• Soccer participation in the Shire has grown significantly over the last 15 years
• Castlemaine Goldfields Football Club has grown from 215 players (2010) to 589 players (2025)
• The club’s current home at Chewton Soldiers Memorial Park is currently overused and difficult to maintain
• Chewton Soldiers Memorial Park will continue to host senior matches and training, plus informal social soccer programs
• Elsie Palmer Field already hosts some junior soccer, but the facilities need upgrading for long‑term use
• A 2024 Soccer Participation and Facility Feasibility Assessment found Wesley Hill to be the best site for expanded soccer facilities
• In July 2025, Council decided to develop concept designs for a combined soccer and cricket upgrade at Wesley Hill

The Feasibility Study and Concept Design have been funded by the Victorian Government, Mount Alexander Shire Council and the Castlemaine Goldfields Football Club.

Funding for detailed design and construction is not yet secured. Council will seek contributions from State and Federal Government grant programs.

Council is planning to redevelop the Elsie Palmer Field at Wesley Hill Recreation Reserve. The upgrade includes:

Sports field upgrades

• A larger, re-aligned field that supports both cricket and soccer
• A new synthetic cricket wicket
• The existing turf wicket will stay
• New cricket training nets on the eastern side
• Expanded boundary areas to allow:
  • Two full‑size soccer pitches, or
  • Four junior pitches
• New sports lighting, coaches’ boxes and a full rebuild of the playing surface, including new irrigation and drainage

New sports pavilion (Stage 2)

A new pavilion is planned to support cricket and soccer. It is expected to include:

• Four unisex change rooms for players
• Umpire/referee spaces
• Public toilets
• A canteen/kiosk
• A community/social area
• Covered viewing areas

Other improvements

• New car parking areas
• Landscaping upgrades
• A new local‑level playground (Stage 3)
• Better footpaths and connections across the site

Car parking

A traffic assessment shows:

• Peak parking demand will be about 176 spaces during busy soccer periods
• A new car park near Doug Powell Oval is proposed, with paths linking to Elsie Palmer Field

Road network

• Existing intersections on Duke Street (Pyrenees Highway) can manage the expected increase in traffic
• Soccer activities may add around 816 extra daily trips at peak times, which is still within normal road capacity

Trees

• Some trees around the field may need to be removed to enable the proposed design. We are assessing which trees can be retained or transplanted, as well as the number of replacement plantings that would be included in the landscape improvements.

Drainage

• Council is exploring upgrades to the drainage channel on the eastern side of the field
• This could allow for more usable space, including potential car parking and improved pedestrian links

Sports field lighting

• Six new 30‑metre lighting towers are proposed
• LED lights will be angled to the field to prevent spill into nearby properties

• North Castlemaine Cricket Club will continue to use the field for summer matches and training
• Castlemaine Goldfields Football Club will use it as the main junior soccer venue for matches and training
• The field may also be used for off‑season and community training activities

No. The project will be delivered in stages, with support from the North Castlemaine Cricket Club and Castlemaine Goldfields Football Club:

Stage 1

• Sports field upgrades for cricket and soccer
• Irrigation and drainage
• Sports lighting
• Relocated cricket nets
• Car parking and access paths
• Perimeter pathways
• Storage facilities
• Demolition of the existing cricket pavilion
• Temporary change rooms

Stage 2

• Design and construction of the new sports pavilion
• Landscaping

Stage 3

• Playground installation