Carlingford’s Roselea Park given $450k Federal Government grant
From a dust bowl to a super bowl, one northwestern Sydney park will be given the world class treatment in the form of a cash injection; transforming it from a pile of dirt to a $20 million sports ground.
It has been neglected for decades but a $450,000 grant could be the start of transforming an “appalling” Carlingford sports ground into a $20 million “world class” sports complex if Rohan Primrose’s lofty ambitions for Roselea Park come true.
“These things don’t happen overnight but I’m aware of some other clubs that started three, four years ago and one was awarded $40 million,’’ the Roselea Football Club women’s football vice president said.
“Let your imagination run wild and have a cafe, girls’ change rooms and public toilets, which we don’t have at the moment. It could be world class.”
On Saturday, Roselea FC accepted the grant from Bennelong federal Liberal MP John Alexander to upgrade lighting and irrigation at the abandoned three-field Roselea Park.
Mr Primrose hopes the election boost will lead to the ground becoming a community sports landmark for netball, soccer and cricket over the next 10 years.
Mr Primrose also hopes the upgrade will assist member retention — numbers dropped from 800 to 680 last year.
Cricket and soccer players use the ground, which draws up to 2000 players each Saturday in winter.
He said Parramatta Council audits led to it being deemed the worst ground in the area for irrigation and lighting, and the fifth worse for its clubhouse.
“It’s either raining or stinking hot,’’ he said.
“The council described it as hydrophobic. It repels water. When it does rain it doesn’t absorb water. There’s no irrigation or drainage.
“It just sits there for a week or whatever of if there’s not rain it’s just a dust bowl.
“It’s one extreme to another.”
Mr Primrose said the Education Department’s ownership of Roselea Park made it difficult to attract funds but a series of recently-secured infrastructure grants would lead to a better facility for members and visitors.
“Most people dread going to Carlo at the moment,’’ he said.
“And (the upgrade) shows the Department of Education we’re serious about investing in the facility.”
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