Cockburn Basketball Association is confident council knows the recreation centre revamp ‘can’t afford to wait’

Cockburn Basketball Association leaders remain confident its local council will prioritise redevelopment of the Wally Hagan Recreation Centre despite money being allocated to look into building additional basketball facilities. Expanding Wally Hagan — the region’s premier courts and home of NBL1 club Cockburn Cougars — has long been a priority for basketball officials to accommodate thousands of juniors who want to play basketball basketball. But the City of Cockburn’s council in December voted unanimously to also investigate alternative locations, reopening the potential for two or more 6-court facilities as opposed to a single centralised hub. The city’s chief executive Daniel Simms told PerthNow that would occur before next year, and only if the council formally allocates funding in that year’s council budget. CBA executive officer Tia Ucich is not worried about the investigation splitting the council’s focus on what is best for basketball, but she said there was urgency to act. “The reality is that it (WHRC) no longer meets the needs of our growing community, and we can’t afford to wait another generation before the community gets the upgraded facility it deserves,” Ms Ucich said. “If the Wally Hagan redevelopment project doesn’t receive the necessary funding now, the nature of the political cycle could see the project pushed back by another decade. This is a window of opportunity that we cannot afford to miss.” In April the basketball association said the “rapid expansion” of basketball was driving an urgent need for a redevelopment of its centre in Hamilton Hill. The Cockburn council at the time supported discussions of Wally Hagan being expanded to an eight-court facility with a gym, health club and childcare centre. “We are confident that the very clear and urgent need for the Wally Hagan redevelopment will remain a priority for council,” Ms Ucich reiterated to PerthNow last month. “The CBA is already at capacity, with more than 350 teams and over 300 children on our waitlist. “Without this redevelopment, the association would continue to face the same challenges, and thousands of local residents would be deprived of the opportunity to participate in basketball.” The CBA hopes to secure more than half of the estimated $86 million needed via the City of Cockburn, but in October the council deferred any further expenditure on the redevelopment until the outcome of discussions with other tiers of government was known. Two months later, it voted unanimously in support of allocating money to its draft budget to investigate other potential sites. Ms Ucich said the redevelopment of the WHRC “can’t afford to wait” and expects the upgraded facility to be complete by 2029 as planned. “The CBA remains fully committed to the Rockingham Road location and will continue working closely with the City of Cockburn to make this vision a reality,” she said. “We now have a rare, once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide our community with a new home for the next 50 years. But timing is critical.” As a result of the council’s December decision, city staff will work on a funding and resources request for the project before the council’s expenditure review committee meets in March. “The City has not begun investigating alternative facilities,” Mr Simms said. “This investigation is contingent on additional funding being allocated in the Municipal Budget for the 2026 Financial Year. “Council has (also previously) voted to continue advocacy and funding discussions with State and Federal Governments regarding the Wally Hagan Recreation Centre on Rockingham Road, Hamilton Hill, in order to ensure this important facility is progressed.