LABOR has pledged $3 million for the complete redevelopment of the Barr Reserve netball courts in Wangaratta to boost community sport.
Under the election promise made this week, funding would bring a total reconfiguration of the layout and re–surfacing of the courts, increasing the total number of courts from 15 to 16, arranged as a four by four grid.
The Wangaratta Netball Association (WNA) estimate the total cost of the project will be around $5 million and hope to gain additional funds for the project and will wait until further planning comes out from Netball Victoria before making a decision on whether the surface will be layered with Plexipave or bitumen.
Labor's Northern Victoria MP Jaclyn Symes said Netball Victoria identified Wangaratta as a priority project and saw it as the perfect opportunity to promote the cohesiveness of the community through the investment.
"The Barr Reserve is renowned for catering to nearly every sport, so making sure we are keeping up with investment to make sure we continue to encourage people to participate and indeed bring more people to the region, not just sport lovers but local businesses as well," she said.
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"Facilities have lagged a little bit so we're making sure we're spending the money for the benefit of all kids and all people who want to play sport.
"Netball has always punched above its weight because people have always made do...you've got hard working volunteers and families that make sure young girls and their daughters get to have a crack.
"Netball shouldn't be second class to football, we want to make sure we're giving investments in sports that are predominately women orientated and netball is one of the heaviest participated sports for young people in the country."
WNA secretary Rodney Dean said the club has been experiencing dwindling participation numbers due to the dangerous conditions of the current courts.
"Our courts haven't been re–surfaced since the mid–80s, none of them are compliant with the current legislation through Netball Victoria and to re–surface our courts, we have to make them compliant, we have to redesign the whole thing from scratch," he said.
"At the moment we don't have the drainage...all the water from court 15 still comes down to the other side of the courts and we need to look at everything when we redevelop it to make it safe."
The Barr Reserve netball rooms will also be under redevelopment as a part of the Wangaratta Sports and Aquatic Centre upgrades.
Mr Dean said the upgrades will make the Barr Reserve one of the top netball precincts in the state and hopes to be able to host events such as the Netball Victoria's state titles.
"We'll look at other areas, the best I've seen is Pinks Park in Melbourne and I want to try and exceed what they have here in Wangaratta," he said.
Ovens Valley Labor candidate, Zuvele Leschen, said she wanted to ensure female oriented sports in the region have access to first class facilities in the region to promote the growth of the sport and community.
"We have always been behind the eight ball when it comes to financing sports participation (in women's sport) and if we can provide them with the facilities, what they need and get the families involved, that builds the momentum you need to make the sport prominent," she said.
