I couldn't find the Herald article, but it refers to a discussion paper for the Newcastle council's strategic sports plan. A couple of quotes:

Sport Specific recommendations - Football (soccer):
« Designate Adamstown No 1, Darling St Oval and Arthur Edden Oval as venues for NPL games
« Utilise National Park No 2 Sportsground as a venue for NPL games. Prioritise highest level of competition/ events in all rectangular field sports when allocating use
« Ensure infrastructure at these grounds complies with NPL standards
« Develop a Master Plan to guide development of Arthur Edden Oval as a football centre of excellence and venue for NPL competition games (including possible synthetic surface)
« Progressively upgrade other grounds - playing surfaces, lighting, amenities, drainage/irrigation - in accordance with criteria to be developed (e.g. budget, designated hierarchy, usage levels, condition audits and code standards)
« Include football in the development of additional shared use fields as part of new land provision in the western growth corridor.
Regional and District Facility Master Planning - Arthur Edden Oval
Develop a Master Plan to guide redevelopment of this facility as a football centre of
excellence and to host National Premier League (NPL) competition games, and possible
installation of synthetic surface. (Other grounds designated for staging of NPL games are
National Park No 2, Adamstown No 1, and Darling St Oval).
I assume the paper itself will appear on the council's website at some stage.