The repairs and redevelopments at Princess Park in Shepparton have continued with the resurfacing of the venue’s main netball court.
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Shepparton Swans Football Netball Club posted a photo on Facebook on Tuesday showing the freshly laid playing surface.
The main court got a new surface and fresh coat of paint following damage caused by the flooding in October and November last year, with the second training court receiving a touch-up as well.
The upgrade comes in time for the new Goulburn Valley League season, with Shepparton Swans set to play their first home game in round three on Saturday, April 22 against Mansfield.
“I know the girls are excited to get down there and play on there in round three,” Swans netball president Tish Cirillo said.
“There was some cracking and chips in the court and Shepparton council was great to come to the party and have that resurfaced for us.”
Ahead of round three, the Swans will also be able to train at Princess Park once again – something they haven’t been able to do this year.
“We are super excited to get down there and officially start straining there because we haven’t been able to yet,” Cirillo said.
“We were very lucky, Rumbalara Netball Club allowed us to use their netball courts for the start of our pre-season, and the last few weeks we made the transition down to the Shepparton Netball Association courts,.
“It means a lot to our girls. There are a whole bunch of new players that have come onboard this season that haven’t been able to get down and experience what it is like to be involved at the football netball club and have that atmosphere.
“We are keen to get down there and show what we have got at our new court, we are all super, super keen.”
The refreshed netball court is the latest in a string of redevelopments at Princess Park.
New portable change and clubrooms were brought in at the venue last week, provided by the AFL and Ausco Modular, and Cirillo said there was more work still to come in the near future.
“We are getting a container that will sit behind our bench that will have change rooms and toilets for the netballers, so that is extremely exciting.
“In previous years we have had to run a distance to get to the toilets, so to have those facilities there will be huge. The change room will be a massive asset for the club.
“We are hoping to have that there for round three, and if not, not long after.”
Cirillo encouraged Swans fans and people from the community alike to come down to Princess Park when they take on the Eagles in round three.
“We are hoping to get all our club people down there to come through the gate and support the club both in football and netball,” she said,
“We still aren’t in a great position with our facilities, but we are still hoping to put on a great day as a club.
“We are hoping to come away on the netball side of things with five wins as a welcome back to our home ground.”