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Last year, the state experienced a 7.9 percent rise in overall player registrations increasing from 56,232 to 60,689 players. However public facilities – many run by councils - are struggling to cope with demand.

Independent research in mid-2010 found that 59 percent of clubs said they had to turn away more than 5,500 potential players.

The research also found that 32 percent of councils said their football facilities were worse than those of other sports.

And with the powerful and cashed-up AFL often able to exert influence at local government level to assist their game, Victorian football has had to battle for every inch of space at grassroots.

With this in mind, te Knox Regional Football Centre will be important in providing high level facilities able to be used all-year round for a variety of clubs and players.

The venue will have nine floodlit, all-weather FIFA standard synthetic pitches complemented by a full sized synthetic pitch, with an emphasis on community access.

The centre, located in Wantirna South in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, is a partnership between FFV (Football Federation Victoria) and Knox City Council as part of Council’s Eastern Precinct Project.

The venue is set to open in October with FFV signing a lease with council that will see state body run it for the next fifteen years.

And with the introduction of the ‘Football Fives’ five a side tournament, this “hub” will give the football community the opportunity for 25,000 extra matches each year, say FFV.

On Wednesday, au.fourfourtwo.com visited the venue. Chris Hain, Knox Regional Football Centre Manager, said the venture would greatly assist the code to meet demand from grassroots players 12 months of the year, day and night.

“Our business model is all about more people playing more football more often,” he said.

“Even if it’s just more people playing five-a-side it just means more growth for us and more people playing the beautiful game.

“The business model for the facility was driven by the area [in Knox] being a major growth corridor in Melbourne.

“We’re seeing a lot more juniors playing in this region which is stretching existing facilities,” Hain added.

The FFV say money made from the centre will go into re-investing in the game.
The hope is that other regions and zones in Victoria will have similar ventures with local councils.

“The survey we’ve done of clubs has told us that the biggest barrier to entry to the game is access to the right number of facilities, and clubs must turn players away.

“Not that they don’t want them, they just don’t have the capacity,” said Hain.

Football Fives will be holding their first five-a-side tournaments at the centre in October. The top two teams from each tournament will qualify for a champion’s tournament, with $5000 as first prize.

Hain added: “This centre provides some extra capacity and hopefully here we can demonstrate to this council and other local government councils that this is the sort of investment they should be making to their communities.”

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