The Penola Football club is awaiting news to find out if it has been successful in a grant application to upgrade its clubrooms and changerooms.
The club has applied for funding under the Community and Recreation sport facilities program through the Office of Recreation and Sport.
Football club spokesperson and past president Marcus Devereux said funding was available via a State Government grant matching funds dollar for dollar.
“This is stage one of the grant funding required for our project as we look to get $2.5m to $3m for the project,” he said.
The currently facility is outdated, the ramp has termite damage and the kitchen does not comply with current regulations.
“The toilets and changerooms are not up to standard and do not meet standards for the women’s football team or any female sports. The number of upstairs toilets also need to be increased for the room capacity,” Mr Devereux said.
The upstairs of the building was built in the early to mid 1990s and downstairs was in constructed in the mid 1970s.
There club has undergone repairs and maintenance throughout the years, but the club believes it has come to a stage where a complete overhaul is more viable.
Mr Devereux said the plan had been in the pipeline for some seven or eight years, but while he was club president he did not have the extra time required to organise it, however things have ramped up in the last 12 months.
The renovations will benefit all user groups of McCorquindale Park.
“There will be all new upgrades downstairs for the football and cricket clubs and upstairs will have a glass viewing area to the netball and tennis courts,” he said.
“The Penola Show and Acoustic Music Gathering will have access to more showers and toilets for campers.
“The school uses the oval and changerooms and that will mean the males and females can have separate changerooms. Upstairs will have a commercial kitchen for caterers to hire and it will be a better venue for business seminars and meetings.”
Mr Devereux said the renovation had the whole community in mind, with a key inclusion two 24/7 public toilets at the back of the building for anyone to use when on the grounds.
“We have 100% support from all the McCorquindale Park users who are eager to see this project through. We have letters of support from the Wattle Range Council, the show society, cricket, netball, tennis, McCorquindale Park Management Committee, high school, sports club and the SANFL,” he said.
“We have been lucky enough to have the majority of the user groups donate or pledge funds towards the project, however we have not been able to get any funding from the Wattle Range Council.
“We are still considerably short of our target so if anyone from the community wants to get involved, we would be most appreciative. Anyone can contact me or the football club. We are lucky enough to have Cathy Hughes take control of the great application and I have been working closely with her and her knowledge of the process is second to none.”
The outcome of the grant will be announced in December.
