Funding secured for new Heathfield Oval change rooms
Heathfield Oval’s changerooms will undergo a $490,000 upgrade after four Hills sporting clubs joined forces to ensure greater inclusiveness of female players.
Adelaide Hills
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Four Hills sporting clubs are taking a novel approach to ensure the longevity of their female membership.
Adelaide Hills Council, in partnership with Mount Lofty Cricket Club, Mount Lofty Football Club, Heathfield Netball Club and the Stirling Comets Netball Club, has secured a $490,000 grant to fund the redevelopment of change rooms at Heathfield Oval.
The upgrade will aim to make the facilities more inclusive for female players and forms part of the Heathfield Oval Masterplan Project, which will see the development of a significant sports and recreation precinct and include the adjacent Heathfield High School.
Mayor Jan-Claire Wisdom said the project would include the upgrade of two existing change rooms and shower facilities to meet unisex and accessibility requirements, and the addition of a second storey to the existing building structure.
The second level will also incorporate a further two unisex change rooms and a flexible space that can be purposed for various community uses.
“Every week Heathfield Oval normally accommodates more than 1000 people participating in
organised sports but the current facilities are lagging, especially with participation in women’s
football and cricket quickly gaining momentum,” Cr Wisdom said.
“With the additional change rooms, both women’s and men’s football teams will be able to use the amenities concurrently as this is currently not the case.
“This is a great outcome for everyone and will allow all teams to proceed uninterrupted with their games - especially our female competitors.”
Mount Lofty Football Club President Scott Taylor said facility upgrades had been a long time coming.
He said football in particular had grown in popularity among female athletes with the club home to the strongest female cohort in the Adelaide Hills.
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In addition to football and cricket, Heathfield Oval is also home to the two largest netball clubs in the region.
“The club, effectively, saw an opportunity to secure its future which, at that time, was perceived as a popular sport and it turned out that they were correct,” he said.
“The popularity of the sport has definitely spiked as girls think ‘I’ll have a crack at that’ – and that’s just not at Mount Lofty but other clubs as well where. In the last three years, we’ve gone from zero to 100 (in female memberships).
“It’s something we want to build on once COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.
“We want to grow as a club and make sure that the girls coming up from junior competitions and grades can see our A grade women playing and have a pathway to get there as otherwise they will stop playing.”