St. George Leagues Club inches closer to receiving local council approval to go ahead with its major renovation plans that are expected to cost the club somewhere between $50-$60 million.
Under the proposed plans, the club will build a new entrance to the foyer and reconfigure the ground floor layout to accommodate a new kitchen, new bars, and a separate dining, lounge, and sports lounge. A large 14-metre-deep alfresco balcony suitable for 240 people will also be added to the front of the building.
The first floor will be stripped back to create multiple function rooms with new bar facilities. The club’s existing Chinese restaurant will also be relocated to the southern end of the building and feature new private dining rooms, small terrace, and a new kitchen. The final piece of the renovation will be the club’s auditorium.
“We just want to create a good food and beverage facility and a great gaming facility that people want to come to time and time again for any occasion,” St. George Leagues Club CEO Craig Epton told Club Management.
If the club is given the green light, work will commence next February and is expected to take two years to complete over two stages.
The major project would follow on from the work the club is currently undertaking with the gaming floor, which has been partially moved into an underutilised part of the club to free up space for food and beverages ahead of the major renovation plans. The gaming floor is slated to be completed in mid-August.
Epton said despite the gaming floor only being partially completed, the makeover is already paying dividends.
“In February, we achieved an all-time record in gaming revenue,” he said.
But it’s not just the look and feel of the club that is undergoing changes. Epton is also focused on improving staff training and morale.
“The next couple of years will be about people and processes,” he said.
He noted that it will require a combination of factors to see St George Leagues Club succeed, once again, as a club.
“We want to be the pillar of the community that’s always been there, particularly given that there are some many new developments happening around the area.”