The development of the State Netball Hockey center dates back to 1996 when the Royal Park Master Plan was prepared by the City of Melbourne. Under the plan the existing State Netball Centre would be demolished and integrated with the State Hockey Centre. The demolishing of the State Netball Centre along with a reduction in the number of outdoor courts enabled the reinstatement of parkland and playing fields. The plan also outlined improving amenities for all park users in conjunction with the development of the Centre, including improved roads, public transport and car parking. In May 1998 funding for the project at $24.5 million by the Community Support Fund was approved at development was officially announced by the State Government. In February 1999 a revised budget of $27 million was accepted after a tender process found that the previous budget was too small, even after reducing the scope of the project. The approval for the Centre was fast-tracked so significant progress would be made so the venue could be assessed by the 2006 Commonwealth Games Evaluations Panel in mid-1999. The redevelopment of the facilities began in March 1999 and was planned to be completed by April 2000. Construction was completed in November 2000, and the facility was officially opened on 16 March 2001. The redevelopment of the Park had seen objections from interest groups. In May 1999 legal action commenced against the redevelopment of Royal Park on the grounds that the development was inconsistent with the purpose of the Crown land reservation. Another issue was raised after concerns over the effects of the exterior lights on the surround areas, including the nearby Melbourne Zoo. In March 2019 the centre began undergoing a $64.6 million redevelopment announced earlier by the Victorian Government. The redevelopment will feature six new indoor netball courts, a new indoor hockey facility, a high-performance gymnasium and the Sports House 2 building, which will provide a home for the peak sporting bodies Netball Victoria and Hockey Victoria.
Facilities
The Centre has five indoor netball courts including two in the main stadium along with four outdoor courts. The main stadium has permanent seating on three sides of the courts and retractable seating can be used to increase the capacity to 3,050. The secondary hall can be configured for 250 spectators. When the main stadium is configured for basketball it has a capacity of 3,500. The netball courts can be transformed to cater for basketball, volleyball, martial arts, concerts, indoor soccer and other indoor sports. The centre has two hockey pitches with a grandstand situated between them, providing seating for 1,000 spectators undercover on the main pitch and seating for 250 spectators on the second pitch. The main pitch is surrounded by grassed seating areas which can accommodate temporary seating for up to 8,000 spectators, as has been utilised for past events such as the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The hockey pitches can be transformed to cater for lacrosse, gridiron, soccer, touch football and other outdoor sports.
In past National Basketball League seasons, the facility was occasionally used by Melbourne United and was nicknamed 'The Cage'. The club made the Centre their home in 2002 due to financial trouble and the high costs of hiring their previous home, Vodafone Arena. Over time, the club gradually moved all of their matches to the larger capacity Melbourne Arena located near the city. The Tigers utilise the facility for home matches if Melbourne Arena is unavailable. The facility co-hosted the FIBA Oceania Championship in 2003 and 2011. Both times, the Australian national basketball team won the gold medal.
As part of an initiative in conjunction with the Commonwealth Games in 2004 the Centre received a grant from the Smart Water Trust to recycle water from the hockey pitches and the roof structure. The recycled water substitutes for drinking water to water the hockey pitches and is expected to reduce water usage by 78%.
