Sport
22 June, 2023
Long-awaited upgrades on the way for Campbells Creek FNC, with netball court investment
Much-needed facility upgrades are on the way for Campbells Creek, with the club getting $650,000 in funding to upgrade their netball courts. It’s the first step in restoring the Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve after the club came out of recess...
Much-needed facility upgrades are on the way for Campbells Creek, with the club getting $650,000 in funding to upgrade their netball courts.
It’s the first step in restoring the Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve after the club came out of recess in 2022, with the news a welcome boost for the club, particularly as it builds through its juniors for sustained success on the court.
At the moment, Creek’s under 11 netball team sits undefeated on top of the ladder, while their under 13s and C grade team sit inside the top eight.
The upgrade is made up of a $250,000 commitment from the Victorian Government, while the Mount Alexander Shire Council has contributed $398,953. Construction will involve a new competition-standard netball court, sheds which will help shelter netball players and new lights.
Mount Alexander Shire Council mayor Rosie Annear says the new upgrades will support Campbells Creek in their rebuild.
“New and improved facilities will make a huge difference to the Campbells Creek Football Netball Club,” she said.
“This project wouldn’t have been possible without all the work the club did to advocate for funding.
“The club will able to host training and home games, enjoying the club even in the darker months.
“It will also go a long way to encouraging people of all ages, genders and abilities to get involved in sport.”
Campbells Creek’s May Pratt says the funding boost means everything to the club, having seen other clubs in the vicinity such as Maldon, Newstead and Harcourt receive funding in the recent past.
“It means everything to us,” she said.
“We just want somewhere safe for our players to play and that will be achieved with our new netball court.
“It’s also an improvement on the facility as a whole, and makes it a bit more appealing to players to come and play for Campbells Creek, and practically, we will also be getting new sheds and lights so we can train better at night, and have somewhere to shelter for ourselves and our opposition when they play at Creek.
“We’re incredibly excited and grateful that we’re getting this — it’s long overdue, but we’re glad it is happening.”
Although Campbells Creek currently sit 13th on the A grade netball ladder, the results don’t tell the full story of the hard work the club has done to get the club back on track, with Pratt saying the club has achieved a rare feat in coming out of recess in a stronger state than before.
“To come back and have our core committee group that continued to fundraise, apply for grants and put their all into the club during that time, come out of recess — which is what a lot of clubs don’t come back from — and come back in a much stronger position than we were beforehand, with more football and netball teams that we had before, and getting wins across those teams, is a testament to the volunteers and people in Campbells Creek,”she said.
“Especially considering all clubs in 2020 were put out for the season due to COVID, and then we were out in 2021 as we went into recess, all our players went to different clubs to play footy and netty for the year.”
Pratt says the netball upgrades are the first step in upgrades that have been required at Campbells Creek for years, with the next step in the club’s resurgence to improve the facility as a whole for netballers and footballers.
“We need new facilities. There is a master plan in place that’s meant to be happening over the next five or 10 years,” she said.
“The Shire are set to give us removable facilities for next season so that we’re not using those disgusting, old shipping containers, so next season, we’ll have a bit of an upgrade in temporary changerooms, which will be great.
“With the new netball court and netball facilities going up, as well as getting a toilet block and a drinking fountain, which we’ve never had, the next thing is getting some upgrades to the club rooms, kitchen and things like that.
“But hopefully, this is the first step, and the momentum gets us going and we get some much-needed improvements around the club as a whole.
“We’re building, and it’s great to see that people are pushing on and working to get our club to be successful again.”