Governments commit $32 million to Hakoah White City project

The Hakoah White City development will receive $32 million in combined funding from the federal and NSW governments to support vital infrastructure and security measures.

It comes as Hakoah Club president Steven Lowy told members in an email on Tuesday that the project is on track to be completed by Pesach next year.

The federal government has announced it will provide $21 million, while the NSW government have committed $11 million to the $150 million project. The federal government had provided $7.5 million, while the NSW government had previously contributed $15 million to the project.

The finished facility will include a football field, enclosed multi-purpose courts, swimming pools and a state-of-the-art gymnasium. The site will also function as a community centre with hospitality spaces, restaurants and cafes.

Member for Kingsford Smith Matt Thistlethwaite, who is a patron of Maccabi Hakoah Futsal Club, said the investment would be transformative for the Jewish community.

“Over the past few months, the Jewish community have inspired our nation with their resilience and strength, and the Hakoah Club will stand testament to the vibrancy of Jewish life in Sydney,” Thistlethwaite said.

“The Hakoah Club will be a proud feature of our multicultural community hosting Jewish cultural, arts and sports events for everyone to participate in.”

Expressing his appreciation, Lowy told members the grants “go a long way to reducing the debt required to complete the funding of the project, strengthening Hakoah’s physical safety and security, improving the long-term financial position of Hakoah and maximising the future benefits that we will provide to the entire community”.

He thanked Thistlethwaite, Prime Minister Albanese, NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Multiculturalism and Sport Steve Kamper for their strong support.

“Hakoah reflects the strength of a community that refuses to remain in the shadow of the Bondi massacre. Instead, we choose to build something strong, vibrant, and enduring,” Lowy added.

Minns said the NSW Government was proud to support the project.

“This project has been driven by the investment and commitment of the Jewish community throughout difficult circumstances, with a vision to build a vibrant community centre open to all,” he said.

Kamper said the funding would ensure the Jewish community had a safe place to participate in health and wellbeing activities and celebrate important cultural events.

“The Hakoah Club’s new facility will be a central sporting and cultural hub for the Jewish and wider eastern suburbs community to connect,” Kamper said.

Construction recommenced at the start of this year following the club signing a contract with Richard Crookes Constructions, following a prolonged period of inactivity at the site after a dispute with a previous builder.

The AJN was taken on an exclusive hard-hat tour last week, with the clubhouse, multi-purpose courts, gymnasium and swimming pools clearly taking shape.

“It’ll be an unbelievably proud moment when we open,” Lowy told The AJN.

“The fact that we are now underway again post Bondi, and we should be complete in a year or so, I don’t think the timing could be better from a perspective of bringing our community together and uniting everybody in a place that that feels safe and secure.”

He paid tribute to the foresight of the Board that purchased White City over a decade ago using funds from the sale of the old Bondi club.

“I always believed it was a very important ingredient for the future sustainability of the Jewish community in Sydney to have a new hub,” Lowy said.

“Then October 7 happened, and it went from bringing something important to being critical.”

Then following the massacre in Bondi, he said, “It’s gone from being important to critical to absolutely essential for the future of the community.”

He again emphasised that the club will also welcome non-Jews.

“We believe that the new Hakoah will be an absolute shining light, a beacon of social cohesion.”