Sutton Park lighting the way for Ipswich’s future athletes
29 May 2024
A lighting upgrade to Sutton Park in Brassall will see young sports stars shine brightly following the delivery of the $171,000 project by Ipswich City Council.
The Queensland Government provided $143,000 and Ipswich City Council $28,000 to the Sutton Park lighting upgrade, to enable local residents to participate in sport and recreation activities.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said council was investing in the city’s sporting fields to ensure council was keeping pace with the rapid growth of Ipswich.
“We are building for the future, and we want our infrastructure to embody our city’s quality of life and liveability. We want our city to be active and healthy with a variety of activities, facilities and services on offer for all to take part,” Mayor Harding said.
“Ipswich’s fields and ovals, trails and tracks, pools and courts attract athletes of all ages and abilities. In the lead-up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, fostering participation in sport is a major focus for the region.
“The new lights were identified as a priority and will ensure the relevant Australian standards for local football will be met through delivering a greater opportunity for games and training sessions at night.”
Member for Ipswich Jennifer Howard was pleased to represent the Minister for Sport at the official opening of the new lighting facilities at Sutton Park.
“The Queensland Government is proud to invest in local sporting facilities and parks and lighting is a pivotal part of that,” Ms Howard said.
Ipswich City Council Division 4 Councillor David Cullen said as the city continues to grow and welcome new residents, demand also continues for increased and upgraded sporting facilities.
“Council is committed to maintaining and improving our city’s parks and sports grounds wisely through careful consideration and prioritisation of new and upgraded open spaces and sporting facilities across Ipswich,” Cr Cullen said.
“This new lighting upgrade is another example of how council is working with the local community to deliver what is needed.”
Division 4 Councillor Jim Madden said sport plays an integral role in the lives of Queenslanders of all ages.
“Our sporting clubs contribute so much to our local communities and it’s critical that they have safe, compliant and competition-worthy facilities to ensure their futures for our local sports people,” said Cr Madden.
“We continue to upgrade our facilities to produce the next generation of athletes ahead of the 2032 Games and support our local legends who grace our fields each weekend.”
Sutton Park is one of two home grounds for the Ipswich City Football Club, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary next year and has almost 900 members.
Ipswich City Football Club Vice-President Andrew Want said the lighting upgrade was a welcome addition to the growing club’s facilities.
“With the existing lights having reached their end of life, this modern upgrade is timely and means we can now train and play competition-grade games at night,” Mr Want said.
“The upgrade to LED lighting also means we can keep our operational costs down and pass on those savings to our members who have growing cost-of-living pressures.
“As volunteers keeping the club running week-on-week, we are very grateful to council and the state government for enabling us to offer our members high-quality facilities while also minimising costs.”
The lighting upgrade is the latest improvement at Sutton Park where a $1.6 million modern skatepark, jointly funded by council and the State Government, was previously opened.