Drouin netball facelift

It was a new look for netballers at Drouin on Saturday with the official opening of the recently upgraded courts at Drouin Recreation Reserve on Saturday.

Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing joined members of the Drouin and District Netball Association and Drouin Hawks Netball Club to officially open the netball court upgrades at the popular venue, made possible by a $600,000 investment from the Victorian Government’s Community Sports Infrastructure Fund.

Ms Shing said with seven clubs in the Drouin and District Netball Association sporting 95 teams from under nines to seniors, netball in the district is more popular than ever.

She said the redevelopment resolved previous layout, surface, safety and drainage issues to achieve compliance with Netball Victoria guidelines.

Ms Shing acknowledged project partner Baw Baw Shire Council for its commitment and investment to deliver the project.

“The Drouin and District Netball Association, the Neerim-Neerim South Cats, and the Neerim District Cricket Club are all fantastic clubs with deep roots in their communities - they deserve appropriate facilities they can be proud of.”

“These upgrades have made a massive difference to the quality and safety of both venues and will provide ongoing benefits to players and umpires for years to come.”

“Investments like these also encourage more people to get involved with their local netball and football clubs. That’s great for competition, great for local sports, and it’s a brilliant result for a community who’ve spent years advocating to secure this funding.”

“I’m sure local netball and football will embrace the new facilities, so they can welcome more players, train harder and win more flags.”