JL Murphy Reserve pitches 2 and 3 upgrade

The two pitches at JL Murphy Reserve were last upgraded more than 10 years ago and have reached the end of their lives. We're upgrading and resurfacing the pitches to provide a suitable and safe environment for participants.

The new surfaces will:

• provide a safe and consistent playing surfaces all year round
• support the increasing sport and recreation participation levels in our community
• allow for increased use - the synthetic surface (pitch 3) can withstand increased use with less degradation compared with the current pitch
• aim to improve pitch integration including surrounding pedestrian access, layout of fences and gates surrounding the pitch, and the storage of portable soccer goals.

The upgraded pitches will be available for use by the whole community, including local residents, sports clubs, and schools.

It is expected the current users will continue to have access. Additional bookings will be considered based on availability once the upgrade is completed.

As community pitches, the grounds will continue to provide opportunities for multiple sports and users.

JL Murphy Reserve will remain open during the upgrade; however, disruptions may occur around the perimeter of the sportsgrounds. The pitches themselves will be completely closed when the playing surface is upgraded.

All works on the pitches are expected to conclude prior to the start of winter in 2025.

JL Murphy Reserve is a vibrant sport and recreation space at the heart of community activities in Port Melbourne. By installing new lighting and upgrading the pitches, we will be able to have all grounds accessible for night-time training and games (which is already the case). This will enable us to improve scheduling and support increased use of the park.

A lighting plan has been created to efficiently illuminate the sportsground for night-time usage and to have minimal impact on adjacent residents.

The pole locations allow for lighting will be focused directly on the sports ground area. This will eliminate light spill to surrounding areas and properties. Lighting control and centralised programming will also allow light distribution and timings to be precisely controlled.