Wagga mayor Dallas Tout, Tolland Wolves president Josh Lang and Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr officially opened the new Kessler Park facility. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
Tolland Wolves Soccer Club has officially unveiled its new upgraded amenities at Kessler Park, putting the safety and comfort of local female athletes at the forefront.
Costing just shy of $700,000, the park’s new changerooms came following several years of lobbying from the club.
“This is an absolute game changer for us,” club president Josh Lang said.
“From what we had before, which was essentially no changerooms, no canteen or anything like that, to this great facility which is not just for our own club use but for other clubs around the community, is fantastic.
“Clubs across the region, when they’re playing here against us, will benefit from having changerooms, somewhere to get ready and to have a shower. For women’s sports in particular, previously at this ground, and unfortunately many grounds, there were no facilities where a woman could go and change in a safe place or get ready for a game.
“We are so grateful that we can now offer them that basic request.”
The Wolves contributed $20,000 to the overall costs of the new installation with a further $336,927 being contributed by the State Government’s Stronger Country Communities Grant and $332,073 being allocated by Wagga Wagga City Council.
“We will have seven senior teams and plenty more junior teams who will be taking advantage of this space; we’re talking about hundreds of players using this space each week, and with that, we are so very grateful to the government and to the council for making this possible,” Mr Lang said.
Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr applauded the Wolves’ hard work at getting the project off the ground and rallying different bodies to contribute.
“I’ve got to say, it’s just amazing,” Dr Joe said.
“This facility is great for encouraging female participation in sport. Great to have disabled disability access as well. It’s much, much improved. I think it will be an attractive asset to the sport, and not just for the code, not just for soccer, but for the whole Tolland community.
“The uplift in female participation in sport has been extraordinary, and it’s been matched by an uplift in the communities wanting to watch it. I think it’s an important thing for equality as well, and it’s exciting to see people wanting to watch that sport as well. Hats off to Tolland Soccer Club.”
Tolland has a history of being a pioneer for women’s sports in the region, being the first soccer club to register a female player in the 1970s.
“In a way, we have come full circle,” Dr Joe said.
“Tolland were the first club to register a female player back in the 70s and now they’ve brought different government bodies together to provide the first changerooms for women in the region. The club should be proud of its efforts.”
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