Millington Reserve Karrinyup new Sporting and Recreation lighting

The City of Stirling has recently delivered new sports and recreation floodlighting upgrades at Millington Reserve in Karrinyup, significantly improving the facilities for both Junior and Senior AFL clubs. The new lighting meets the Australian Standards and now delivers better training and evening match play opportunities to support the growing participation numbers and deliver more opportunities for local athletes to get involved in sport. 

Given the increasing growth in female participation and the existing number of females players involved in Scarborough Junior Football Club and Scarborough Amateur Football Club, the new lighting supports and enables increased opportunities for females.

President of Scarborough Junior Football Club Ben Boyce said these upgrades will enable the Junior female fixtures to be held at home, rather than relying on other clubs’ venues. 

“These lights are important for the growth of the club, having lights means we can have our girls teams playing at home.” he said. 

The project was part of the City's 2023/24 annual budget for sports lighting reserve improvements, the project was funded with $250,000 from the City, an additional $50,000 contributed by the State Government through an election commitment from Stuart Aubrey, MLA and Member for Scarborough.

The installation of new energy-efficient LED lighting produces 100-Lux levels of light compared to the older 50-Lux metal halide lights. These upgrades comply with the Australian Standard and deliver a more direct and energy efficient approach to lighting the sports field. 

Joel Ashman President of Scarborough Amateur Football Club said it provides opportunity for the players. 

“We have seven teams and previously we’ve only been able to have three or four teams host in one day and now we have the chance to host up to five teams in one day which gets the club a bit closer together,” he said. 
 
“The lights give us the chance to rotate teams around so that everyone gets a showcase. Everyone gets to be watched and appreciated a bit better.” 

The new lights provide community recreation-level lighting, ensuring the reserve better supports recreational use outside of sporting hours, especially during winter when daylight hours are shorter. This offers more opportunities for the community to engage in outdoor sport and recreation.

Mayor Mark Irwin said these upgrades ensure athletes in the City can succeed.

"With the growing demand on all City reserves due to increased participation in sport, particularly with the rise in female sports teams, it’s crucial that we provide appropriate lighting so players can train for longer and in safer conditions,” he said. 

“Well-maintained facilities and quality sports and recreation lighting not only benefits our sporting clubs and their members but also supports the wider community."

The floodlighting upgrade at Millington Reserve follows similar improvements as Luketina Reserve in Wembley Downs and is part of the City’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality sporting and recreation facilities.