By ANEEKA SIMONIS
RICHMOND Football Club will now manage all of Cardinia Shire’s major recreational facilities.
Aligned Leisure, a 100 per cent owned subsidiary of the Richmond Football Club, successfully won the tender to manage Cardinia Shire Council’s eight major recreation facilities including Cardinia Life, Pakenham Regional Tennis Centre and four seasonal outdoor pools.
The contract will also include two soon-to-be-opened facilities, Officer Community Hub and IYU Recreation Reserve – synthetic (soccer) pitch.
With the new sites set to open in 2016, it is expected that over one million people will visit these sites annually, according to Richmond CEO Brendan Gale.
“Elite-level football is highly competitive, and it is critical we identify opportunities to diversify and grow our business where it makes strategic sense. It is bold, innovative and has been a long time in the planning.
“While decisions such as these are about our future, they are also about strengthening the community in which these facilities will operate. We look forward to providing Cardinia Shire residents with outstanding service and unprecedented value beyond that through our school and sports programming.”
Cardinia Shire Mayor Jodie Owen said the tender process had been an exhaustive one and she was thrilled to announce that Aligned Leisure would manage the facilities and deliver unprecedented value to the local community.
“We are excited to be commencing this partnership with Aligned Leisure. In addition to the management of our facilities, Aligned Leisure’s commitment to the shire will extend into the delivery of an award-winning fitness, nutrition, diversity and resilience program,” she said.
“This program will now be made available to all primary schools in Cardinia Shire free of charge. This is only one example of the programs, services, activities and events Aligned Leisure will provide to our community”.
Cr Owen said the agreement was expected to deliver almost $2 million in additional community value.
Aligned Leisure will commence management on 1 July this year.
