On Sunday 26 May the ASB Sports Centre in Kilbirnie will host a party to celebrate five million people that have walked through its doors – and everyone’s invited.
The celebration will run from 9am-1pm, and will include free family activities, a sausage sizzle, cake, giveaways, and a ceremony with prizes at 11am.
The party will also celebrate the unique opportunities that the ASB Sports Centre has provided the community since it opened in 2011. During the ceremony there will be a prize awarded to a member of a sporting code that has contributed to the community of the ASB Sports Centre.
The Sports Centre partnership between ASB Bank and Wellington City Council began in August 2011, and since opening, the ASB Sports Centre has drawn an increasing number of people each year.
ASB Midlands regional manager Amanda Young says inviting the community to celebrate was a fitting way to recognise the feat.
“We’re proud to be supporting a venue that brings the local community together. Many of Wellington’s current and future sports stars have played at the ASB Sports Centre, and it’s an incredible achievement to have reached five million customers,” says Amanda.
Mornay Loubser, the Facility Manager, has been overwhelmed by the support and active participation shown by the community and various sporting codes.
“The mission of the ASB Sports Centre is ‘to get more people, more active, more often’.
“Reaching the five million mark is a real milestone for us, and highlights the importance and value our facility brings to Wellington and our sporting community.
“We are extremely grateful for the support the ASB Bank has given us over the past eight years. Without ASB Bank’s support the ASB Sports Centre would not have achieved what it has to date,” says Mornay.
Since opening in 2011, the ASB Sports Centre has hosted over 40,000 basketball games, 17,000 futsal games, 20,000 netball games, 8,000 volleyball games, and supported over 25 different sporting codes to get more people, more active, more often. This has included many regional, national, and international events.
Through its ‘Youth in Sport’ programme, the ASB Sports Centre has also supported more than 85 schools, and seen more than 220,000 visits from school children from the Wellington region.
The ASB Sports Centre was originally established to provide a home for community sports (including minority sports) to enable athletes of all levels to participate in active recreation. The ASB Sports Centre was awarded the Outstanding Recreation Facility award New Zealand Recreation Association awards in 2017.
-WCC