By Jesse Graham
HEALESVILLE’S soccer and netball players have a home of their own, with a new, $1.6 million pavilion opened at the Don Road Sporting Complex on Wednesday, 14 December.
Yarra Ranges councillors joined Casey MP Tony Smith, Eildon MP Cindy McLeish and representatives of the Healesville football, netball and soccer clubs to officially open the pavilion, based next to the netball courts at the complex.
The pavilion was the result of a 2013 Federal Election pledge, where Mr Smith promised $500,000 for the project – Yarra Ranges Council then put in $1 million, with the final $100,000 contributed by the Victorian Government.
Addressing the club members, Mr Smith said the funding meant the council could prioritise the construction of the pavilion, which gives the netball and soccer clubs change rooms, an umpire room, canteen and meeting room.
The soccer and netball clubs previously used the football club change rooms and facilities, but this posed problems when multiple clubs’ games fell on the same day.
“They (council) took it from way into the future, to make the project a reality,” Mr Smith said.
“Without your passion, without your professionalism, we wouldn’t have been able to do that.
“Congratulations – this is your day.”
Ryrie Ward councillor Fiona McAllister said Soccer Club president Nick Caloutas called her shortly after she was elected to council in 2012 to advocate for the pavilion.
“Nick got on the phone to me pretty quickly and said, ‘Come have a look at the Soccer Club facilities’,” she said.
“I got the grand tour – it took about a second – and I was immediately convinced, if I hadn’t already been, that we needed to do something up on Don Road.
“The football club, netball club and soccer club do us really proud, and their contribution to the community is so much more than the sports they are part of – I’m very proud that we’re able to be supporting the clubs.”
Netball club president, Kim Estcourt-Barclay, said the new pavilion meant that change rooms and toilets were now close at hand, and that the facility was already useful for players training for next year’s season.
“We’ve already started pre-season,” she said.
“This is good, this is actually great for … when it’s wet – we can do boxing and stuff underneath the eaves.
“It’s going to be great on game day because we’ve got a lot of mums with babies and things like that – they can sit in there and still watch netball out here.”
Member for Northern Victoria, Jaclyn Symes, said the pavilion would benefit “hundreds” of players from around the Yarra Ranges.
She said women and girls in sports such as netball, had been “an afterthought” when it came to facilities.
“Grassroots sporting teams in Healesville are bursting at the seams, and they deserve safe and modern facilities, with room to grow and welcome more members,” Ms Symes said.
“Here, at Don Road, all players have access to equal facilities.”
Anyone interested in signing up to the Healesville Soccer Club can visit www.healesvillesoccerclub.com.au or call 0418 566 474.
For more information about joining the Healesville Football Netball Club, visit bit.ly/1Q2BqJH.
