CASSANDRA PALMER-FIELD AND ELOISE LE GROS
Following their win on the weekend the Queensland Firebirds have been rewarded with new training centre to be built at Nathan.
The Firebirds defeated the NSW Swifts 69-67 in the Trans-Tasman Cup.
The team battled through a gruelling 80 minutes of play to seal the win, with star shooter, Romelda Aiken snaring the crucial two points for victory.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk gave the project to create improved facilities the green light on Sunday afternoon.
“My government is committed to build a new home for Queensland netball. It’s a popular sport and we want to encourage it at all levels from those girls just starting to play to those elite athletes playing for the Firebirds and the Diamonds,” she said in a joint statement with Treasurer and Minister for Sport, Curtis Pitt.
Ian Brown, CEO of Netball Queensland welcomed the initiative.
“This is something we have been lobbying for [government support] for many years,” Mr Brown said.
“The new centre will create an optimal environment for players to develop their professional skills in a purpose build indoor facility,” Mr Brown said.
The centre will be located at the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre and will hold eight netball courts.
It will be the first specialised indoor netball centre in Queensland.
Mr Pitt had previously announced local architectural firm BVN would be the project architects for the $30 million dollar facility.
Previously, the Firebirds had to train at varying locations, often schools which is a stark contrast to other Brisbane teams who have state of the art facilities at their disposal, such as the Broncos.
It is only fitting that one of Queensland’s most successful teams has their own stomping ground to inspire more involvement into the sport and to continue their stellar success.
The expected completion date for the centre is late 2017.
To relive the Firebirds historic win see the footage below.
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Purple Reign Extends to Nathan