Bendigo Venues and Infrastructure Bolster Local Sport on Weekend

Bendigo clubs recorded three wins and one draw across senior football and netball matches on the weekend of July 11-12, with play hosted at maintained ovals and indoor courts that opened on schedule after recent works.

These outcomes arrive as participation numbers rise in the months after the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals, pushing more residents toward organised local sport and increasing demand on existing sites for training and match days.

Venues that hosted the action

Queen Elizabeth Oval on View Street accommodated the Bendigo United senior football side, where the surface held up through heavy rain on Saturday morning and allowed both teams to complete a full ninety minutes without interruption. The same weekend the Bendigo Netball Association ran its round at the indoor courts of the Bendigo Sports and Entertainment Centre on Hargreaves Street, where new LED lighting installed last year kept evening fixtures visible for spectators and officials alike.

Further east, the Epsom Huntly Recreation Reserve on Midland Highway supported junior and reserve-grade matches for the Huntly Football Netball Club, with its two ovals separated by a recently widened access road that reduced congestion for arriving families.

Numbers behind the schedule

Council records show the Bendigo Sports and Entertainment Centre logged 2,847 court hours in the first half of 2026, a 14 percent increase on the same period in 2025, while Queen Elizabeth Oval recorded 47 senior matches between April and July. Membership fees at the Netball Association remain at $185 for the season, unchanged since 2024, which has kept registration accessible for families in the Kennington and Strathfieldsaye neighbourhoods.

Residents can check updated draw times and ground allocations on the City of Greater Bendigo website or by calling the sports bookings line before heading out for next weekend's fixtures.