No more netball at Hagley?

A new $20 million indoor netball and futsal centre in Christchurch means parents will no longer have to stand in the cold to support their children, the boss of Christchurch netball says.

The purpose-built centre, to be named Netsal, will be part-funded by an unknown benefactor who made a ‘‘generous donation’’ to Christchurch Netball and Mainland Football.

Christchurch Netball Centre board chair Chris Rodda said the centre would have 10 courts and could be used seven days a week, rather than just Saturdays, as was currently available.

She would not confirm where the centre would be built due to ‘‘commercial sensitivity’’ but said parents would no longer be ‘‘standing in the cold’’ to watch their children play.

She also would not say if the new centre meant netball would no longer be played on the 34 netball courts in Hagley Park.

The new facility would cater for netball at a ‘‘grassroots club level’’ and was ‘‘a good fit’’ with the Metro Sports Facility, Rodda said. Final funding for the project was ‘‘close to being secured’’.

In addition to the donation, money was expected to come from community grants and

‘‘. . . we are making progress on a facility that is long overdue for Christchurch.’’

Chris Rodda

Christchurch Netball Centre board

other resources available to the joint-venture parties.

As well as netball and futsal – a variation on indoor football – the centre would be used for other sports and to host cultural and community events.

The building’s location was being negotiated, with the two groups encountering ‘‘a series of obstacles with different sites’’.

‘‘We are now in a position to announce that we are making progress on a facility that is long overdue for Christchurch.

‘‘We have a short-term opportunity to access an extraordinarily generous donation from an anonymous benefactor who wanted to help sport and youth in the city after the earthquakes.’’

She would not reveal how much the donation was but said it was important they used the opportunity quickly while the donation option ‘‘remained available’’.

Mainland Football chief executive Julian Bowden said he hoped the venue would further increase the popularity of futsal.