Marty Busch scores with new board

AN electronic scoreboard at Marty Busch Reserve’s oval number two has been unveiled by Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison and City of Ballarat mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves.

The new board will be used by members and fans of Sebastopol Football Netball Club and Napoleons Sebastopol Cricket Club.

Sebastopol Football Netball Club president Chenay Wilkinson said the new scoreboard will be much easier to use and provide opportunities for sponsors to advertise.

“Initially we had a little hook scoreboard, but the little numbers got lost over the years so last year we had to laminate numbers and manually make up a scoreboard which was challenging with wind and weather,” she said.

“Sometimes we just didn’t have a scoreboard at all so this one is going to be incredible.”

The new scoreboard is part of the Marty Busch Reserve master plan which is funded by $8.4 million from the State Government and more than $1 million from the City of Ballarat.

The number two oval was resurfaced in 2024, and new lighting was installed.

The next project will be constructing new change rooms to replace the outdated facility.

The new rooms will include toilets and showers to meet AFL Victoria guidelines as well as separate facilities for umpires and timekeepers, a kiosk and kitchen, a social space, an undercover viewing area, and carpark.

Construction is expected to begin at the end of this year’s football and netball season.

“What [this project] is about is saying that whatever part of Ballarat you live in, no matter where you live, that close by you will have world class facilities,”Ms Addison said.

“That is what we are going to be delivering right here at Marty Busch.”

A tender has also been awarded to build new cricket nets and resurface the existing number two netball court.

The new cricket nets will include two bays for the community and three for the Napoleons Sebastopol Cricket Club which is expected to be completed mid-2025.

The netball court upgrade is expected to be completed in April.

Other aspects of the project include a criterium cycling track and relocation of the CFA fire shed and marshall track by September 2027.