“For me, this is a really special moment,” says basketball legend Lauren Jackson pictured with (from left) Albury MP Justin Clancy, mayor Kevin Mack, mum Maree Bennie and Farrer MP Sussan Ley at the official unveiling of the Stage 1 redevelopment of the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre. Photo: Supplied.
Australian basketball great Lauren Jackson has a lifetime of cherished memories wrapped up in the Albury sports stadium that bears her name.
“I grew up in that stadium with my brother watching my parents play,” the hometown hero said at the official opening of the $15.2 million Stage 1 redevelopment of the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre on Wednesday (14 January).
“As a kid I got chicken pox in that stadium, I fell asleep in the bleachers, I cut my leg open and got 16 stitches helping staff cut tape off the court (it was the 80s and that’s how we did things then).
“The stadium was a second home to me for so long.”
It was also the place where the five-time Olympic medallist would begin to forge her own brilliant career and return years later to play for the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.
In what she described as a “beautiful day”, with her mum and fellow basketball champion Maree Bennie by her side, Jackson unveiled a special tribute to her career, tracing her progression from junior basketball to the highest level of the international women’s game.
The display, which will remain on permanent exhibition at the centre, showcases her Olympic medals, trophies and other precious memorabilia Jackson says she was more than willing to part with when she was approached by Albury Council.
“It wasn’t inspiring anyone sitting in the closet,” she laughed.
“I had a lot of stuff in storage and hadn’t seen some of it for years – this is a really lovely tribute to the stadium, to this community and to my career.
“They are things kids should be looking at and thinking, ‘She came from here, I could do this’, and it’s particularly important for girls to feel inspired.”
And it certainly wasn’t lost on Jackson that set against the backdrop of Wednesday’s proceedings, the Australian Junior Country Basketball Cup was in full swing with thousands of young hopefuls from across Australia gathered to compete at the newly refurbished stadium.
It was the same event she competed in as a junior.
“The Country Cup has been going for about 38 years in Albury and these are the sorts of players we want to inspire,” Jackson said.
First opened in 1984, the Albury Sports Stadium was renamed the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre in 2011 in recognition of their Albury-born superstar’s achievements.
As one of southern NSW’s major multi-sport facilities, the centre welcomes more than 120,000 users each year and attracts regional, state and national competitions. The Stage 1 redevelopment works include a new playing surface, player and family accessible change rooms, increased show-court seating capacity and new administration and corporate spaces
Albury Mayor Kevin Mack said the redevelopment strengthened the city’s ability to host major sporting events while improving every-day access for the community.
“It allows us to host larger tournaments, support growing participation locally and provide a better experience for players, officials and spectators,” he said.
Having infrastructure in place to support the growing rates of participation in basketball across the country is a cause close to Jackson’s heart – both professionally and personally.
“The more courts we have, the more kids we have out of living rooms,” she said.
“I’m a basketball mum now and I get to experience the sport as a parent. I’ve watched my two sons (now aged nine and seven) grow up here and make their own memories at the stadium. They can’t consume enough basketball … they just love it.
“So for me this is a really important moment.
“In fact, my eldest is already jokingly saying they should be calling this The Jackson Family Stadium!”
Stage 2 of the redevelopment remains as an endorsed masterplan for Albury Council, pending future funding opportunities.
