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Why do you need to upgrade Victoria Park’s oval lighting?

• The current lights used at Victoria Park are not energy efficient, and are approaching the end of their safety lifecycle.

• The current lighting infrastructure is not fit-for-purpose. It fails to light the entire oval, preventing the whole of the oval to be used at night. This creates uneven wear-and-tear on a publicly-owned facility.

• Inadequate lighting of the oval during evening training is an ongoing health and safety risk to our players and coaches.

• The Hampden Football Netball League has short to medium term plans to introduce longer game schedules across its draw, that requires all participating Clubs to host evening football and netball matches. Victoria Park is currently unable to host these, due to Victoria Park’s inadequate lighting infrastructure.

• Like many local community groups, KFNC has suffered a a decline in volunteer availability post-COVID. Extending game day schedules, to have all football and netball teams playing on one day (rather than across two days as currently occurs) will help ease this burden.

• KFNC’s participation is increasing, particularly in the space of ALFW (women’s football). This increases the number of training sessions that need to be held during the football season, extending the time the oval needs to be used during the evening.

• An increase in particpation, particularly in the women’s competition also means it is likely more games will need to be held at Victoria Park. Having functional, adequate oval lighting provides the Club with more options to host games.

 

How often will the lights be on?

• April-September each year - Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from sundown to approximately 8pm. This is similar to current use patterns.

• We estimate a 5-10% increase in facility use within the first two years of installation. This equates to approximately 4-9 additional evenings (maxiumum) between April and August each year, when a twilight or evening game may be played at Victoria Park. (Currently we do not host any twighlight or evening games). These events are likely to occur on either a Friday or Saturday evening.

 

How many lights will there be?

• The light towers will be halved in number, from eight to four.

 

How bright will they be?

• Playing standard lights requires a ‘lux’ capacity of 200. Our current lights provide a lux capacity of approximately 80.

• On training nights, the lights will be set to a lower lux capacity, of around 100-150 lux.

 

Will the upgraded lights be energy-efficient?

• Yes. This is a high priority for KFNC. We are applying for the most energy-efficient lighting available under the current State Government program.

 

Could this cause disruption around Victoria Park?

• We do not believe so. Games played under lights in the South West Winter are typically over by 7.30pm. All lights will be directed to shine on to the oval, to create minimum impact on any surrounding properties or commuity assets during training and game times.

 

How do other Clubs pay for these lights?

• The same way we hope to – via Government assistance, in-Club fundraising and,private support and where possible, in-kind contributions of labour or expertise. This is how KFNC led the installation of the current training lights at the facility’s netball courts.