Kingston were proud to be awarded the contract in December 2019 to construct Stage 2 of the LMRFF, a facility of international standard catering for vast numbers of footballing prodigies from the Hunter Region. Based in the heart of Lake Macquarie at Speers Point, the facility is the home of the Newcastle Jets Football Club and has been used by the Australian Men’s & Women’s National Soccer Teams, as well as International rivals, as a training facility in the lead up to major international tournaments such as Football’s Asian Cup.

Stage 2 of the development has allowed the facility to expand to include a new amenities building for the turfed field to the south of the main arena’s synthetic pitches. The Amenities Building included new Change Rooms, a Seminar Room with operable wall, a Manager’s Enclosed Office, Open Plan Communal Office Spaces, Referees Facilities, a First Aid Room, Public, Staff & Accessible Toilets, Store Rooms, Staff Room, and Ancillary Offices. Works also involved providing perimeter fencing to the field, including the installation of a 6.5m high fence in front of the new facility to protect it from damage during games and training. Large rainwater collection tanks were also installed for water recycling & re-use within the facility.

The management of Acid Sulphate Soils was the major complication associated with the project. This was successfully managed by encapsulating the excavated materials within the under-croft of the building, under the supervision of environmental scientists who witnessed and approved key milestones during the works. Due to the need to keep all of the contaminated earthwork materials on site, which was a cost saving initiative for the project, the project required the fast-tracking of any and all works requiring excavation. This ensured compliance of the works to the Environmental Protection Authorities’ requirements.

“I just want to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to your team for a great job at Speers Point. Their unwavering support, professionalism, knowledge and experience allowed the project to be delivered within a reasonable time and within a reasonable budget considering current COVID-19 conditions.”
– Danny Dragosetti – Superintendent