Thursday, 20 September 2018

 Mr KATOS (South Barwon) (17:16): (15 041) I wish to raise an adjournment matter this evening for the Minister for Sport. The action that I seek is for him to give a favourable outcome to the City of Greater Geelong’s funding application to the Female Friendly Facilities Fund on behalf of the Barwon Soccer Club in Grovedale. The Barwon Soccer Club is located in Reserve Road in Grovedale The club has about 500 players and approximately 100 of them are women and girls. It is a fantastic club that has grown immensely. I remember going there with the then shadow minister for sport, Hugh Delahunty. The facilities they had at the time were, quite frankly, abhorrent; they were terrible. We gave them a $400 000 funding commitment at the 2010 election and saw some very good clubrooms built.

What has happened is that the continued growth in the southern suburbs of Geelong, particularly Grovedale and also neighbouring Armstrong Creek, has put additional pressure on the soccer club. The proposal is to extend the changing rooms to provide more changing facilities for women and girls. The City of Greater Geelong is contributing $325 000 for this project, the club is contributing $24 000 and the application that has been made to the fund is for $150 000. That will be very important for the local community there in Grovedale and also indeed for people in the suburbs south of the river because, with the exception of the Surf Coast Soccer Club down in Torquay, that is the only soccer club in Geelong’s southern suburbs. It does get a significant amount of pressure from people wanting to play soccer and obviously we are getting more and more people playing soccer, whether they be men, boys, women or girls. With that increased pressure there is a need for new changing rooms.

I also commend the president, David Rea, the treasurer, Colin Drain, and also the committee at the club. They do a fantastic job. I ask the minister to give a favourable outcome to the funding application by the City of Greater Geelong for the Barwon Soccer Club.