The home of Murchison-Toolamba Football Netball Club and Murchison Cricket Club has long been plagued with inferior facilities and, despite a break in the clouds this week, the work is far from done according to Liberal Member for Northern Victoria state Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell.
On Tuesday, March 4, Corrections Minister Enver Erdogan confirmed during parliament that the government had agreed to transfer some relocatable buildings from the decommissioned Dhurringile prison to the club site.
It follows Lovell’s February address at Spring St to request the donation of sheds out of Dhurringile.
While the agreement to move the buildings is undoubtedly a win, the deal doesn’t include a large shed the footy club was after and, in Lovell’s opinion, more needs to be done to improve amenities at Hopperland.
“The donated sheds are a good start, but so much more is needed and I will continue advocating for the Hoppers until they have facilities that club members can be proud of,” Lovell said.
“The Hoppers’ clubrooms are on Crown land, which gave the state government the perfect opportunity to support the club by donating the large sheds they wanted.
“But unfortunately the Allan Labor Government has chosen to prioritise the sale value of the prison site over supporting a local football netball club.”
Sheds donated by Corrections Victoria from Dhurringile prison will be used to provide extra storage, with the potential for those repurposed buildings to act as a changing room for junior players.
However, it’s a band-aid fix for a much deeper-seated issue.
The rooms that are used now were first constructed in 1981 and have not been refurbished or renovated since.
Murchison-Toolamba FNC’s rooms were ranked in the bottom five per cent of club facilities in Australia, following an inspection from the AFL that compared the findings to a pool of 3000 other football clubs.
New rooms would mean new life for the Hoppers and, while Murchison-Toolamba FNC president Simon Robinson is glad to see a step in the right direction, he just wants to see the club caught up with modern-day standards.
“Our club and community are grateful for any support we receive as we seek an affordable solution to acquiring new clubrooms,” he said.
“But we are not just looking for any outcome. We are seeking the right outcome that provides appropriate modern, safer facilities for the hundreds of participants, their families and our supporters into the future.”
