The project will deliver state-of-the-art facilities which will provide Canberrans with world class indoor and outdoor football facilities in the ACT.

The facility will support a range of community and high-performance programs for Capital Football and its affiliated clubs and provide valuable open space for public recreational use.

The project will include the construction of a new Futsal Building that will house two full sized futsal courts and have an adjoining grandstand that will overlook the main enclosed and associated synthetic playing fields.

On the first floor, the building will include office space for Capital Football staff, operational areas, and a multi-purpose function room for match and non-matchday activities.

On the ground floor, a kiosk, changerooms and meeting areas will be provided.

New community sportsground facilities will also be provided and will include grass and synthetic fields and a new sportsground pavilion.

The project budget is $33.5 million with the ACT Government and Capital Football contributing $29 million $4.5 million respectively.

No, the project will be delivered in a number of stages.

A staging plan, detailing what facilities will be provided in each stage, can be viewed on this site.

The site layout has been developed in consideration of number of important requirements and/or site constraints, including the need to:

• Locate the Futsal Building to the north of the site to comply with the setback requirement for buildings of this kind, from a gas pipeline that runs along Horse Park Drive.
• Manage stormwater to ensure flood immunity for infrastructure across the site
• Comply with applicable design standards for the sporting facilities.
• Retain high quality trees where possible, in consideration of the necessary design standards for sporting facilities.

Field size and orientation, site accessibility (in the event of emergencies, for sporting user groups, maintenance staff and media vehicles), site connectivity, parking requirements and the need to build in flexibility to allow the facility to grow into the future, have all been key design factors that have informed the current concept plans.

Yes, the project will be required to obtain all necessary planning approvals through the ACT Planning Directorate.

Given the site currently has a ‘Future Urban Area’ overlay under the Territory Plan, a Technical Amendment will be submitted to lift the overlay. To ensure the zoning requirements align with the proposed use of the facility, an Estate Development Plan will be submitted to re-zone the area around the Futsal Building, main field, and future sports facility development area. These planning processes will be subject to statutory public notification periods.

Yes, environmental and heritage consultants have been engaged to provide advice on the proposed design and to ensure compliance with all environmental and heritage requirements.

Construction is scheduled to commence mid-2022, pending planning approvals.

The ACT Government is working towards completing the works in 2023.

The design and construction of the Throsby Home of Football project will be delivered by the ACT Government in partnership with Capital Football

When complete, the Throsby Home of Football will be an ACT Government asset.

However, a sublease/licence arrangement will be put in place with Capital Football who will manage the ongoing operation and maintenance of the facility into the future.

The impact on the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary is not expected to be significant.

The project team is continuing to work with Sanctuary representatives to ensure the project is carefully managed.

Construction management plans will be implemented, and design considerations in relation to light spill have been taken into consideration.

Just like all ACT Government District Playing Fields, the public will have access to the community facilities for sporting and other recreational activities.

Access to the Futsal Building and the enclosed main competition football field would be restricted, and management will be the responsibility of Capital Football.

The facility has been specifically designed to cater for football/soccer.

While this will restrict its use for other sports, the public will still be able to access and use the community football fields for other recreational activities when the facility is not being formally utilised by Capital Football.

The facility’s design incorporates a number of carparking areas across the site.

There will be a centralised carpark and additional carparking areas that cater for approximately 240 vehicles (which increases to 320 when the facility is fully constructed).

A larger overflow carparking area with space for more than 250 vehicles has also been outlined in the concept plan to cater for peak demand and help take pressure off surrounding streets.

While the facility will generate additional traffic in and around Throsby, a traffic assessment has been undertaken and has confirmed that the existing network is able to cater for the increased demand. The traffic assessment found that while traffic volumes will increase as a result of the development, the intersections will operate at a similar or acceptable level of service in the various peak periods.

The impact of a major event was also considered as part of this assessment. While the event specific traffic volume is outside normal operating conditions, the assessment concluded that the existing network could accommodate increased volumes. During a major event, an ‘event-specific’ traffic management plan would be implemented to help manage the increase in traffic.

The project has been funded to deliver sporting infrastructure and the facilities will primarily service the anticipated sporting user groups.

While a kiosk has been included in the Futsal Building, no other commercial opportunities such as a café or shops will be provided.

Noise and lighting levels are expected to be consistent with similar ACT Government sportsgrounds across the ACT and not expected to impact the nearby residents in Throsby.

Proposed sound and sportsground lighting systems will be designed and installed in accordance with all relevant Australian Standards with noise and light spill (obtrusive light) minimised.

The sportsground lighting systems will be tested during the commissioning phase to ensure they comply with the relevant Australian Standards.

Given that sportsgrounds by their very nature require large open space, some trees will need to be removed as part of the development.

To offset the loss, the project will implement a tree replanting program. The planting of trees will be sympathetic to the nearby Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary.

Any wood from the trees that are removed within the Home of Football site will be used by to improve the habitat for local animals within the Sanctuary.