Lindfield Rugby, Cricket clubs join forces to address dire sport facilities at Soldiers Memorial Park

The days of young female rugby and cricket players having to use tents to get changed before sporting matches could soon be numbered at a suburban sporting oval.

A photo of the sporting hub where female players don’t have access to changerooms.

The days of young female rugby and cricket players having to use tents to get changed before sporting matches could soon be numbered on the north shore.

A $1.6m plan has been hatched by local sporting clubs to rebuild the ageing clubhouse at Soldiers Memorial Park in East Lindfield in a move to bring changerooms and club facilities into the 21st century.

More than 1000 people have signed a petition backing the plan which would involve rebuilding the existing 1960s clubhouse which currently lacks female change rooms.

Lindfield Senior Rugby president Andrew McWhannell said the dire state of the building had been a major hurdle for the hundreds of up and coming sporting stars that use the oval each week.

The lack of female changerooms at the site means girls currently have to use tents pitched on the side of the oval before and after games in order to get changed in privacy.

The current clubhouse dates back to the 1960s.

Lindfield Senior Rugby, Junior Rugby and the Lindfield District Cricket Club have now commissioned a development plan to rebuild the facility.

The proposal has been put forward to Ku-ring-gai Council which manages the Crown land park and would have to sign-off on approving development.

A concept image of the proposed clubhouse facility at the site.

Mr McWhannell said the clubhouse rebuild would ensure the sporting clubs could access facilities that meet modern standards.

“At the moment we’ve got a clubhouse that hasn’t been updated since the 1960s and the changing rooms and toilets are substandards to say the least,” he said.

“The clubs are functioning but it’s affecting us with female participation and it’s not up to scratch, especially as the clubs have seen a big growth in the number of young female players.

“Our juniors have a makeshift tent for the girls to get changed which is completely inadequate. The shower block is from the 1960s and there’s no privacy and it desperately needs upgrading.”

Current facilities date back more than 60 years.

Hundreds of residents have signed a campaign calling for the council to back the upgrade.

Resident Jane Cowley said the state of the current facilities was “shocking”.

“Personally I won’t use the toilets when there because they are so bad,” she said.

“(The club) should have facilities that are functional, safe and equitable for both women and men,” she said.

The development plans will be considered by Ku-ring-gai Council.

The proposal is due to be considered at Ku-ring-gai Council’s next meeting this month. If supported, it is understood sporting clubs would pursue fundraising and grant applications to help pay for the project.

A report by Ku-ring-gai Council has recognised the current clubhouse was “nearing the end of its useful life” and is in need of “significant investment”.

“The building was not purpose built in the first instance, and warrants investment to bring it up to modern legislative standard and to meet changing community expectations and increasing female participation in sport,” the report states.

Latest figures show the Lindfield Senior Rugby, Junior Rugby and the Lindfield District Cricket Clubs sporting clubs have a combined player base of more than 1030 men and women.

The development plans also include ambulant and disabled access to the clubhouse and public toilets to ensure that the clubhouse facilities are compliant with modern building codes.