The Shoalhaven Indoor Sports Centre is just weeks from hosting its first event.
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The $16.4 million four-court multi-purpose complex is set up to cater for basketball, netball, volleyball, futsal (indoor soccer) and badminton but can be adapted to any indoor sport, even wheelchair sports.
The complex's first competition events will be held on October 14, while the official opening is scheduled for November 15.
Council's project manager Gary George said the final touches were being carried out on the complex.
"It's been very satisfying to be part of this project and seeing it come to fruition is fantastic," he said.
Council funded the project to the tune of $13.6 million, while a $2.8 million federal government grant allowed the fit-out to be carried out to an extremely high standard.
"This is a great complex, a superb facility that has constructed to a high standard," Mr George said.
Something very special that will put Nowra on the sporting map.
- Shoalhaven basketballs John Martin
"We have listened to the user groups who will use the complex, in particular, John [NSW and Shoalhaven Basketball stalwart John Martin]. He has vast experience and knowledge, a great history with basketball and he has been able to inform us what's good and what's bad, what to look at.
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"We have listened to John and consulted with users groups and this is the finished product."
Mr Martin, who lobbied for such a facility for many years, described the complex as "sensational".
"We fought long and hard for many years to get this complex, not just for basketball but the Shoalhaven," he said.
"There were many times I didn't think it was going to happen. Many times we were going backwards more than forward.
"But we were always positive. We had good people in there battling for us, councillors, mayors, three mayors in fact. That's how long it took and now to see it, it is all worthwhile."
Martin's devotion to the project has been acknowledged by the naming of the centrepiece show court of the complex, the John Martin Show Court.
The beautiful layout, featuring a blackbutt sprung flooring system, has 560 permanent seats but can cater for more if required.
"That is a unique honour," he admitted.
"I believe this will become the model, not just for NSW but throughout Australia.
"This will be a magnetic venue for events to come to the Shoalhaven."
Mr Martin's hopeful of the retention and refurbishment of the other two courts in the old Tigers Den, which will mean the complex has six courts, enabling it to host major country and national titles events, across a number of sports, not just basketball.
"We need six courts to be able to compete with other venues to host major events but this is a big step up to attract huge events here," he said.
Already the Waratah League Basketball finals are confirmed for next August while the venue has proven popular with a number of local sporting groups wanting to use the facility and is already booked solid for weeknight and weekend competitions.
"Multiple sports are lining up to use the complex," Mr George said "there is a lot of excitement within the local sporting fraternity to use it."
Each court can be reconfigured to cater for any sport, to whatever layouts is needed at the time.
"The key feature is it, it's fully accessible," Mr George said.
"There has been a lot of planning with accessible ramps, alcoves for wheelchairs within the bleachers, we have also got enough run off around the flanks of the court to be able to have wheelchairs lining the court at big wheelchair events as well."
The complex has seven fully accessible amenities, close for 50 toilets, four fully interchangeable unisex change rooms.
A superb mezzanine area allows viewing over both the show court and the other three adjacent courts in the outside hall.
Those courts have multi-sport flooring from recycled timber, boasts two retractable nets which will allow the courts to operate simultaneously, even catering for different sports and configurations at the one time, while the basketball backboards are also retractable.
The mezzanine area can also be used for functions, with seating up to 240 people, while there are also areas that can be petitioned off for smaller events, meetings, seminars or presentations.
The complex has 204 car parks, six bus parking areas and can cater for 940 people, be it players, spectators, officials or staff at any one time.
There are also administration and office areas, a cafe area with a fully appointed commercial kitchen, an outdoor cafe area, numerous storage areas and even a creche.
The 5400 square metre complex, has a 4000 square metre roof, which captures rainwater in a 120,000 litre tank, which is treated and recycled and used within the complex.