Member for Bendigo Lisa Chesters has called on the federal government to provide “significant funding” to build and upgrade change rooms.

“If we fund it how we are currently funding infrastructure it will take years, and that’s not good enough,” she said.

“The solution to these woes needs to be a three-way partnership between local, state and federal governments.”

Grants of up to $100,000 are available from the state government to make change rooms at Victorian sports clubs more female friendly.

But the responsibility for applying for funding largely falls to local councils.

Ms Chesters said the sudden rise and popularity of women’s football, in particular, warranted a broad-based infrastructure build similar to that which followed the 1956 summer Olympics in Melbourne.

She said there was then a move to build swimming pools.

“It is positive that women are playing sport and we need to ensure we have the facilities for them,” she said.

“it doesn’t need to be female, it just needs to be unisex.”

She said the lack of change rooms was unfair on players, clubs and the community.

The City of Greater Bendigo has not lodged an application for funding for facilities at the Queen Elizabeth Oval, but change rooms have been on its radar. 

Acting Active and Healthy Communities manager Lincoln Fitzgerald said council applied for funding for a new pavilion at the Harry Trott Oval in Kennington.

The project included female change facilities, as well as umpire and men’s change rooms.

“This project was unsuccessful for this funding application round,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

He said most of the city’s other applications in the 2017-18 Community Sports Infrastructure Fund had been “supported to the next stage.” 

“Historically, this fund has provided significant support for many of the city’s projects,” Mr Fitzgerald said. 

“The city is considering a range of projects for submission to next year’s funding round.”

Mr Fitzgerald said council had completed a number of project in the past five to six years that included changing facilities for female athletes. 

Included among them were additional change rooms at Strathdale Park for women and umpires; new netball change rooms at Canterbury Park; eight new change rooms at Epsom Huntly Recreation Reserve; change rooms within the stadium at Eaglehawk’s Truscott Reserve; and upgraded netball change rooms at Barrack Reserve in Heathcote.

Projects underway included construction of two more female change rooms at Spring Gully Soccer Club; an expansion of Bendigo Stadium, which includes change rooms for the external netball courts; and a new pavilion at Marist College Bendigo, which includes netball and umpire change rooms.

Designs for a change pavilion at Garden Gully and a pavilion at Harry Trott Recreation Reserve are being drawn up.