Vote on $1m budget for Warrnambool hockey pitch upgrade

While the council has tipped in $800,000 for the project, and the hockey association $200,000, the actual tender was $768,196 excluding GST.

Mayor Debbie Arnott said the hockey club would be required to transfer $200,000 to Warrnambool City Council and any funds left over from the council's $800,000 contribution would be returned to council coffers.

Hockey South West president Paul Dillon said he hoped the significant savings the council should see from the project could be used to make safety improvements around the new pitch.

"Laying the pitch is one thing, we still need to tidy up a few things around the pitch to make the facility safe," Mr Dillon said.

"We're hopeful we can have discussions with council to invest some of those savings into some much-needed safety improvements for the existing warm-up area which is also old and deteriorated."

Mr Dillon said the awarding of the tender was fantastic news for the region.

"It will be a national-standard pitch," he said.

"The provider who are putting it in, they've worked to put hockey pitches in for Olympic Games venues."

Mr Dillon said while the new Warrnambool pitch wouldn't be the same as the the one at next year's Paris Olympics, it would be "very close to it".

"Warrnambool is getting not just a replacement pitch, but it is getting a new pitch which is national standard which could attract and host elite-level matches," he said.

"We're going to have one of the best pitches in Australia.

"It will generate excitement because the current pitch is 17 years old."

The new pitch will be bright blue - the same as those seen in televised hockey matches.

"It will give this sports-mad region another great asset to attract and host elite matches," he said.

The upgrade is set to be completed by February 13, 2024.

The council had to increase its budget for the project after its initial call for tenders in December last year saw the cost of the project exceed the initial budget.

Cr Richard Ziegeler described the project as a "great step forward" at the council meeting on September 4.

"It's something that the hockey club needs and I think that we have to support it," he said.

"It means we will have a hockey pitch of particularly good standard and it just fits in with all the other high quality sporting facilities that this town is able to furnish".

The tender was awarded to Polytan after a unanimous vote.

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