"The grass is well established and we'll be playing the first game next summer," Gibbston Community Association chairwoman Susan Stevens said this week.
Supplies, work and professional time to the value of about $100,000 has been donated by the 83 paying and subscribing members of the association, who live in the 100 households between the Kawarau River bridge and Nevis Bluff, and about 50 national suppliers.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council also contributed $25,000 towards transforming the 1.2ha council-owned reserve into a dedicated community focal point in the valley.
A total of 30 irrigation pods on the oval, off Coal Pit Rd, have been paid for by the council and a further 20 pods have been paid for by residents.
Association committee member Greg Hay said a "fruit salad" of 19 trees, including pear and apple trees, were donated and planted in November by residents for the orchard.
About 200m of fencing and gates were installed in November.
The association has chosen a company to complete a $30,000 to $40,000 permanent concrete and roofed barbecue facility by July. The electricity supply would be on a timer and funded by the council.
A pair of wheelchair-accessible toilets, the first public facility in Gibbston, are expected to be finished in the next month.
