Monash Council has been exploring opportunities to improve the Waverley Women's Sport Centre site to maximise women's participation in sport and enhance the appeal, community use and functionality of the precinct.
In March 2021, Council endorsed a significant precinct plan for the Waverley Women's Sports Centre (WWSC).
The sports centre at Jells Park supports women's participation and development in sports, in particular netball and softball and is home to the Waverley Night Netball Association and Waverley Softball Association.
The precinct plan outlines an aspirational design to enhance the appeal, community use and functionality of the site. The precinct plan will guide the future planning, sport facility and infrastructure provision at the WWSC over the next 10-15 years.
The development of the precinct plan was fully funded through a State Government grant. It is recommended that future improvements to WWSC be undertaken in six stages.
The centre is a significant location for providing pathways for girls and women to participate in sport, from the grassroots level to state representation.
Council has already received $2 million from the State Government for stage 1, an upgrade of the outdoor netball courts, currently underway. All other remaining works (stages 2-6) are subject to Council budget approval and/or external funding, detailed design and community consultation.
The community was invited to have their say on the draft precinct plan last year with almost three quarters of respondents being people who use the facilities, including players and spectators.
The feedback showed that almost half (46%) of the responses in support of the draft precinct plan wanted to see general improvements to the overall amenity of the area, followed by specific improvements to sporting facilities (21%), safety (16%) and aspects like lighting (11%).
For more information, please see:
Report to Council meeting - 30 March 2021(PDF, 675KB)
Waverley Women's Sports Centre Precinct Plan(PDF, 7MB)
Appendix A: Engagement Summary(PDF, 1MB)
Additional Clarification on Draft Report Feedback(PDF, 743KB)
Enquiries: Call 9518 3581 or email recreation@monash.vic.gov.au
2020 consultation
At the 25 August Council meeting, a draft Waverley Women’s Sports Centre Precinct Plan was approved for public exhibition.
Consultation on the draft Precinct Plan closed on Friday 9 October 2020. All submissions and comments were reviewed and considered before a final Precinct Plan was presented to Council for consideration and endorsement.
Draft Waverley Women’s Sports Centre Precinct Plan(PDF, 7MB)
Report to Council 25 August Meeting(PDF, 165KB)
Attachment - Background Report(PDF, 3MB)
July 2019 consultation
We wanted to hear from you about what you think about how this precinct could be improved. The consultation closed on Sunday 28 July 2019.
All survey responses and submissions were considered in the development of the draft Waverley Women’s Sports Centre Precinct Plan.
The area we are focusing on (see map above) is at 2-30 Jells Road, Wheelers Hill (corner of Jells and Waverley Roads) and is owned by Council and is located immediately adjacent to the Jells Park Regional Reserve which is managed by Parks Victoria.
Council has appointed Insight Leisure Planners and Fitzgerald Frisby Landscape Architecture (FFLA) to investigate and develop a precinct plan for Waverley Women’s Sports Centre,
The project will entail extensive consultation with a range of stakeholders, together with the development of a sports precinct plan that will support the development and delivery of women’s sport particularly the sports of netball and softball.
The study area includes the Waverley Women's Sports Centre, specifically the Waverley Netball Centre (4 indoor and 8 outdoor courts) and the Waverley Softball Centre (pavilion plus 10 diamonds/fields).
The Sports Centre provides a regional venue for the delivery of netball and softball competitions in Melbourne’s east. The Waverley Women's Sports Centre is the home to the Waverley Night Netball Association, Waverley City Netball Association and Waverley Softball Association.
Following the consultation, an Integrated Site Plan (ISP) will be developed to help inform future development and improvement opportunities for the site.
Current Facilities and Use
The Waverley Women’s Sports Centre is a sport and recreation hub for the area and contains both active and passive recreation spaces including:
- Netball centre – 4 indoor and 8 outdoor netball courts
- Softball centre – pavilion and 10 softball diamonds
- A social recreation area with a play space
- Access road and car parking
The Waverley Women’s Sports Centre is the home of the Waverley Night Netball Association and Waverley City Netball Association (Netball Centre complex) and the Waverley Softball Association (sports pavilion). It provides a regional venue for the delivery of netball and softball competition in Melbourne’s east.
The precinct is more broadly used by:
- Local residents
- Recreational and dog walkers
- Casual users
- Walkers/joggers/recreational cyclists
- Wider community
- Local schools
- Borders adjacent facilities e.g. Jells Park (Parks Victoria managed) café, playground, lake and recreation areas
More information
For regular updates on the precinct planning process, please subscribe to page updates (at the bottom of this page) or contact:
Recreation Services
Phone: 9518 3581
Email: recreation@monash.vic.gov.au
Precinct Planning Process
The Precinct Plan will be a document that:
- Establishes Council’s vision and objectives for the provision of sport and recreation facilities at Waverley Women’s Sports Centre (including the Waverley Netball and Softball Centres)
- Provides a strategic approach for the future provision of sport and recreation facilities for Monash and surrounding communities into the future
- Provides a reference to determine the suitability of any proposed works within the Reserve and its facilities
- Will assist Council in seeking funding for improvements within the Reserve and its facilities.
Project Key Stages
It is anticipated that the project will be delivered in five key stages:
- Stage 1 (May-June 2019): Background & Needs Assessment - information gathering, research and literature review,
- Stage 2 (June - August 2019): Integrated Site Plan (ISP) and Consultation – ISP development, and stakeholder engagement and community consultation,
- Stage 3 (Sept - Dec 2019): Development Options - issues, opportunities, options and concepts,
- Stage 4 (Aug- Dec 2020): Draft Precinct Plan – consultation and development of a draft precinct plan for the study area (incl. Waverley Softball and Netball Centres and the broader reserve), including designs, evidence based costs and business cases,
- Stage 5 (Late 2020/Early 2021): Final Precinct Plan for adoption by Council (inclusive of centre/precinct development priorities).