Located where the baseball and softball competitions of the 2000 Sydney Olympics took place, Blacktown International Sports Park lays claim to being Australia’s most innovative integrated sport, health and education precinct. Now, with the addition of high-performance sports facilities and more at BEST, that claim has only grown stronger.

Recently completed, BEST has been created by ARM Architecture and Co-op, while Architectus designed the landscape and physical literacy area, and construction was by Buildcorp. Blacktown City Council, which fully funded the project, also engaged Dr Neil Gibson as the project director. Dr Gibson has worked as a consultant to both the Scottish and English Football Associations, including the the design and development of Scotland’s Sports Performance Centre, Oriam, as well as Scotland’s Commonwealth Games teams.

Blacktown City Mayor Tony Bleasdale OAM was there to officially open the venue, stating: “Neil is widely regarded as among the best in the world in his field and we are fortunate to have him. The best in the industry leading the best sports training, recovery and sports sciences education facility in Australia.”

Alongside Bleasdale was Olympic hero Cathy Freeman OAM. “If this facility was here when I was a kid, without a doubt I would be here every day with my stepfather training and making the most of these facilities,” she says. “I love the fact that there is such diverse community in Blacktown City, including a vast First Nations community who will be able to use BEST and make it work. BEST provides an opportunity and value for the community to connect.” 

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A comprehensive range of state-of-the-art facilities is makes up the overall design for BEST. It includes facilities for training, sports medicine, rehabilitation, research and education as well as providing accommodation, a large cafe-restaurant and an innovative fun play space for children of all ages and abilities.

Alongside the all-weather playing field and aquatic recovery pools, there is a strength and conditioning suite and an auditorium for use as a venue for conferences, meetings or functions. Meanwhile, The Lodge is a modern hotel designed with athletes in mind and catering to wellness retreats, corporate team-building exericses and the like.

“BEST is a $100m investment in the health and future of the communities of Blacktown City and Western Sydney,” adds Bleasdale. “It’s a game-changer for sports in Western Sydney providing the very best facilities in sports sciences, training and rehabilitation.”

BEST Blacktown
bestblacktown.com.au

ARM Architecture
armarchitecture.com.au

Co-op
co-opstudio.com.au

Architectus
architectus.com.au

Photography
Courtesy of BEST Blacktown

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