The 2021 Ken Gannon Awards have been announced with the Santa Teresa Oval Project claiming the award as the winner for the Northern Territory.
The Santa Teresa Oval Project is a $811,500 project in the Central Australian community of Santa Teresa. In partnership with Atyengenhe Atherre Aboriginal Corporation (AAAC) and Melbourne Football Club, Arid Edge transformed the once rocky football oval into a lush, green paddock bringing to life the ‘MCG of the Desert’.
After four years, the Santa Teresa community, 80kms from Alice, relaunched their re-grassed oval in June 2021, along with goalposts from the MCG and brand-new lights at 100 lux.
The development benefits the Ltyentye Apurte Football Club and the community of Santa Teresa.
The Ken Gannon Awards recognise best practise in community football facility development across Australia, along with the people, clubs and other stakeholders driving the best projects.
These awards are funded by the AFL’s Australian Football Facilities Fund which partners on $50M worth of community football facility projects benefitting more than 100 clubs each and every year.
Ken Gannon Awards 2021 - State & Territory winners (with total project cost):
- WA (National Winner): Lakelands Park Sporting Complex, $7,900,000
- NSW/ACT: Community Clubrooms for AFL in the Northwest - Pennant Hills Demons AFC, $2,080,000
- NT: Santa Teresa Oval Project, $811,500
- Qld: Ferny Grove Falcons – New Change Room Project, $1,100,000
- SA: Norwood Oval Redevelopment, $10,682,500
- Tas: Brighton Regional Sports Pavilion, $6,480,000
- Vic: Coburg City Oval Redevelopment, $6,715,000
To view case studies of the winning projects, click here
Images of winning projects available: click here
AFL Executive General Manager of Game Development, Rob Auld, said: “The winners of the Ken Gannon Awards are remarkable examples of best-practice development that benefit the game and communities across Australia.
“The AFL is proud of its investment into the game and the facilities we use. We are currently involved in more than 200 facilities projects in development or underway across the country at all levels of the game, from elite through to grassroots. The scale of facilities development benefiting football is unprecedented and is due to the growth of the game nationally, particularly in female football.
“Significant support from all levels of government is needed to make projects like these happen, which align strongly to the AFL’s aim of providing well-positioned, welcoming, accessible, fit-for-purpose football facilities that support our growing game’s strategic priorities.
“With participation growth, and the ongoing surge in the popularity of football for women and girls, the planning and development of fit-for-purpose infrastructure plays a vital role in ensuring the game can continue to cater for everyone who wants to be involved.
“To cater for growth in the game, the AFL aims to develop one new oval per week for the next five years, which will result in 250 new football ovals across the country in that time.
About the AFL Ken Gannon Community Football Facilities Awards
The Ken Gannon Community Football Facilities Awards recognise best-practice facility development across the country. The awards are assessed by looking at the impact a project has consistent with the AFL’s aim of providing well positioned, welcoming, fit-for-purpose football facilities that support our growing game’s strategic priorities.
AFL state and territory bodies identify their best community football facilities project of that year according to that criteria, which then places that project in the running for the National Award, pending assessment by the AFL National Facilities Panel in conjunction with Ken Gannon.
Ken Gannon had a decorated career across many areas of the game, including as Chief Executive of the Geelong Cats and AFL Victoria. Ken spent much of the last decade of his career developing the AFL’s interest and partnerships in the community facilities space, leading outcomes related to more than 800 community football facility projects in that period.