Moreland gets ACTIVE
Universal leisure centre membership and a campaign to boost participation are two key parts of Moreland Council’s continued efforts to improve health and wellbeing among residents.
Moreland’s six leisure and aquatic centres attract around 1.1 million visitors annually, and the municipality’s 52 sportsgrounds play host to more than 10,000 registered club participants.
With the municipality’s population projected to increase by about 30,000 over the next two decades, the challenge facing Council to keep up with growth is considerable.
Moreland’s Mayor, Cr Oscar Yildiz, says Council is undertaking a series of steps to better align services and programs across its leisure centres, including putting an end to the current situation in which members are ‘locked in’ to just one leisure centre with their membership.
“We have tendered for the operation of all six leisure centres, and something we are absolutely committed to is ensuring we have a single service model,” Cr Yildiz said.
“This will allow residents to use all of Council’s six facilities on one membership and take a more coordinated approach to program offerings. Most importantly, it means more choice for residents.”
But the Active Moreland Strategy doesn’t stop at the leisure centre door.
“It’s about being proactive in the community, whether that be building stronger links with existing sporting clubs and health providers such as Merri Community Health, or connecting informally with the wider community.
“There is a range of people in our community who experience barriers to participation – women and girls, people with a disability, low income earners, single parent families, people from culturally diverse backgrounds, and older adults.
“We as a Council want to help these groups by connecting them to recreational opportunities.”
