SPORTING infrastructure upgrades worth millions of dollars for grassroots games are starting to take shape across the city.
Works have begun on new multi-purpose clubrooms at Mount Clear Recreation Reserve, joining major revamps already underway at Wendouree's CE Brown Reserve and Eastern Oval.
The City of Ballarat, combined with Victorian Government grants, is pumping $4.18 million into improving the four sites. Most projects should be complete for summer tenants to put in use.
Mount Clear’s new pavilion is waiting for the slab to be poured, two weeks after construction started. New change rooms, storage facilities and a publicly accessible toilet will cater to Mount Clear Cricket Club and Mount Clear Junior Football Club, both which feature growing female teams.
Mounties cricket committee member Andrew Vandebyl said facilities would create space for netballers, which had not been available before, and offer flexibility to change four little change rooms into two large , open AFL-compliant change rooms.
“There has been a need out there for a number of years,” Mr Vandebyl said. “This will be really good.”
First demolition blows in Wendouree to dilapidated CE Brown facilities were landed on a toilet block last month, signalling the start of a $2.5 million Victorian Government upgrade.
Lake Wendouree Football Netball Club president David Clifton said it was only in the past week that detailed plans were released to offer tenants and sponsors a better grasp of how big and modern new facilities would be.
Mr Clifton said early clubroom construction had impacted a little on junior football, which mostly played on the adjoining oval, but it would be worth the result after sharing some of the worst rooms in the region for so long.
New rooms, including a kitchen refit, will also serve Wendouree cricket and athletics clubs. Works follow the $1.65 million surface upgrade completed last year and two new netball courts.
Meanwhile, East Point netballers are already in action on their new netball court at Eastern Oval but there is still grandstand and accessibility works to play out.
A new multi-purpose cricket training facility at the venue is about to have retractable netting fit for Golden Point cricketers with one additional hard wicket for public use alongside.
Ballarat Bowling Club members can soon play all-year-round with a new synthetic bowling green on the former croquet field, while a multipurpose turf cricket pitches will be laid to help bid for bigger games and championships.
Eastern Oval upgrades, totalling $1 million, are due for completion in August.
