Penno wins metro facilities prize
The Pennant Hills Demons Football Club has won the Ken Gannon Award for NSW/ACT’s Metro Project of the Year.
Members of Pennant Hills’ committee accepted the award from Federal Member for Berowra, Julian Leeser MP, at the club in May.
Pennant Hills’ received the award for developing new community clubrooms for the use by Senior and Junior AFL Clubs, which included installing a commercial kitchen, meeting rooms, spectator viewing facilities and bar.
The $2.08 million clubrooms provide a first-class community facility that caters to players, families, and the broader Pennant Hills community.
The new facility was necessary. In the past eight years, the senior club has grown from fielding three teams to 11 in 2022 (five men’s, four women’s, one U19s and one masters).
Before this development, the club had no access to any indoor clubroom or facility at their home ground at Greenway Park. Players, club members, volunteers and spectators had only a small awning where they could shelter from the elements.
The completed development allows around 250 people to gather in the clubrooms, with both indoor and outdoor viewing options of both home fields at two oval facility.
Thank you to the $1.98 million funding contribution from the Commonwealth Government and Congratulations to Pennant Hills on building this wonderful new club which will be enjoyed by your community for years to come.
Looking ahead, the Hornsby Shire Council has been successful in securing a grant from the NSW Government towards Stage 2 of the project which will include universal changerooms. Pennant Hills Demons, Westbrook Bulldogs and AFL NSW/ACT thank the NSW Government for its support and look forward to collaborating will all stakeholders to successfully deliver this next stage.
About 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. Ken retired in 2019.
Photo L-R: Stewart Woodward (Football Operations), Mark Lean-Fore (Westbrook President), Mr Julian Leeser MP, Paul Vink (Facilities), Ian Parker (Vice President)
