OCT gives $600,000 for turfs
Football South confidence in goal
ONE of the Otago Community Trust’s larger recent donations has got Football South twothirds of the way to its funding target for two artificial turf sports fields at Logan Park.
The trust yesterday announced $600,000 for the project, less than a month after the Dunedin City Council agreed to provide $1 million.
Football South chief executive Chris Wright said last night he was now confident his organisation could raise about $1 million it needed to ensure the $3 million project went ahead.
The new pitches in Dunedin would be built on fields bordered by Union St East and Logan Park Dr, next to the already upgraded changing rooms.
Intended as a multiuse facility, it would include one field with football markings, one with both football and rugby, as well as an artificial cricket wicket in the middle.
It could also be used for recreation by the general public.
The project has already attracted $425,000 from the new Fifa Forward programme.
Trust chief executive Barbara Bridger said the donation was the largest in the trust’s latest round of funding, and one of the larger amounts provided recently.
She said Football South had put a lot of effort into research, and the trust supported the Logan Park site chosen as it was close to a lot of other sporting codes.
‘‘It was hard to find fault in their rationale. It’s a winwin.
‘‘It’s really good for Dunedin to have an international facility like that on its doorstep.’’
Mr Wright said his organisation would go to other funders over the next three to four months to make up almost $1 million it required.
The plan was to get that funding approved by October or November.
The trust’s donation was ‘‘absolutely amazing. We’re hugely thankful.’’ Football South was confident of receiving the rest of the money it needed for ‘‘a huge project in terms of community impact’’.
It was hoped to have the sportsfields in place for next winter, meaning they should be built by ‘‘this time next year’’.
‘‘If we can achieve, that we’ll be pretty happy.’’
The Waikouaiti District Museum Society received a $100,000 donation from the trust to assist with the cost of building a new exhibition centre.