Populous create facility for elite sports that benefits the local community

Greater Western Sydney Australian football league club, the GIANTS, have opened their new aquatic facility designed by Tenderstream member Populous. Located at the club’s high-performance training headquarters in Sydney Olympic Park, the opening marks the completion of the first phase of the GIANTS’ Centre of Excellence project. The new facility serves as a critical recovery space for the club’s three professional programs – Australian Football League (AFL), AFLW (Women’s), and GIANTS Netball – providing facilities for hydrotherapy, rehabilitation and year-round conditioning, while offering opportunities for access by the local community.

Purpose-built as a cutting-edge recovery and performance hub, the facility has been carefully designed by Populous as architect, designer and lead consultant to meet the demands of modern elite sport. Senior principal & director APAC, Al Baxter, said that the design of the facility focused on health and wellness with neutral colours used for the interior and an abundance of natural light flowing in from the adjacent playing field, stating: "The connection to the playing field was an important part of the design to ensure that those players who are recovering from injury are connected to the team and the broader playing area.”

The programme is focused on creating infrastructure that not only supports high-performance outcomes, but also delivers broader benefits to the community, particularly in the areas of talent development, inclusion, and community access. David Mathews, GIANTS chief executive officer, stated: “The aquatic facility is an outstanding addition to our high-performance precinct and a significant step forward in providing our athletes – men and women alike – with access to the best possible training and recovery resources. This extension to our facilities also strengthens our commitment to serving the wider community, by increasing our capacity to welcome local schools, clubs and pathway programs into the GIANTS family."

The centre is integrated as part of the club’s headquarters that was also designed by Populous and opened in 2013, providing a training and administration facility that is intended to strengthen the status and identity of the GIANTS Football Club and inspire players and staff.

Lucy Nordberg

Tenderstream Head of Research

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