Thursday, 14 November 2024

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (14:51): (911) My constituency question is for the Minister for Community Sport. How is the Victorian Labor government’s $3 million investment towards modernising Coburg City Oval continuing to support local health, wellbeing and recreational outcomes through the Coburg Lions football club? The Coburg Lions football club is one of the oldest continuous sporting clubs in Victoria and indeed Australia. Formed in 1891, the club has continued to punch above its weight and do the Coburg community proud for 133-plus years. Playing out of City Oval since 1915 and first admitted to the Victorian Football Association in 1925 and the VFL in 1996, Coburg has proudly won numerous premierships, including its iconic back-to-back 1988 and 1989 flags. In 2023 the club proudly entered the Victorian Amateur Football Association Premier Women’s competition, a new chapter for the club’s history. Now with over 1300 members, 10 men’s, women’s and juniors’ teams and over 200 players, the club is going from strength to strength. I am proud that we have invested over $3 million towards City Oval’s redevelopment of the grandstand, new female-friendly change rooms, community spaces, the new Bachar Houli Foundation and the Coburg Central revitalisation. I commend Michelle Johnstone, Nick Byrnes and Liz Kelly on their efforts.