Football participation across Wodonga and the surrounding border region has doubled since 2019, with women and girls driving much of the growth. Now the next stage of Baranduda Fields is needed to give the region the capacity to keep up.
On any given weekend, it is easy to see just how much football has become part of life in Wodonga and the surrounding communities.
Thousands of people are now participating in football across the region, increasing by over 130 per cent in just six years.
The growth among women and girls has been even more dramatic, with female participation increasing by almost 300 per cent, reflecting the investment of time and energy from all local clubs into their female programs as more women and girls take up the game, and volunteers across the region work to accommodate the demand.
But participation growth brings a practical challenge, there simply needs to be more places to play.
That is where the next stage of Baranduda Fields can make a significant difference.
Football Victoria is joining the local community in advocating for the expansion of the precinct through Stage 2, including the delivery of a synthetic pitch and lighting infrastructure. The investment would provide additional year-round playing capacity for Murray United FC and other clubs across the region, while creating a stronger regional football hub capable of supporting continued growth.
Football Victoria’s Head of Government Relations & Facilities Lachlan Cole said Baranduda Fields was an important opportunity to invest in regional football and the demand being generated for greater year round participation.
“The growth of football across this part of Victoria has been extraordinary, and the numbers tell only part of the story,” Mr Cole said.
“We have more than twice as many participants as we did in 2019, while female participation has increased threefold. That is a fantastic outcome for the region, but it also means we need to keep working alongside great partners like the City of Wodonga in building the infrastructure to support it.”
“Football Victoria has a strategic commitment to regional football, and Baranduda Fields gives us the opportunity to think beyond one club for the benefit of a whole region. The second stage of this precinct can create additional capacity that benefits Murray United, other local clubs and the next generation of players across the border region.”
“A synthetic pitch and lighting would provide greater certainty around access to football, particularly during winter and periods of poor weather, while making better use of the precinct across the week.”
For the border community, the need for additional capacity is not simply about accommodating more teams on a Saturday and Sunday.
A synthetic pitch would provide a reliable, year-round playing surface and create additional opportunities for training, competition, development programs, tournaments, and all-around community use. Lighting would further increase the hours the precinct can operate, allowing more teams to access quality facilities during the week.
Together, those improvements would make Baranduda Fields a more effective regional football hub and help clubs respond to the continued growth in participation, and provide pathways from within the local community.
That is particularly important for women and girls. With female participation increasing dramatically across the region, the demand for appropriate and accessible facilities is no longer a future consideration. It is already here.
Murray United FC Chairman highlighted the strength of the game in the border community, noting “Football is growing at an exponential rate at our club and in the region, Murray United and the wider football community are feeling that demand firsthand.”
“Our facilities are under increasing pressure from many users where two football pitches are not enough to cater for the thousands of users in our community, we require more capacity at the only high performance football centre in the region, to give every player, particularly women and girls, the opportunity to play and develop.”
"Stage 2 of Baranduda Fields is critical. A synthetic pitch and lighting would unlock much-needed access to the regions first synthetic football pitch, which provides major benefits to all year round participation and provides access in all weather conditions. More space and capacity gives Murray United and the sport in the region ability to keep growing. The demand is here - we need the infrastructure to match it.”
The expansion of Baranduda Fields would also strengthen the precinct's role as a shared regional asset, allowing multiple clubs and programs to benefit from increased capacity rather than each club having to solve its infrastructure challenges independently.
For Football Victoria, this is the type of strategic investment needed to keep regional football moving forward.
The region has demonstrated the demand. Clubs are continuing to grow, women and girls are increasingly choosing football, and more families are engaging with the game.
Stage 2 of Baranduda Fields is an opportunity to turn that growth into lasting capacity, giving Wodonga and the surrounding region the facilities it needs for the next generation of football.