YEAR IN REVIEW 2019/20 Contents 04 Chairman’s Message 05 CEO’s Message 06 Blacktown Venue Management Ltd 07 Blacktown Venue Management Ltd Board of Directors 08 Blacktown Key Venues 09 Blacktown Key Venues Management Sta 10 Health & Safety 12 2019/2020 Highlights 14 Blacktown Football Park 16 Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney 18 AFL 20 Athletics Centre 22 Baseball 24 Cricket 26 Football 28 Soball 30 Joe McAleer Oval 32 Rooty Hill Leisure Centre 34 Blacktown Tennis Centre Stanhope 36 Blacktown Aquatic Centre 38 Blacktown Leisure Centre Stanhope 40 Charlie Lowles Leisure Centre Emerton 43 Mount Drui Swimming Centre 44 Riverstone Swimming Centre 46 Aqua Learn to Swim 48 Looking forward 50 List of hirers 2 3 Chairman’s message CEO’s message As I look back at my inaugural year as Chairman of The ¡rst half of 2020 also brought tragedy to our door. In It would be remiss of me not to start this message without The development of the BISP International Centre of Blacktown Venue Management Ltd (BVM) I am honoured late March we lost a valued colleague from Charlie Lowles recognising the tremendous group of people I have Excellence (ICTE) continues to evolve and I was pleased to to have led the BVM Board over the past year. Leisure Centre Emerton, Ms Dani Gordon, in a tragic the honour of working alongside. The dreadful bush¡re welcome Dr Neil Gibson as the new Director of the ICTE. In accident. Dani’s loss impacted all at BVM, Key Venues season that befell the country during the summer months partnership with the Australian Catholic Universities (ACU), As a Board we are proud to be the custodians of facilities and throughout our wider Blacktown City Council family. followed closely by the COVID-19 outbreak produced a Blacktown Hospital, Sydney West Sports Medicine and and services that are an integral part of our community. On behalf of the Board and sta we oer our deepest second half of the year that was challenging to say the many others the ICTE will be an internationally-renowned Blacktown Key Venues oversees 11 major sports and condolences to Dani’s family and colleagues. least. The team at Council and BVM have responded facility and will be the centrepiece of the Sportspark. leisure facilities across the City: Blacktown Football Park magni¡cently. I feel privileged to be a part of that (home of Blacktown District Soccer Football Association), This year we also lost a founding member of our BVM Our leisure and aquatic facilities also had an eventful team and I have watched with admiration as Council’s Western Sydney Wanderers Centre of Football, Blacktown family, Mr Graeme Watson. Graeme was intimately year with over 1,800,000 visitors despite a number of days leadership has guided us through these dark days to International Sportspark Sydney, Joe McAleer Oval (home involved with the creation of BVM post the 2000 Sydney being lost due to the bush¡res and COVID-19. Our venues a brighter future ahead. To the BVM Chairman and of Blacktown Cricket Club), Rooty Hill Leisure Centre, Olympics and was a trusted advisor to the BVM Board in hosted numerous school carnivals, the annual Family Blacktown Mayor Tony Bleasdale OAM, to our Deputy Blacktown Tennis Centre Stanhope, Blacktown Leisure those early years. Graeme’s contribution to maintaining Sportsfest, the Mount Drui Festival and many community Chairman Mr Kerry Robinson OAM, to our Councillors and Centre Stanhope, Blacktown Aquatic Centre, Charlie the Olympic legacy in Blacktown is probably lesser celebrations. During the close-down the BVM sta Council’s Executive and to the BVM Directors I thank you Lowles Leisure Centre Emerton, Mount Drui Swimming known than his high-pro¡le sports career as both an have worked incredibly hard to stay connected with our on behalf of all sta for your continued leadership and Centre and Riverstone Swimming Centre. international cricketer and AFL player in the ‘60’s and customers and the local community through information support. What a year for our ¡rst term Chairman! ‘70’s. Aer retiring from sport Graeme carved out a very bulletins, social media posts and E-blasts. Re-opening our We play a major part in keeping our city healthy and successful sports consultancy career and it is here that Despite these challenges the team at BVM still produced centres in June brought welcome relief and joy that we active and it is something we are very passionate about. our paths crossed. Graeme’s help in those early years a memorable 2019/2020. Blacktown International could once again serve our community. We are commied to providing the community with ¡rst was invaluable and is not lost on the current BVM Board. Sportspark Sydney (BISP) hosted 3,915 events and over class facilities, programs and activities across all levels of Earlier this year we sadly lost one of our dearest team Thank you Graeme. 400,000 visitors came through our gates. We continued to sport, leisure and recreation. members - Ms Dani Gordon. Dani was involved in a tragic make our mark on the international sporting stage with Aer what has been probably the most challenging year accident from which she never recovered. Her loss was felt This commitment is demonstrated through the 13 international teams from various codes and countries we have experienced I would like to acknowledge and deeply across Key Venues and the wider Council family. endorsement by Blacktown City Council of the Blacktown including Japan, Korea and New Zealand descending thank my fellow Directors for their continued support, My deepest condolences go out to Dani’s family and the International Sportspark Master plan. A major on the Sportspark for training and competition. Once service and insight. many friends and colleagues impacted by her passing. component of the Master plan is the International Centre again, we played host to a number of exciting sports of Training Excellence (ICTE). We continue to develop the I would also like to acknowledge the ongoing support events including the Soball Australia Paci¡c Cup, the I would also like to pay tribute to Mr Graeme Watson, a ICTE as a world-leading high-performance education, from Blacktown City Council, its Councillors and its Summer Slam Soball Series, the Marsh Community AFL former professional sportsman in cricket and AFL and who sports medicine and recovery facility. The ICTE will open o¥cers. Thank you to Kevin Jones and the Key Venues Series, the 2020 Wheelchair NSW Summer Down Under worked very closely with us in the earlier days of BVM. in 2022. The ICTE will be the centrepiece for the future team for another outstanding year under di¥cult road racing series, training for the ICC Women’s T20 World Graeme lost his bale against cancer earlier this year of Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney and will circumstances. We very much look forward to a more Cup, the LG Twins Korean Baseball Club and the Chinese but his legacy lives on amongst the magni¡cent Olympic cement Blacktown as the sporting capital of Western seled year in 2020/2021 and continuing to work together Taipei Women’s Football team in Sydney for an Olympic legacy venues at BISP that Graeme helped transfer from Sydney. for our community. qualifying game. Olympic oversight to Council custodianship. This last year has had its challenges. The bush¡re A particular highlight of this year was the o¥cial opening Finally, I would like to personally thank the Chairman, crisis started back in September 2019 and wasn’t fully of the Western Sydney Wanderers ‘Centre of Football’. This Deputy Chairman and the Blacktown Venue Management contained until February 2020. Due to poor air quality marked a project 8 years in the making and which has Directors for their advice, guidance and support over the and to ensure the safety of our patrons our outdoor pools created probably the best football (soccer) training facility past 12 months. We are excited about what the future were forced to close on a number of occasions across Mayor Cr Tony Bleasdale OAM in the country. The partnership between the Wanderers holds and we look forward to the year ahead. this period. In late March 2020 the COVID-19 outbreak Chairman and Council goes from strength to strength with the aected organisations all over the world. Consequently, Blacktown Venue Management Ltd Centre of Football the envy of rival football clubs. all of our sports and leisure facilities closed to the public, only reopening in June 2020 as Government restrictions began to li. On behalf of the Board I would like to thank the whole team at BVM for their continued commitment Kevin Jones and dedication through this di¥cult period. Chief Executive O¥cer Blacktown Venue Management Ltd Manager Key Venues As Chairman of Blacktown Venue Management and on behalf of the Blacktown Venue Management Board of Directors it What a memorable year it has been for gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the 2019/2020 Blacktown Venue Management! Blacktown Key Venues year in review. 4 5 Blacktown Venue Management Values: Blacktown Integrity Board of Venue Leadership Directors Selªessness Management Impartiality Accountability Ltd Openness Cr Tony Bleasdale OAM Kerry Robinson OAM Honesty Chairman October 2019 - Present Deputy Chairman Director 2011 - September 2019 2013 – Present Blacktown Venue Management Ltd is a Blacktown Venue Management Objectives company wholly owned by Blacktown To maintain, manage, operate and City Council managing Council’s Key promote any venues and facilities Venues portfolio as a valuable asset for identi¡ed as ‘Key Venues’ as quality local, regional, national and international Stephen Bali MP Cr Susai Benjamin the Greater Western Sydney Community.