Local workers celebrate Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium completion

News
Published: 18 August 2026

Local workers and businesses in eastern Victorian have helped transformed Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium (GRISS) into a state-of-the-art indoor sports hub. It's giving local sporting clubs and community groups the ultimate experience.

The stadium now features:

  • upgraded foyer
  • upgraded lighting across the venue including the show court
  • new broadcasting facilities
  • new and refurbished amenities and changerooms, including for referees
  • storage facilities
  • automated blinds and external roller shutters
  • solar panels, batteries and more.

This is the second of 4 completed Regional Sports Infrastructure Program projects in the Latrobe Valley following Morwell Gun Club earlier this year.

The project, led by 3 lead contractors and design teams, saw more than 50 direct jobs supported, and an extra 66 businesses engaged. A large part of materials were also sourced locally.

Subcontractor Bucknall Electrical, is a family-own business in Warragul. They employ several young apprentices, including Emma Middleton.

Emma said going into the apprenticeship, she really wanted to experience working on a large project that benefited the community and would broaden her skills and knowledge.

‘Being rural and able to experience working on the GRISS project was super exciting, without having to sacrifice my time and fuel to go into the city where most major projects are,’ she said.

‘Being a first-year apprentice and being a part of the project was a great experience, and I hope to do more local projects like GRISS in the future.’

The stadium boasts a world-class show court with 3,000 spectator seats and is one of Basketball Victoria’s 7 high-performance hubs.

In addition to supporting thousands of local participants every week, the upgrades will help continue attracting elite sporting events. This includes

  • the recent Harlem Globetrotters tour
  • WNBL and Super Netball games
  • high level badminton and table tennis tournaments
  • pickleball championships to the region.

The NBL’s South East Melbourne Phoenix will also return to the stadium to host in-season matches over the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons.

Latrobe City Council delivered the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium in partnership with Sport and Recreation Victoria.

Learn more about the Regional Sports Infrastructure Program on the Sport and Victoria website.