the council was successful in securing $4.025M under the Federal Government’s National Stronger Region Fund for the redevelopment project to add to funding of $3.5M from Albury City Council and $250,000 from the AFL, and commitments from the Lavington Panthers Football/Netball and Cricket clubs, design of the project is near completion and works will commence in late 2017. International & national usage Australian rules football From the early 1990s until 2006, Lavington often hosted AFL practice matches during the pre-season, however due to the inadequacy of the ground lighting, from 2006 the AFL began prioritise pre-season fixtures elsewhere in the Riverina area at Narrandera and Wagga Wagga, and the North East Victoria area at Wangaratta and Shepparton. After the lighting upgrade, AFL once again began scheduling pre-season matches at the Lavington Sports Ground, with the first being between Richmond and Port Adelaide in 2015. From 2000 until 2002, the Murray Kangaroos played in the VFL as a joint venture between the AFL's North Melbourne Football Club and the Ovens and Murray Football League and served as North Melbourne's reserve side. The club's home games were split between Lavington and Coburg City Oval in Melbourne. The side was composed of players from the Kangaroos, topped up with players from the Ovens and Murray League which offered a second chance to local footballers who had missed out on the AFL Draft. In 1990, the venue also hosted a warm-up match for the 1990 International Rules Series between Australia and Ireland, in which Australia 2.9.17 (56) defeated Ireland 2.6.11 (41) Cricket Kerry Packer brought his World Series Cricket to Lavington for the Country Cup during the 1977/78 & 1978/79 seasons. The venue hosted a Sheffield Shield fixture between New South Wales and Victoria during the 1989/90 domestic season. In 1990 New South Wales hosted England in a tour match at the venue. During the 1992 Cricket World Cup, the ground hosted the match between England and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe won in a shock result, due in part to their fast bowler Eddo Brandes demolishing the English top order, enabling Zimbabwe to defend their own low innings total. On 13 December 2016, the venue hosted 3 exhibition cricket matches between Big Bash League teams. This included one match from the 2016-17 Women's Big Bash League followed by two practice matches for men ahead of their Big Bash competition that began later in the month. On