Upgrades to the Canterbury Park Sports Precinct have been 16 years in the making.

Eaglehawk Development Group committee member Andrew Reid said the old club rooms were 60 years old and had white ants. 

“Netballers have been in our club for 25 years and we only had one female indoor toilet and no showers for them,” he said. 

Outside, they had three public toilets with no roof. 

“It was a subject of embarrassment,” Mr Reid said. 

He said progress was possible because the clubs and community groups using the facilities started working together as a development group about six years ago.

“I don’t think people realise the work that’s been put in,” Mr Reid said.  

“We’ve gone through three sets of plans to get to this stage.

“There are clubs that have had refurbishments at their oval in between when we started and now they are seeking an upgrade.”

He said the development group had contributed just under $240,000 for the Canterbury Park sports precinct and Eaglehawk event and play space project so far.

An additional $120,000 is being raised for the final stage of the project.

The first stage included new netball courts, a netball pavilion with women’s change rooms, new cricket nets, a synthetic bowling green and an event space.

The grandstand was the focus of the next stage of works, which included social rooms. 

New football club rooms are under construction at the moment, and are due for completion in January.

The final stage of the project involves a play space on the Napier Street side of Lake Neangar.

Construction is expected to start early next year.

“You don’t want ladies being put out or being put at risk by getting changed out in the open, but there is a process,” Mr Reid said. 

“We didn’t leave any stone unturned.”

Eaglehawk netball coordinator Kylie Piercy said the new facilities had helped attract new players to the club.

“Everyone that comes and plays says it’s the benchmark for what the councils and other clubs need to strive towards – those are their words,” she said.

She said the upgrade allowed greater flexibility for scheduling, both for the club and for the people working sport into their busy lives.

“It is just being used in the manner it was designed for,” Mrs Piercy said. 

“For the wider community, it’s definitely a double thumbs up.”