Soccer club scores important winner

SURF Coast Football Club has laid the foundations for a multi-million-dollar soccer facility redevelopment, which is set to deliver better experiences for players, spectators and volunteers.

Builders have poured concrete slabs for new changerooms at Torquay’s Banyul-Warri fields, which is part of a $2.1 million upgrade for the growing local club.

The new facility will provide SCFC with new changerooms, clubrooms, a grandstand, canteen and kitchen, and storage facilities, which currently has 380 players including 290 in its junior ranks.

President Brett King said the major facility upgrade would score goals for the club as it aims to attract more players in future years, and as a social hub for the growing Torquay north community.

“This has been a long journey for us to get this far. It’s great to see it moving, it’s really obvious to us to see how the plans are progressing and it’s a really exciting time for the club,” he said.

“With Torquay being such a growth region, having people have such a sense of community and somewhere to mingle and meet like-minded people is a really great avenue for people to feel closer to the community and more of a sense of home in the region, especially with so many people in the area that are new and don’t have those social networks.”

Mr King said extra changerooms would help manage foot traffic on busy matchdays with multiple concurrent matches for boys and girls, and would make life easier on club volunteers.

 

 

The pavilion redevelopment will also provide SCFC with a social space and tiered seating of its pitches, plus two new team changerooms, two new and two renovated rooms for officials and four accessible toilets.

Banyul-Warri fields, located behind the Surf Coast Shire offices on Merrijig Drive, has three rectangular pitches and two football-cricket ovals that are used by a host of sport and recreation clubs.

Construction of the extension began in October and is due to finish in June 2022.

Project builder, Moolap-based Rendine Constructions, has finished underground plumbing work and poured concrete slabs for new changerooms.

Surf Coast Shire is managing the build, after the state government provided $2 million for the project in 2018 and the club chipped in $100,000 of its own cash.