A new $4.125 million clubhouse, shared by GPS Rugby Club and Valleys District Cricket Club, has opened at Ashgrove Sports Ground in Brisbane. Features include a gym and strength and conditioning centre, refurbished community hall, and new, separate female and referee changerooms.
The opening of the clubhouse delivers on a $2.4m Palaszczuk Government election commitment for the Cooper electorate. GPS Rugby contributed $1.1m to the project with $125,000 from Valleys District Cricket Club and $500,000 from Brisbane City Council.
GPS Rugby Club and Valleys District Cricket Club have a combined 3000 players, including 2200 juniors and scores of volunteers. Construction of the clubhouse created 10 full-time jobs.
“This development puts GPS ahead of the pack in terms of how we can develop the game by offering a facility that caters for all levels, including our women’s game which is going from strength to strength,” GPS Rugby Club President Michael Taylor said.
“Having proper change rooms, toilets and training facilities for women has been hampered in the past by limited space and ageing clubrooms, but now we have delivered a facility that ensures our women’s game can be properly supported and developed at GPS.
“And this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we can now offer with this long-overdue project which I have been privileged to be a part of.”
Valleys has also upgraded the ground’s cricket nets with a separate $100,000 investment by the Palaszczuk Government.
“It’s really important that we not only have our own space from a convenience perspective, but it’s also recognition that women are athletes, and we contribute strongly to the sporting landscape of Australia,” Cooper MP Jonty Bush said.
“This is also about providing a place for the whole region to gather and share our common bonds as a local community through our sport, events, or just green space where we can exercise or walk the dog. The new clubhouse gives both clubs the home base they need to attract new players and keep current players in the game for longer.”
Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the shared sport infrastructure we want to build that’s used by clubs throughout the year, not just the season.
“More girls and women playing sport is one of legacies we want to achieve from the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” he said.
