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An east Auckland sports club has received more funding to help it achieve its goal of building a high-quality facility to cater to the wider community.
Pakuranga United Rugby Club (PURC) wants to provide indoor sports courts plus associated facilities including an expanded gymnasium, new change rooms, toilets, storage, and administration rooms at an expanded facility to be named the Howick Pakuranga Community Sports Centre (HPCSC) at its premises in Lloyd Elsmore Park.
The club has reason to celebrate with the news Auckland Council is awarding it a further $5,571,061 toward the development.
“It’s relatively unprecedented to receive a grant of this amount and goes to show Auckland Council understands our vision and potential to be a real community hub in east Auckland,” PURC chairman and HPCSC spokesperson Robert Neil says.
“We’re excited this expansion of the facility will allow us to host more of the community in a wider array of sports and other activities.”
The new funding adds to $2,423,939 the project received late last year, taking the total amount received to $7,995,000, and comes from the council’s Sport and Recreation Facilities Investment Fund.
HPCSC currently encompasses the Lloyd Elsmore Park grounds and facilities which are home to PURC, Pakuranga United Netball Club, Pakuranga Touch Rugby module, Lloyd Elsmore Park Badminton Club, affiliate sports clubs Tamaki Lighting American Football Club and Howick Pakuranga Baseball Club.
It’s recently become the new hospitality venue of the Howick RSA.
The new funding is going towards adding additional space and indoor mixed-use courts to expand the centre’s ability to cater for more sports and community groups.
Neil says he’s grateful for the council’s confidence in the project.
The club submitted one of several applications for funding, each of which had to meet the relevant guidelines before being assessed on capability, achievability, project and funding status, he says.
“Demand for indoor sports continues to rise, yet east Auckland has a significant shortage of courts, forcing many local athletes and teams to seek facilities outside the region.
“The centre’s expansion is designed to increase participation in sport, recreation and wellness activities, ensuring people of all ages have access to high-quality facilities.”
Neil says the council funding is a “critical step”, but emphasises the project is far from complete and requires a further $4m of financial support from the community.
A fundraising campaign is set to be launched, inviting businesses, supporters and community members to contribute to help bring the vision to life.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring something special for east Auckland.
“With your support, we can turn this vision into reality.”
PURC general manager Mike Bongiovanni previously told the Times the club wants to expand its footprint and to offer more activities for the local community.
“There’s the rugby club itself and then there’s the gymnasium,” he said about the club’s existing facility.
“The gym is used 11 hours a day 364 days a year, so a couple of years ago we had an idea.
“We thought let’s expand it to put in basketball courts … and more badminton courts.”
Demand and feasibility studies done as part of the club’s previous funding application show there’s a need for the new facilities, it meets the relevant criteria, and it’s commercially viable from “day one”, Bongiovanni said.
The development would provide a “home” to other sports codes such as basketball so they “wouldn’t have to constantly be fighting for space”.
As part of the process, the club has provided tours of its facility to the council and Howick Local Board.
It also received letters of support from Sport Auckland, Basketball NZ, Howick Pakuranga Baseball, Howick Pakuranga Netball Centre, Lloyd Elsmore Park Badminton Club, Howick Local Board and East Auckland Volleyball.
- For more information on how to support the development, contact PURC general manager Mike Bongiovanni at gm@purc.co.nz or 021 576 786.
