Narrabri Shire soccer fields to receive a funding boost

Narrabri’s Gately Field and Wee Waa’s Cook Oval will be two beneficiaries of Northern NSW Football’s Infrastructure Strategy for Northern Inland which was announced last month.

Northern Inland is Northern NSW Football’s largest member zone geographically, comprising approximately 4,500 registered players, an increase of 30 per cent compared to last year, with 28 per cent of registered players female.

Wee Waa has more than 100 registered junior players while Narrabri has 310.

The strategy, designed to provide access to fit for purpose venues that are safe, welcoming, and support the growth of the region’s largest club-based sport, prioritised projects to ensure investment in football

facilities will target areas most in need.

Two of those areas are Narrabri and Wee Waa.

NNSWF has identified the installation of lighting at Gately Field (a $300,000 project) and a surface upgrade at Cook Oval (a $150,000 project) as two priority projects to be completed in the near future.

Both Narrabri Junior Soccer and Wee Waa United FC welcomed the news and told The Courier they were eager for the projects to get underway.

Narrabri Junior Soccer president Danny Laws said that the installation of lights at Gately Field would give all of Narrabri’s junior teams the opportunity to train at night during soccer season, an opportunity they currently do not have access to.

It would also offer a venue to play rescheduled games at night during the week.

NNSWF chief executive David Eland said it was imperative that soccer facilities were upgraded in the Northern Inland region.

“[Soccer] has the highest overall participation rate of club-based sport for children in the Northern Inland local government areas so it is vital that we fight to get these kids the facilities they need,” Eland said.

“Increasing capacity at existing venues while supporting the development of all-gender facilities over the next decade will be a focus in current and future strategic planning.

“NNSWF is committed to working with the relevant local government authorities to secure increased funding.

“NNSWF applauds the state government’s increased focus on improving community sporting facilities.”