SEIFFERT Oval in Goulburn has been the scene of many great sporting events over the years, including the annual Trackpower events and the celebrity Masters 20/20 Cricket match in March.
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But according to Cr Margaret O’Neill, the oval has been in dire need of some work for the past 20 years.
So when Member for Goulburn Pru Goward announced $200,000 funding from the State Government to upgrade the on-field lighting and the playing surface on Monday, it was welcomed with open arms by Cr O’Neill and Goulburn and District Cricket Association president, Tim Price.
“Seiffert Oval has been an embarrassment,” Cr Margaret O’Neill said.
“The state it was in - it has been disregarded by the council and the people of Goulburn have been left behind with sports funding. Not enough has been spent on it over the last 20 years; it has been just band-aided - so this is a good start.”
Cr O’Neill thanked Ms Goward for the funding and her advocacy for Goulburn.
“After sending a letter to Pru Goward about the lack of sports funding for Goulburn in the State Budget, I am very pleased to see this funding for Seiffert Oval come through, and I believe that working with Ms Goward, we can get even more funding for the Victoria Park precinct,” she said.
Goulburn and District Cricket Association Tim Price said Goulburn has produced many sporting legends and needed proper facilities for its sportspeople.
“Goulburn is historically a town that has produced many sporting champions across numerous sports, so we feel this funding is a long overdue injection into Goulburn’s facilities,” Mr Price said.
“It is our hope that this injection of funds is the start of a journey that can deliver our town facilities comparable to other regional areas and in turn, help produce the next generation of sporting champions.”
He said an upgraded Seiffert Oval and sporting precinct would really put Goulburn on the map as a regional sporting hub and boost the city’s ability to attract more events in the future.
Goulburn Mulwaree Operations Director Matt O’Rourke said the funding would go towards upgrading the lighting and playing surface.
“The lights have been patchy up here when cycling events are on at night, so this is a start to remedy that,” he said. “I hope that this funding will kick start improvements for a lot of the city’s sporting facilities.”
Member for Goulburn Pru Goward said the substantial contribution from the NSW Government would assist Goulburn Mulwaree Council to complete its progressive upgrade to Victoria Park over the next four years.
“I am so proud to be able to deliver $200,000 to our local sporting community in Goulburn to revamp Seiffert Oval’s sporting infrastructure,” Ms Goward said.
“This money will contribute to the much needed upgrade of the playing surface and on-field ground lighting and will be a big boost to the sporting clubs using this facility regularly.”
Goulburn Mulwaree Council Mayor Geoff Kettle thanked the State Government for contributing to the upgrades.
“Council’s relationship with Pru Goward and the State Government is a strong one, and I thank them for their valuable contribution towards upgrades of Seiffert Oval,” Cr Kettle said.
“I look forward to working with Pru further as we continue through the masterplanning process for the Victoria Park health and wellbeing precinct.”
