms and officiating rooms, canteen, bar and storage rooms to service the new fields 

• Additional facilities to increase provision of the existing amenities to include new regional standard inclusive change and officiating rooms, storage areas and canteen 

• Car park and access road for the new fields and much needed major event parking  

• Linkages and connectivity throughout the precinct which incorporates new shared paths for pedestrian and cycle traffic around the facility and between the precinct and the education and health campuses  

• Business case and further studies for a proposed regional indoor sports facility, (stage 3) within the Coffs Coast Regional Sports Hub footprint 

Stage 2 of the Coffs Coast Regional Sports Hub maximises the potential of the Coffs Coast Sport & Leisure Park as a multi-sport facility and provides significant alignment and opportunity for ongoing partnership with neighbouring assets such as Southern Cross University and Coffs Harbour Health Campus.

Economic modelling suggests that the project will have significant local economic impact, with: 

• 68 local jobs created during construction

• Over 9 jobs created into the future due to increased events

• $5.08 million value add economic impact during construction

• $1.1 million annual economic impact into the future (output)

• An additional $2.57 million in value add and 20 extra jobs within NSW. 

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• Coffs Harbour City Council has committed financial resource of ($2.5m funding) and land resource (Land Value -$2m) to the development of Stage 2 the Coffs Coast Regional Sports Hub after committing significantly to Stage 1.  

• The balance of the project ($10m) is through the NSW State Government’s Regional Sports Infrastructure Fund (RSIF) to deliver benefits to the social, economic and physical health of the local community and the regional area.

The Coffs Coast Sport and Leisure Park precinct where the Regional Sports Hub is located comprises of 16 hectares of sporting facilities and fields that service Football, OzTag, AFL, Cricket, Touch Football, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Baseball, Hockey and Athletics at district, regional, state, national and elite level.

The Regional Sports Infrastructure Fund (RSIF) application requires approved applicants to complete work within three years of executing the grant agreement (all works complete by December 31, 2021). 

The Coffs Coast Regional Sports Hub Stage 2 is planned to commence January 2019, and the construction program has been developed around meeting both RSIF grant requirements, as well as maintaining expected levels of service for contracted major events at the Coffs Coast Sport & Leisure Park precinct throughout the project. 

To achieve this, the Regional Sports Hub Stage 2 project is broken into 2 distinct phases of construction being the Building Works and the Civil Works. Each of these phases are further broken down using separable portions in the contracts to ensure new works are completed and useable before major events periods begin each year, and to minimise disruption to the community at large and avoid peak tourism periods.