The $4 million redevelopment of the Ballan Recreation Reserve is complete and officially open.
Eureka MP Michaela Settle joined Moorabool Shire Council mayor Rod Ward, and members from the Ballan Football Netball Club to officially open the new pavilion on Friday, October 20.
The new sports pavilion includes a large function room, kitchen and bar, office space, meeting rooms and storage sheds for the sporting clubs.
New change rooms have four female friendly change rooms, umpire change rooms, and a tiered concourse provides an optimal view of the oval.
The project was originally due to be completed last October, but faced multiple delays which Moorabool council said was due to weather and trades.
The location of the pavilion will allow for an extension of the oval to meet senior AFL football standards.
The Ballan Recreation Reserve will be the home of several community and sporting groups including Ballan Football Netball Club, Ballan Cricket Club, Ballan Tennis Club, Ballan Bowls Club, and the local karate club.
Ballan Football Netball Club president David O’Hanlon said the project has been a long time coming, but there’s excitement building around town now that it’s complete.
“We’ve now got a home base after so many years without footy at home… We played four games at home for the better part of five years,” he said.
“It’ll be nice to get back home, hit the reset button and have a fresh start.
“We’re all looking forward to getting back home, we’ve got state of the art facilities. It should be a good time to be involved.”
The $4 million redevelopment was funded using $3 million from the state government and contributions from council, Ballan Recreation Reserve Committee, Ballan’s Bendigo Bank and the Goldwind community fund.
Ms Settle said she can’t wait to see the upgrade help community sport flourish.
“We know Ballan is a proud sporting community. From a new space to cheer on the Ballan Blues to new facilities for our local tennis club and karate students, our upgraded recreation reserve will bring benefits to our community for generations,” she said.
“For our kids, sport is a chance to create life-long bonds. I can’t wait to see community sport flourish with these upgrades.”
Moorabool mayor Rod Ward said the completed reserve is an outstanding result for the Ballan community.
“Not only for the sporting clubs that will use the facility weekly, but for the entire community who will be able to access the space for functions and meetings,” he said.
The project follows the completion of the Darley Football Netball Club Pavilion last week, which experienced similar delays.
