Turbos should warm to gym
There will be no more battling freezing temperatures while working out for the Manawatu Turbos with renovations of the team’s gym well under way.
Work on the $500,000 re-fit of the Manawatu Rugby Performance Centre, which boarders Arena field four and Waldergrave St, is expected to be completed in February.
The gym will mainly serve the Turbos and the Manawatu Cyclones.
But Manawatu Rugby Union chief executive John Knowles said other groups would be able to take advantage of it.
‘‘Clubs and school rugby teams will also have opportunities made available to use the facility with support and assistance from MRU employed trainers,’’ he said.
Knowles said he was also encouraging Manawatu referees to use the facility.
‘‘The referees will use this as their referees’ lounge and they will be free to use it as their gym. They will also be able to use the video suite,’’ he said.
Included in the building is a gym, showers, offices for the Turbos’ coaching staff, trainers and academy manger, a treatment room for the team doctor and physio,a video analysis room and a player’s lounge which can double as a seminar room.
The renovation includes sound proofing to minimise the impact on neighbours. And while the building will have a much different look, it will have a familiar feel for the players.
The Turbos had been using the building, which was originally a bull shed for the A&P society and was sold to the union by Palmerston North City Council, during the 2016 season. But it was poorly suited for their needs.
Knowles said without heating or insulation, it was bitterly cold in winter.
‘‘[The players] were in here, but it was flipping cold,’’ he said. ‘‘The guys would be wearing balaclavas in winter.’’
He believed the facility would help the province’s continued steps forward in New Zealand rugby. ’’It is a lot bigger than most other facilities I have seen around New Zealand for a provincial union,’’ he said. ‘‘We are quite excited about it.’’
The union has funded it through a number of trust grants and from money raised in 2012’s house-build fundraiser.
Knowles said the construction companies and many of the subcontractors and suppliers have also pitched in with discounted rates.
But he was still hoping to secure a naming rights sponsor for the centre in the hopes of avoiding having to take out a loan to cover the remaining cost.