$600,000 will be allocated to Stawell’s North Park Sporting Complex in an effort to redevelop the clubrooms and create facilities which will be more user friendly for female participants.

Member for Western Victoria Jaala Pulford said the upgrade will give the Stawell community, including football, netball and cricket clubs, the facilities they need to train, compete and attract more members.

“This vital funding will help Stawell’s mighty sport teams compete and grow. It’s a win for local football, netball and cricket and for our community,” she said.

“Clubs like Swifts Football Netball Club are the cornerstone of local communities and that’s why we’re backing them with this record investment.

“We’re upgrading local grounds, change rooms and pavilions right across Victoria so everyone has the facilities they need to play and watch the sport they love.”

Northern Grampians Shire mayor Tony Driscoll said the funds would help accommodate the growing numbers of participants using North Park.

“We’re certainly appreciative of the Government’s assistance to fund much needed facilities at North Park and I’m confident our community will put them to good use,” he said.

The announcement comes nearly four months after the Northern Grampians Shire Council was successful in its bid for $100,000 of grant money for North Park.

North Park is home to Swifts Football Netball Club but is also a venue for athletics, cricket, interchurch netball and a variety of other community activities.

Swifts vice-president Ian O’Donnell has been lobbying for the upgrades since the last state election in 2014. 

O’Donnell said the overwhelming feeling since the announcement on Tuesday night has been euphoria.

“All of the users of North Park are very happy to hear the news,” he said.

“It has been a long time coming and we can’t wait to get things moving.”

O’Donnell said the club is already in discussions with council to put plans in place with the funding.

“We will make sure we look at the strategic plans for North Park,” he said.

“We want to make sure we do it right and make the most of the funding that has been allocated to us.”

Swifts president Steve Hoffman said he believes the the boost will assist the club in attracting and retaining players for the future.

“It will definitely be a bonus to help us bring new players and families to the club as well as growing into the future,” he said.

O’Donnell said the new funding “can only be a positivie thing”.

“It is great not just for Swifts or the users of North Park but for the whole town,” he said.

“We thank the Andrews government and Jaala Pulford for their efforts in making this happen and listening to us.”

The funding will be provided through $60 million in the Victorian Budget 2018/19 for community sporting grants as part of a $241.6 million boost for women’s and community sport.

The investment will also include a $15 million boost for the Female Friendly Facilities Fund to ensure women have the sporting facilities they need.