The Murray Felines Female Football Club reached a major milestone earlier this year with 100 registrations.
Countless letters from concerned parents and players, as well as a mammoth effort from Barkly Park user groups has motivated Indigo Shire Council into a last-minute move to submit a major grant submission.
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The state government grant will be aimed at improving the changeroom facilities at Barkly Park making it more accessible and inclusive for all players.
The ‘outdated’ facilities currently cater the Rutherglen Cats Football Netball Club and the Murray Felines Female Football Club for the winter season.
With a recent surge in female football numbers and seven netball sides, the current changerooms, built in the 1950s are not considered appropriate for modern day sporting needs and are not deemed female friendly.
This led to a push from Barkly Park user groups encouraging council to apply for a 2022 Local Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSIF) administered by Sport and Recreation Victoria for Female Friendly Facilities. The grant aims to encourage more women and girls to get involved in local sport with up to $1 million available for each Local Government Area.
Rutherglen Football Netball Club and Murray Felines Football Netball Club originally rejected a nominal $300,000 from council to upgrade the current facilities with the plans being non-compliant with AFL Guidelines and the Building Code of Australia.
Initially, council were hesitant to apply for the grant, however after receiving letters from concerned parents, players, and Barkly Park user groups, a grant application finally submitted on the deadline of Wednesday, July 12.
Plans were drafted up at the 11th hour with costings and required information all collated in the submission.
At the time of the Free Press going to print, Indigo Shire Council was set to retrospectively endorse the project for submission at their monthly meeting of council.
Should the application be successful, council will contribute $460,000 towards the project in the 2023/24 calendar year with Sport and Recreation Victoria contributing $1 million.
Recent Indigo Shire projects obtained under the LSIF include:
Rutherglen Skate Park
Barnawartha Tennis and Netball Courts Project
Chiltern Netball Court Project
Swimming Pools Solar Projects
Yackandandah Skate Park Project
In the council agenda report, Director of Community and Economic Development Mark Florence noted that there had been a shorter time period to submit applications for the 2022 LSIF, with only eight weeks to prepare documentation and gain council approval.
“At the June council meeting, council approved the submission of a number of grant applications and accepted the financial contribution required by council in the 2023/24 budget should any project gain financial support,” he said.
“At the time, council officers were still working with the Rutherglen Barkly Park Committee of Management, the Rutherglen Football Netball Club, and other stakeholders on the detail of the project to build new change room facilities at the reserve which would significantly improve participation and amenity of female participants, particularly in the Rutherglen Felines football program.
“The project scope and costing detail was not available at the time of the June Council meeting.
“The project definition and associated costings have now been further developed to a point where the submission of a grant application was appropriate and supported by all stakeholders.
“...the project to build new change room facilities at the reserve...would significantly improve participation and amenity of female participants, particularly in the Rutherglen Felines football program.”
“Councillors have been briefed on the project and are aware that a grant application has been submitted by the due date of July 12th, and that formal endorsement of the project application would need to be retrospectively achieved at the July Council meeting.
“Whilst this process is not usual and not one to be regularly adopted, in this case the potential benefits of having an application submitted to achieve much needed improvements, justifies an exception to the usual process.”
Rutherglen Football Netball Club president Pat Beattie welcomed the news.
“As the largest sporting group within Rutherglen and the Indigo Shire, we are absolutely thrilled that the Indigo Shire has submitted the grant application,” Mr Beattie said.
“We acknowledge that the application still needs to be assessed by the Department of Sport and Recreation Victoria so there is some way to go. However, this is a great first step.
“If we are successful with the application, it will mean that we can have dignified change rooms for all of our teams, from the 100 registered players for the Murray Felines through to our boys and men’s football teams.
“The improved changerooms will also be used by the cricket club and will greatly assist their quest to re-introduce a female cricket team.
“We would like to thank Councillors’ Roberta Horne, Sophie Price and Mayor Bernard Gaffney in particular for their support, and we thank the entire council for having the confidence to back the proposal.
“I would also like to thank the members of the football club who have put in an enormous effort to advocate for the improvements at Barkly Park and to provide the supporting information at short notice for the grant application.
