By Tricia Mifsud
GREENHILL Reserve has become a more inclusive environment for its players, with a refurbishment allowing its change rooms to be more female-friendly.
The new space allows for separation between male and female athletes, accommodating the women’s senior football side and four netball teams during the winter, and cricket teams during the summer.
The change rooms were used at the weekend at Wallan’s home matches against Riddell and club president Stephen Shepard said the space was a welcomed inclusion by the club and the general public.
“The rooms are fantastic for females in sports; they were well thought about and designed,” Shepard said.
“It’ll be great for the women and the growth of their involvement [at the club]. What we originally had wasn’t old, it just wasn’t big enough to accommodate. The new change rooms are better than what he had.
“The girls can shower after their games and feel more comfortable in their own space.”
In addition to being female-friendly, the design of the change rooms has made public toilets more accessible for disabled people and safer for children.
“The public toilets are a lot safer for kids. The toilets are now at the front of the building, and the kids don’t have to walk down the hallway [out of sight] to use the toilets,” Stephen said.
“This is also [beneficial for] disabled access as it is much easier for those people to enter the front of the building.”
Mitchell Shire Council chief executive Brett Luxford said it was one of many projects at the reserve that would create the Greenhill Recreation Precinct.
“The upgrade further encourages female participants and equitable access to the main oval,” he said.
“The Greenhill Recreation Precinct is about catering for growth in the south of Mitchell Shire and ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to participate.”
Other projects underway at the existing reserve include a cricket net renewal and expansion; competition-standard lighting for netball courts; competition-standard lighting for the main oval; and a new play space.
Once completed, the precinct is expected to include a dedicated gymnastics centre; an indoor multi-sport centre; outdoor sporting precinct with sports fields and tennis facility; an aquatic centre; passive open spaces including pathways to the Greenhill cone; and a play space.
While the change rooms are in use, the project is expected to be completed at the end of May, as the construction of a veranda had been added to the upgrades.
There will be an opening event for the change room refurbishments, but a date has not been set.
