Work could start late next year on the complex, with $3.8 million coming from the Waimate District Council, the community and grants and the rest being met by Rooney Group Ltd.
''The architects have managed to design a modern building which will stand the test of time and provide a positive focal point for the community,'' the council's property and regulatory group manager Sue Kelly said yesterday.
The new facility incorporated the existing squash courts, lounge and spectator areas, which were more obvious in some of the other drawings.
The design comprised two full-size netball courts, indoor cricket training pitch, function room, meeting room, fitness centre space, internal offices, storage space, commercial kitchen, bar area, mezzanine viewing area and ablution areas.
The main court space was large enough for a multitude of uses.
Project staff had been working with user groups to ensure the facility catered for as many groups as possible and only a handful of solutions were still to be found.
''The support of the user groups throughout this planning period has been reflected in their positive comments about the future of the facility,'' she said.
It was always a balancing act between future-proofing a facility and still being mindful of the overall cost, only been made possible by generous sponsorship from Waimate businessman Gary Rooney and his Rooney Group.
In another positive move, the Waimate Resource Centre would base its community services at the new facility, ensuring a daily presence, optimising the opportunities for usage and providing security for the facility and its users.
Early next year there would be more information, including the floor plans and additional concept drawings.
A fundraising committee through the Waimate District Charitable Foundation would begin work raising the community's share in the new year.
The community needed to raise $950,000 as part of the $3.8 million pledged by the council for the project to proceed.
If it did, users would continue to use the existing stadium while the new section was built, then switch to the new while the old stadium was incorporated into the development.
