With early works now well underway on the North East Link, the Andrews Labor Government will deliver a massive boost to local sporting facilities so clubs can keep playing during the construction and operation of the project.

The North East Link project will build six brand-new pavilions and deliver major upgrades at 19 sports grounds to support football, cricket, soccer in the northern and eastern suburbs.

The project will lay 13 MCGs worth of new synthetic and natural turf – doubling the usage to 60 hours a week at some grounds – and deliver better lighting, new pavilions, better security and female-friendly change rooms.

During the construction of North East Link, 18 sports clubs will move to upgraded grounds located nearby their current facilities.

Works on the sports club improvement program will start later this year, giving clubs time to settle into their new facilities and avoid project construction impact at their current grounds.

Currently competitive community sport is not taking place across Victoria due to the current coronavirus restrictions.

The $68 million investment will ensure the more than 20,000 players from 31 sporting groups and associations that use the grounds have high-quality facilities.

The North East Link Project team has been working closely with sports clubs, councils, schools and landowners for over two years to find the best places to deliver these massive upgrades. An interactive map will keep clubs informed about individual site updates and where sports club relocations will be happening in the area.

It comes as works ramp up on the North East Link project, including the first of at least 30,000 trees being planted this week. Belle Vue Primary School is the first location to receive more than 2,000 indigenous and native trees and shrubs in one of Victoria’s largest ever tree planting programs.

As works ramp up in the north, a site compound is being set-up at Borlase Reserve in Yallambie, to support key works including moving more than 34 kilometres of pipe and drain and over 95 other utilities to make way for way for major construction to start in 2021.