- Published:
- Thursday 27 November 2025 at 5:16 pm
Victoria’s State Sport Centres Trust (SSCT) venues have generated more than $363 million for the economy in the last financial year, providing world-class facilities for community users and athletes playing and training at any level.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos celebrated the release of the Social and Economic Value of State Sport Centres Trust report which highlighted the results, including over 3.1 million attendees across SSCT facilities, including 58 major events in 2024/25.
The Trust oversees four iconic sporting venues across Melbourne, including the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC), State Netball and Hockey Centre, Lakeside Stadium and its State Athletics Centre, and Knox Regional Sports Park which incorporates the State Basketball Centre.
All venues play a critical role in Victoria’s sporting sector by hosting a diverse range of community sporting events, activities, and programs. They generated more than $27 million in social benefits and supported 2,200 full-time equivalent jobs through economic activity enabled by SSCT venues.
The venues also provided modern facilities for 2.3 million users across Victoria, with more than 90 schools utilising the range of sporting sites for over 900 events.
At the professional level, the facilities host regular world-class events including Men’s and Women’s National Basketball League fixtures at the State Basketball Centre and elite track and field at Lakeside Stadium, highlighted by the Maurie Plant Meet.
They are also pivotal in supporting our national teams including the Opals in their FIBA Women’s Asian Cup preparations at the State Basketball Centre, MSAC hosting Olympic and Paralympic level training for a range of sports and Lakeside Stadium hosting training camps for our Socceroos and Matildas.
Under the Trust’s leadership, these elite sporting venues help maintain Victoria’s place as Australia’s sporting capital which contributes to the state’s $3.3 billion major events sector.
These results are possible thanks to the transformations in recent years, highlighted by completion of the Labor Government’s $132 million State Basketball Centre redevelopment in 2024 and $64 million redevelopment of the State Netball and Hockey Centre in 2021.
For more information on the Social and Economic Value of State Sport Centres Trust report, visit; https://statesportcentres.com.au/.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos
“Sport is in the blood of every Victorian and it’s through the work of the State Sport Centres Trust that anyone can play the sport they love at modern and elite sporting venues.”
“This report highlights why SSCT venues are ‘venues of choice’ and essential in supporting community sport and recreation through to high performance and professional teams, as well as major events.”
Quote attributable to State Sport Centres Trust CEO Kate Roffey
“The State Sport Centres Trust venues are the only world-class sporting venues in Victoria that are accessible to community users on a daily basis.”
“Every day, you will find casual swimmers, little athletics participants, school netball groups and local basketball groups; swimming in the same pool as Ariarne Titmus, running on the same track as Gout Gout, playing netball at the home of the Vixens, and shooting hoops where the Phoenix play.”